Outdated, inefficient or buggy software can have a significant impact on employee productivity, particularly if you don’t have adequate IT support. Unfortunately, those minutes can add up to many hours of wasted time and missed sales opportunities.
The Wrong Software Can Be Almost as Bad as No Software
The software you choose can help or hurt your business. Choosing a “good enough” option just because it’s cheaper may make it more difficult for your employees to do their jobs, especially if they have to find workarounds or toggle between two programs to complete simple tasks.
Choosing software that doesn’t fully integrate with your existing systems and programs can lead to outages and downtime. Unfortunately, employee productivity doesn’t just suffer during an outage but can actually continue once the problem is fixed. Business owners surveyed by CA Technologies reported that productivity was just 70 percent even after systems were up and running again.
Many software-buying mistakes can be prevented if you consider these factors before you make a purchase:
- Efficiency: Off-the-shelf software probably won’t address every one of your needs, but it should cover most of them. If not, you’re wasting your money on a product that may actually lower efficiency, not improve it. Before you buy new software, think about what you want it do and how it will affect workflows.
- Budget: Minimizing costs is an important consideration for every business, but buying the cheapest option can backfire. If the software doesn’t meet your needs, you may end up scrapping it and buying a brand new product in a year.
- Collaboration: Will the software make it easy for your employees to access files and share information?
Poor Software Choices Can Frustrate Your Employees
Software issues don’t just reduce productivity; they also affect employee satisfaction. Screen freezes, crashes and other issues that extend the amount of time that it takes your staff to complete even the most basic tasks can lead to frustration. Although occasional problems may not faze your staff, regular issues can lead to burnout. If you ignore employee complaints and don’t offer a resolution, your best staff members may eventually start looking for new jobs.
Get Insights to Help You Avoid Software Mistakes
You probably don’t handle your company’s taxes yourself, so why wing it when it comes to software selection? IT support consultants can help you choose software that really works for your company and your budget. At SOHO Solutions, we take the time to get to know you and ask plenty of questions about your hopes and dreams for your company. Our analysts evaluate your current systems and make recommendations about software and IT systems that will help you improve productivity and achieve your business goals. Solutions focus on empowering employees, easing integration and securing your data, while minimizing costs.
If you’re like most small business owners, you don’t have money to throw away on software that doesn’t work well. Contact us to find out how we can help you select software that will help your company grow and thrive.
