When low price is the primary factor in choosing an application, the old adage “You get what you pay for” usually rings true. It’s easy to approach software with a low price mentality. Don’t do it! Step back and make sure the application will solve your problems and add value to your company before signing a contract. After all, it’s easier to deal with price once than to suffer with poor quality forever.

Buying software that will change the way you do business is a big deal. Improperly vetting customer support, reputation, financial viability, innovative ability, and integrity of your software partner will lead to a painful (possibly fatal) software purchase.

You couldn’t see the hidden costs because they were… hidden. We get it.
These hidden costs can be avoided by proper due diligence. Take extra care to read the service agreement. Pick up the phone and call the references provided by the sales team. Heck, even call other users that aren’t on the reference sheet.

If an application works like you need it to work, you will be solving real problems and creating real value for your company. Chances are you are going to want to roll it out to more divisions or company-wide. To avoid unexpected jumps in price, make sure to get pricing for plausible growth scenarios from years two through five.

Don’t let this be you. Always have your problems and objectives in mind. Don’t get distracted by bells, whistles, and unproven technology. This seems like a simple concept, but we hear of this mistake time and time again.

A blank slate can sound nice, but not in the context of business-critical software. Extensive customization is expensive, time consuming, and slow to be delivered. If an application has your key functionality already – go with it. The customization route spells money, anguish, and uncertainty.

There is great risk in being the guinea pig for any software vendor trying to branch into a new vertical where they have no expertise or experience. Your business is too important for that. Find a software application that is proven in your industry.

If a software company can’t or won’t deliver a key product integration, whether the integration is with Dynamics, Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, or a legacy database from 1983, look elsewhere. This is not 1998 – your applications need to work together.

Can your team leverage your new tools, without adequate training? Probably not. Is the software partner willing and able to thoughtfully map out and deliver meaningful training and implementation that will make your power users and your casual users successful? Do they offer a train-the-trainer approach, so your on-staff experts can bring your other team members up to speed?

Not everyone on the team will be in love with a new application, or welcome any change whatsoever. It’s important to recognize this. Nothing can rally a team around a new application like strong leadership and executive buy-in. Make sure your executive team will help lead the charge.