7 Common Mistakes When Choosing Small Business Software

Selecting the right software for your business is challenging; you need to consider all the pros and cons and match them to your start-up. The decision can’t be taken lightly as it will directly impact the next few years for your business. With the myriad of options available in the market, it can probably get confusing. We can help you out with that.

Talking to business leaders, we asked them to share their expertise with us to help you out with this decision.

1. Not Trying Before You Buy

“There is no reason why you should not be able to trial the software you are considering purchasing in today’s technological environment. If you have many locations, this means testing the software in at least two of them to see how inventory, customer history, and account details (such as accounts receivable) are viewed and processed. Any software provider who refuses to give you access to their system in a trial form should be avoided.

“Keep in mind that testing full functions in a trial state are extremely difficult. It takes time to set up a good system. Your inventory, canned jobs, vendors, and integrations will most likely not be configured in a trial-mode system. The trial is simply intended for you to test performance (speed and reliability) and get a sense of the application’s flow. During a trial, ask yourself, ‘Does this feel like it may be a fit for my business after this software is configured?’”

Adam Garcia Founder of The Stock Dork

2.  Relying on Recommendations Only

“While recommendations from friends can be quite useful when it comes to finding the best software solutions for your company, they can also be risky if they are not followed by thorough research. Your buddies may run a similar business to you, but they may use different methods or features in the tool. When buying simply on the basis of a recommendation, you run the risk of expecting a tool to accomplish activities it is incapable of.”

Sep Niakan, Managing Broker Condoblackbook

3. Not Considering Multiple Opinions

“A typical mistake made by many businesses when purchasing business tools is having an unclear picture of what is necessary rather than specific criteria. When you know exactly what you want from the system, it’s a lot easier to evaluate and invest in the best solution. When companies entrust the selection process to only technical personnel or a limited group of executives, they fail to meet the standards. Depending on the opinions of a single person or department is quite limiting, especially if numerous departments will be using the new system on a daily basis.”

Eric Carrell, Chief Marketing Advisor SurfShark

4. Not Evaluating Application Performance

“Before making a purchase decision, most organizations do not evaluate individual software products. Because there are significant differences in how different programs work, it’s critical to understand how the software works and how it may help you with your accounting. When choosing accounting software, think about things like the simplicity of use, components, functionality, and multi-currency conversion options.”

Timothy Robinson, CEO of InVPN

5. Not Verifying Online Help/Support System:

“When looking for accounting software for your company, you want something that will make your life easier. You don’t want a system that becomes more and more complicated over time, with some upgrades making it even more difficult to operate. Before you make a purchase, check sure your service provider has a good online support and help system that responds quickly to your questions and makes it easy to use the software.”

Darshan Somashekar, Founder & CEO Spider Solitaire Challenge

6. Not Considering Long-Term Requirements

“In my opinion, When it comes to low-cost software, it’s critical to think about your long-term requirements. As a start-up, a basic program may be all you need, but as your firm grows, you may find yourself limited in what you can do. The greatest business software is scalable, which means you can upgrade it and add new features as needed.

“If you’re looking at form-building software, for example, you might discover that a basic program only allows you to create a limited number of forms, whereas a scalable software solution allows you to pay extra for the ability to create more forms. It is not easy to switch to a new software solution, but it is possible. Some companies can assist you with the transfer, such as this one that assists clients with Azure migration. Depending on the software, not all data may be able to be migrated.”

Edward Mellett, Founder/Co-Founder WikiJob.co.uk

7. Refusing To Adopt Cloud Computing

“Some businesses have avoided cloud computing because of horror stories about corporations whose files have been exposed to cyber threats. However, the risk of data kept on the cloud is no greater than that of data stored on a company’s computer, and the benefits of the cloud, such as cost and maintenance savings, exceed other possibilities. 

“Choosing not to use cloud computing can lead to ongoing server maintenance and backups, as well as the danger of server failure. To save time on backups and free up server storage space, consider using the cloud.”

Michael Robinson, Security Expert Cheap SSL Security