Our sample results indicate that the people in charge of the selection process are distributed as follows: employees in the finance and accounting departments (23%), IT department employees (23%). The other important categories were independent consultants helping companies with the selection process (17%), operations managers (17%) and presidents or CEOs (12%). It is worthwhile mentioning that project managers and business analysts only made up 5% of the total.
Our business sample was comprised, for the most part, of companies looking for ERP software to assist with manufacturing or distribution operations. (manufacturing (47%), and distribution (18%). However, our results show that the software selection process was largely driven by the finance and IT departments of these companies.
As we have indicated in our introduction, this disconnect between the selection team and end-users can be a potentially serious problem. By far, the most effective method of choosing a manufacturing software is to employ a collaborative system whereby the actual stakeholders of that system (the end-users) have a direct voice in the decision outcome. As the front-line users of the system, their insight and knowledge is very valuable. Their input along with all the other stakeholders input will produce the best possible outcome of this process.
Whereas roughly 1 in 6 businesses hire a consultant to help steer them through the selection process, again, the input of company stakeholders should not be left out of the process. A consultant can bring valuable experience and knowledge to the task at hand, but the value of team players that will ultimately work with the ERPNext system is not to be underestimated.
Recommendation: While working with consultants can be a great asset to the company’s CRM Software selection process given their level of expertise, there is the risk of relying too heavily on this expertise and perhaps giving it more weight than the input of team members. The internal dynamics of an individual work environment are unique to each business and are best assessed by employees on the inside. A consultant’s input is most valuable when balanced with the input of all stakeholders.
What Timeframe has been Allotted to the Selection Process?
Another important variable that we can assign to buyer behaviour is the timeframe that companies put in place to complete the selection process. The majority of companies (74%) in our survey prioritized speed as an important variable to making a decision. In fact, most companies were not willing to invest more than 6 months in the process. While completing the process as quickly as possible is a justifiable response, (especially for small companies that do not have excess resources) it may not produce the best results.
Our survey results also appear to confirm that a correlation exists between companies looking to expedite the field service management software selection process (85%) and the number of end-users (around 100) that are directly impacted. This correlation further confirms the premise that small and medium sized businesses feel greater pressure to complete the process as quickly as possible given the strain on resources.
The reduced timeframe has several weaknesses that companies of all sizes should pay attention to. We found that 87% of companies that were only willing to spend 6 months on this process had not contacted ngo accounting software vendors nor participated in any demos.
The scheduling and conducting of demos with vendors takes time and patience, and an individual demo could take as long as 2 months to organize. Given their self-imposed timeframe, these companies will not have the time to gather enough information to make an educated decision. It does not make much business sense for a company (large or small) to make a significant business investment that will influence all areas of the company’s operation in a rushed and thoughtless manner.
One horror story is that of a local government using AS400, which is a 30 years old ehs software system. The system is out-of-date and so basic that they have to resort to spreadsheets to complete what needs to be done. The timeframe for their decision was 7 months and, to date, did not include meeting with any vendors or having demos.
Recommendation: A hvac service software system is a major business investment and is best handled with the appropriate amount of time and diligence given to the process.
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