Moving Beyond the System To Evaluate The Company

Now that you have evaluated the types of systems and the features they offer and established a budget for this project, you should feel comfortable narrowing your search down to the  top three systems for your business. We must now look deeper to what lies  beyond the software and hardware to evaluate the right company for your business. You want to find one that will suit your growing needs. When looking for a business of this magnitude, one must look at the reputation  as well as the amount of years of experience in this field because the last thing you want is to pay for software and services and have the company you invested in just disappear and go out of business. Another factor to think about is the fact  that you are trusting this company with all of your data, such as customer records.  So you can never be too careful about the company you choose. Here are some questions you want to check before investing in a company:

1. How many companies are using the system?
2. Is the company financially stable?
3. What is their reputation in the industry?
4. How many years of experience do they have in that business?

Make sure to Research the Company:  In this industry there are a lot of software companies that come and go each year, it's very important to research the company as well as the software - I can’t stress this enough. Start with companies you have heard of and that are well  established with a good track record in the areas (listed below). You want to purchase your system from a reputable company with significant amount of years of  experience in the retail industry. Make sure the company you choose stands behind the products they sell. When talking to the company you should  ask if they offer theses key services:

After-Hours Technical Support?

1. Feature Enhancements?
2. Critical Software Updates?
3. Extended Warranty Protection?
4. Training Packages and/or Classes?

These will help you establish whether a company is a good fit for your business . knowing what kind of  services they offer their customers is important.  Knowing how they take care of their customers and supporting their needs is important even though it is something you should expect would be a top priority.  Remember  you are going to have to form a business relationship with this company because they are going to be maintaining and supporting your system. Make Sure To Request References and Call Them: These questions are what you should ask the company you are considering to sell and support your system. 

1.  How many customers are using their system and please name a few companies?
2. What types of services are they supplying for those particular customers? 
3. How many customers do they have in a similar industry as yours?

What issues do the customers in a similar business face a lot of and why?        What types of services are they supplying for those particular customers?  Make sure when they give you the companies to reference you put in the time to call them. That way you have a better idea of how they treat their customers, not just from the vendor’s point of view, but  from a customer’s point of view.  Also, by doing this, it will give you  insight on what type of service they give to their companies and what kind of support they offer. 

What You Should Ask Their Customers

1. How well does the system work in a retail environment?
2. How well do they train you to use the product and the features?
3. How quick does their support team respond to your needs?

When looking at these types of companies you want to find a knowledgeable, well established business  that will be able to support your investment. This company should be capable of  implementing your system in a timely manner to your specific needs and training you to use the software to help you effectively get the most out of your investment. You really have to be careful who you choose to trust, and must look at this partnership as more of a marriage because  you aren’t just buying a product online that comes out of the box where you have to configure it yourself. You are purchasing a system with services; people who will stand behind their product and support it.