In this era of digital transformation, procuring new software is a fundamental step for businesses seeking to stay competitive and agile. However, the process can often be complex and fraught with pitfalls if not navigated carefully. Moreover, the opportunity cost of having your own employees shop for software can be high, considering the potential loss in productivity and the risk of not choosing the right solution.

Opportunity Cost and Risks

When employees are tasked with shopping for software, they divert their time and energy from their primary tasks. This can lead to decreased productivity as less time is spent on their actual work. Additionally, without proper knowledge and experience, employees may overlook critical factors such as compatibility with existing systems, scalability, or total cost of ownership. These oversights can lead to costly mistakes and disruptions.

Furthermore, the procurement process can be lengthy, leading to potential delays in implementing vital tools. Such delays can have a direct and detrimental effect on the operational efficiency and effectiveness of your business. Most critically, entrusting software procurement to someone whose core competency lies elsewhere (such as one of your employees) could result in purchasing ill-suited software. To circumvent these risks and associated costs, engaging a software consultant for your procurement needs is typically a lower risk and more cost-effective strategy that yields better business outcomes.

Yes, But how do I know they are qualified?

The software procurement process, when handled by professionals, typically adheres to a set of universal steps. If your journey does not encompass some version of the following seven steps, it may be an indicator that you are not working with an experienced consultant.

They should work with you to do the following:

1. Business Analysis: They need to understand your business needs thoroughly and should conduct a comprehensive analysis of your current systems, processes, and challenges as this will allow them to flesh out your requirements.
2. Procurement Strategy: They then should work with you to determine the budget, timeline, and specific features required in the new software.
3. Market Research: This is where the bulk of the savings for you and the bulk of the work should be done on their part. Here they execute your procurement strategy and explore all the software options available in the market, evaluating their features, pricing, and customer reviews against your requirements.
4. Procurement: They then choose 2-3 options that will meet your needs and arrange demo's for you to evaluate which software you prefer.
5. Negotiation: Once a solutions has been selected you should let them discuss terms and conditions, pricing, and support services. They should have a much better grasp of how much margin is in the solution and what is the best price the vendor can offer. Also during this phase your consultant should arrange a meeting with the prospective implementation team and the sales team of the software vendor and make sure that the implementation team is fully aware and capable of filling the promises made by the sales team before you buy the solution.
6. Implementation: Then they should manage implementation project for you, especially if you don't have the IT resources in house, and hold the software company (and your team) accountable for making sure implementation is done on time and within budget.
7. User Adoption: Finally they should help you create a plan to insure your staff is trained, and adoption of the new software is painless.

By following this roadmap, you can maximize the potential benefits of the new software, setting your business on the path to growth and success. Remember - procuring new software is not just about buying a product; it's about investing in a tool that can transform your business. We encourage you to hire a consultant and hopefully this article helps you to choose the right one. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out through DM me directly or leave a comment on our business page.