I hope it hasn’t happened to you or your company.
You are searching for software that solves a particular problem in your organization. You’ve seen a demo of the software, you’ve asked all the right questions, you’ve vetted your supplier, you’ve been promised the solution will work for you. You’ve purchased only to find out that the software doesn’t deliver as promised.
You’re stuck with an expensive investment with little to no tangible results. Now what?
Choosing the right software can be one of the most challenging decisions that an organization can make. An online demo can help you at the beginning of your software evaluation, but how do you truly know if it will work in your particular environment, with your users and your company’s processes?
A proof of concept (POC) could well be your next step. What are the benefits?
Hands-on Evaluation
The proof of concept process involves bringing the software solution in-house to give it a thorough test before you buy. It will allow you to ensure it works with your company and your processes, provides what you need, solves your specific problem, and delivers as promised.
During the POC time frame, you can see and experience the functionality of the software and determine what customizations might be required. You’ll be able to evaluate how easy the software will be to implement, how quickly your users will be able to learn and adopt it, and how it interacts with other software. This will give you a more realistic estimate of any hidden costs of implementing the new solution.
Vendor Evaluation
During the POC process, you’ll also gain insight into the vendor’s ability to support their product in your environment. It will give you a sense of how they value their relationship with you and the quality of their customer support. You’ll see how willing they are to customize their solution and how well they stand behind what they promise. It may help the software vendor identify technical and functional issues that might interfere with successful implementation in your company.
Demonstration of the Solution’s Usefulness
Developing a POC provides the opportunity to get feedback internally about the software’s capabilities and also allows you to demonstrate the product’s value to upper management. Once you evaluate the real costs involved and get buy-in from all the people who will be impacted by the new software, you can more easily present a real-world evaluation of the software’s benefits to decision-makers.
At 32 Soft, we believe you should have proof that our solutions will work in your environment and will deliver the results you need. We offer 60-day complimentary trials so that you can experience first-hand how they interact with your QAD system to eliminate bottlenecks, speed up your process, and save you time and money.
