Choose Your Provider Before You Choose The System

Choosing a new shop management system is by no means an simple process. After all, you're going to run your entire business on this software - for a long, long time. We're talking about a major commitment here.

Before you get married, how much do you try to determine about your partner? Everything you possibly can... right? Do you make your selection based on a casual acquaintance, or solely on appearance? Hopefully not.

Before choosing a surgeon, how thoroughly do you investigate his or her professional record? Do you accept the first name suggested by your family doctor? Most would agree this is highly inadvisable. After all, the consequences of surgery are enormous and far reaching; your life could be at stake.

And does this issue of price ever enter into the picture? Would you shop for the best deal on a surgical procedure, or attempt to negotiate the price? Hopefully not.

Selecting a shop management system should be done with no less scrutiny. Like a spouse, you're going to be living with the shop system you choose every day of your life, for a long time to come. And like a surgeon, the business's life could be at stake.

Chances are you've already been down this road at least once before. In the remainder of your career, how many more shop management systems should you have to purchase and learn? The answer is simple. Just one. But it takes more than just a great system to make this possible.

You must look beyond the system itself. What about the training? What about the support? Using the medical analogy, the transition experience onto the new system is analogous to the surgical procedure. Support quality, especially immediately after the operation, is analogous to the recovery and the long-term results of the surgery. And these results will have an influence on you for the rest of your natural life. Serious implications all the way down the line.

So forget about the product for the moment, and consider who is behind it. Talk to end-users even before you talk to the vendor. Only after the vendor's credentials and operational style have passed muster should you start getting excited about the product they offer.