In today’s competitive market, you need to be prepared for the competition or you will quickly slip behind the times, losing precious business. With technology changing so rapidly, it may be time to re-evaluate your current computer software. Let’s face it, we’re all in business to make money. If you are running your business with old proprietary or outdated software, your competition has a distinct advantage.

Many of you may feel you already have software that is working fine. But is it? To evaluate whether you are using the correct software, ask yourself these questions:

Is the software I am using designed for this industry? Is it designed for my type of business?
There are hundreds of software packages on the market today, but is the one you are using specifically written for your industry? With the right specialized software, you can make your office more efficient with less people.

Is my current software keeping up with my company’s growth? Or was it designed for a much smaller firm?
If you are using the same software you purchased when you started out, or when your company was much smaller, it may be time to consider a change. Chances are when you bought your first system, you were not exactly sure what you needed. If this was the case, you probably purchased a package that you felt would do everything that you needed at the time.

After using the software, you may have discovered some items that should be handled differently or possibly some things the package should do, that it does not. Now that you have that information, use it to your advantage. When looking for a new software system, make sure it has the features your current package does not and that it can handle the growth you expect, so you do not need to change again.

Does the software vendor keep up with the latest technology? Or are they still using the same old proprietary software they had 10 years ago?
Is your software vendor keeping pace with the changes the industry demands? The possibilities these days are endless with wireless communications and the price of hardware getting less expensive.

Can I enter pertinent information once and have it flow to all modules? Or do I have to enter the same information two, three or even more times, in various parts of the system?
It is a waste of time to enter the same information multiple times. Many systems today market themselves as being “fully integrated,” but you have to enter the same information two or three times throughout the system to complete a transaction. This is not the meaning of fully integrated. Fully integrated means you enter the information one time and it flows throughout the whole system. For example, when you enter the time a tech worked on a call, it should flow to payroll without having to be re-entered when the time card is turned in. This alone can save hours of valuable time for your bookkeeper weekly.

Can I easily see a full detail history? Or do I need to jump through hoops, remember cryptic codes to decipher history, or worse yet, go to my filing cabinets?
Do you ever have to put an angry customer on hold or call them back because you need to find their folder? With the right system, you could look up the work order or invoice in the computer and have the full detailed history right in front of you as you speak with the client. This allows you to talk with the customer now, rather than give them more time to “steam” over the situation. Another big advantage to having the detailed history is that you can use it to market services to new customers. If you are constantly having problems with a particular unit at a site, you can use the history as proof when you try to sell the customer a new unit. If your history is made up of a bunch of codes or numbers, the salesperson and customer will have trouble deciphering it.

Can I move forward to a new month without having to close the previous month?
Another frustrating feature of older software is not being able to post anything to a new month without closing out the old month. How many of your vendors are able to invoice you on the first day of the following month? Most of you are lucky to have the invoices by the 10th of the following month, but in reality it is probably closer to the 15th or 20th. If you have to close your prior month before you can post anything to your new month, you are not getting accurate financials for the previous month or you are waiting to post things in the new month and therefore unable to run current aging reports. Without current aging reports, it is difficult to see where you stand financially. This practice may have been okay in the past, but with tougher competition today, you need to be able to get accurate financials and see current trends as soon as they start to happen.

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, it may be time for you to start looking into replacing your current software. Many people hold off replacing their software due to the costs associated with changing over. But can you afford not to change? A good software package will help you eliminate duplicate entry, collate information, and give you timely retrieval of that information. You can also expect current financials, increased productivity, greater efficiency and better customer service.

If you plan on being in business tomorrow, the right computer software can take you into the future. Do you have that software?