I was recently asked: ‘Why did you write this free guide about de-risking software purchases?
Some people think we’re helping people qualify Service Geeni out of their selection process, which I agree we are. Others think we’re sharing our approach with everyone including our competitors, which is also true. For me though it’s about facing reality, because software customers generally fall into two camps:
90% of customers think they know exactly what they need a service management system to do:
9 out of 10 prospects, think if they know what they want a service management system to do, then they can invite suppliers to demo their systems and then choose on function and price alone, believing they have made a good purchasing decision. When you realise the important steps this approach misses out then it’s no coincidence that over 75% of companies also consider their ERP project a failure. When you’re working in a market where 90% of your prospects have this view you have to try to help them, not just for their benefit but for ours too.
Only 10% of customers want to consult industry
A minority of customers ask for help, it’s very common that these companies have historically relied on internal expertise, but now recognise that they don’t buy software very often and that they need to consult industry.
These businesses know what they need a system to do internally and they also want to learn about best practice. They realise that when they can understand why developers are investing in certain functionality, and when they can see how process flows are mapped differently that there are reasons for this, they are open to seeing how this can help resolve common problems or elevate service delivery and deliver competitive advantage.
Assumptions cause massive issues during implementation and beyond
If you are buying accounting software it’s a fairly safe bet that it will raise an invoice, issue statements etc. However when you get into areas such as service management software, one companies service delivery process can be very different from others and service management software functionality varies considerably by system and by industry.
Long term investments require evaluation of expected returns
Without a detailed approach to selecting software you just create problems post implementation. A software purchase is really a long term investment, and it often involves compromise, you need to find the best fit, the software that will deliver the improvements that offer the most value returned (ROI) to the business and also the one you think will then continue to help improve operational efficiency and service excellence. If you don’t do your due diligence then you just find problems during and post implementation when you are already too invested.
A thorough process genuinely helps both sides
Contrary to popular belief the vast majority of software companies want to sell something that’s a good fit, because Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) means you’re going to be working together for at least 5 years.
People selling software can make assumptions too if they don’t ask and you don’t tell. Then post implementation problems arise and customers may think a sales person has over-sold to close a deal whereas they may simply have thought something wasn’t needed because it never came up!
We wrote the guide because we know that ‘De-risking the Software Purchasing Process’ helps everybody, because it means both parties are working with the best intentions, that we can spot gaps, and either understand showstoppers (and walk away) or create compelling business cases that show Return on Investment (ROI) and make decisions and implementation easier.
The free guide has been well received by customers interested in our software and I know it strengthens our position, customers can see that we do a thorough job, that we care about understanding their businesses processes and mapping out how we can work together to deliver savings and improvements.
Don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to view our FREE guide yet, you can still access this at: www.servicegeeni.com/wln-derisking-guide
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