Reference
One size doesn't fit all.
Off the shelf software doesn't work for every business
Tomislav Simnett
2 min read
In our last blog, we dared to suggest that the customer isn't always right.
Yet we survived to talk some more!
During that particular post, we listed 13 steps that the developers at initforthe go through, to help customers work out exactly what it is they really need. Notice I didn't say want!
We also help our customers to understand what is involved in getting them from where they are now to where they want to be.
When looking at implementing business software systems, many companies fail to ask those all too crucial questions first:
-- Who are my stakeholders, my influencers, my customers and my deliverers?
-- What exactly am I trying to achieve?
-- What is being moved – data? product? people? – and many more steps…
-- What / who are my priorities?
-- What are my 'vital-to-have', 'must-have' and 'nice-to-have' features?
-- How much time investment is needed in the user experience (particularly for external facing issues).
-- What are the implications of NOT including something?
It is very rare to find a person who has already asked themselves all these questions. Someone who has the perfect plan, written down on paper, for us to be able to work to.
Many of them go down the basic 'off-the-shelf software route. But when off-the-shelf software is bought:
-- Internal business processes often get changed to fit the software, instead of the other way around
-- Vast sums of money can be spent on customising the application to the needs of the business cost of the licenses for a standard product most likely won't be a lot different to a bespoke solution
-- People just don't use it properly because it isn't the same as they're used to. You know how we all love change!!
-- The ROI is nowhere near as good as it could be
Every company's needs are absolutely unique - even those in the same industry. By investing in a bespoke software solution, you will become the owner of a fully scalable system that:
-- Does exactly what you need, when you need it
-- Already includes a review of what you currently do and what could be improved upon
-- Will have the buy-in from your team, since they will have most likely had input during the development phase; and understand the changes they need to make to ensure it's success
-- Will deliver the ROI you are looking for!
Still looking at something off the shelf?
How much capacity is your business leaving behind?
Use the calculator to estimate what slow processes, manual work and disconnected systems could really be costing you.
More posts.
View all
Business
The approval takes five minutes. The waiting costs far more.
A five-minute approval can leave work waiting for days. Once a quote, purchase, job or invoice misses its slot, the delay spreads into the rest of the process.
People switch tasks, schedules move, customers wait and cash arrives later. The decision itself may be quick, but the queue around it can cost far more than anyone realises.
Tomislav Simnett
9 min read
Business
You probably don’t need a CRM; you need the work to flow properly.
Most growing businesses think they need a CRM, but the real problem usually sits between departments.
When sales, operations and finance all rely on different systems, spreadsheets and good people end up holding the process together by hand.
When sales, operations and finance all rely on different systems, spreadsheets and good people end up holding the process together by hand.
Tomislav Simnett
6 min read
Tech
You Don’t Have an AI Strategy. You Have a Dependency
Many businesses are moving quickly with AI, but speed can hide fragility. When a workflow quietly becomes dependent on one model, one provider, and one set of behaviours nobody controls, useful experimentation can turn into operational risk.
In this post, we explore why AI strategy is not about picking today’s best model, but building the architecture, context, and control to adapt when models change.
Tomislav Simnett
11 min read