Choosing time management software can be a critical turning point of your business. As with any purchase, the software you choose needs to fit your company. Otherwise, you may end up with a disaster that costs money instead of a solution that makes your team more efficient. To avoid this, ask yourself several questions before choosing time management software for your company.
What are My Company’s Specific Needs?
Before you can even begin looking at time management software, it is essential that you understand your company’s specific needs. While the options may appear very similar, not every type of software will be a good fit. Some of the general functions of time management software include creating tasks and sub-tasks, scheduling and assigning tasks to team members, tracking progress, and prioritizing company resources. Beyond these basic functions, there are several other functions of task management software. Start with a list of the necessary functions this software needs to serve in your business. You should also make a secondary list of features that you would like, but that are not necessary.
Is it Compatible with Company Hardware?
Most companies own computers and other hardware for their company before they purchase time management software. They also may require employees to have cell phones for work. Whatever the case, it is important that the time management software you choose is compatible with the established hardware you have at your company.
How Easy Will the Software be to Implement?
Implementation is a critical part of any software purchase. A failed software implementation can lead to a backup of company projects, and ultimately a loss of company profit. For this reason, you need to be aware of the comfort level of your employees with new systems prior to purchasing time management software. If your employees have a limited amount of experience with complicated software or have had trouble with software implementation in the past, ease-of-use may be an even more important feature to consider.
How Do I Pay for the Software?
The purchase of software may be through a subscription service, or it may be a single lump-sum payment. In most cases, online, web-based software solutions will require payments and software that you own will be paid for at once. When choosing how you pay for your software, consider whether you would like your task management software to function “in the cloud.” Online software has its advantages, as does software that you must physically purchase and install.
Do I Purchase and Install the Software, or is it Located through an Online Platform?
When you purchase software upfront and then install it, you become responsible for performing updates internally. This means you may need to hire an IT specialist, meaning that the potential for the internal autonomy can come at an additional cost of time and money. On the other hand, online software often updates automatically, and frequently has additional support that is covered with your purchase. Integration with existing tools your company may use, such as Exchange or Google’s document suite can also make a solution like Scoro Software advantageous, saving administrative time through compatibility before it even performs is primary function. This could have a big effect on the type of time management software you should choose for your company.
How Quickly Will the Company Fix “Bugs?”
With the purchase of any of software comes the risk of bugs that can prevent it from working the way it is intended to. Some companies fix bugs as soon as they are reported, whereas others make you wait for the scheduled maintenance of the software. You should also be asking when technical support is available for the products you are considering.
About the author:
Lautaro Martinez is a freelance writer and business major who contributes articles and advice on issues affecting the business community and small business operators.
3 Comments