How can you tell if your company’s software is truly working for your needs? As your company grows and evolves, it’s important to reevaluate your software to ensure it can effectively handle your company’s processes.
Here are 10 common things to consider when evaluating your software. If you have any of these problems, don’t worry – all of them can likely be fixed with better, more customized software! We can work with you to expand your existing software, like CRM, with custom dashboards and reports. Let’s dive in!
1. Your staff spends too much time on tasks that are repetitive or annoying
Do you find yourself doing the same thing over and over, and worrying that it’s a waste of your time? That’s a sign that your software system could benefit from automation or tracking tools! These tools ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and can save you a lot of time on administrative tasks.
2. You need to recheck or audit regularly
Do you find yourself spending too much time double-checking every report, document, or other process? Does your system have issues with forms or reports not matching? Instead of wasting time checking for inconsistencies or errors, update your software to send you automated reports or flags if things don’t match or need auditing.
3. You are using Excel/Google doc files for tracking
If your software doesn’t have its own tracking system, you need to upgrade! Using other software, like Excel or Google Docs, to track your processes means your software isn’t truly working end-to-end. We can help you build a custom dashboard and reports to automatically track processes, create status reports, and make notes a part of the system to avoid double entry.
4. You are overwhelmed with the same customer complaints/service calls
Is your customer service department tired of answering the same few questions every day? Why not create a software system that helps customers and clients find the information themselves! You can create an online portal to get information, answer questions via IVR or chat engine, and even create a “More Information/Alerts” function into your system. This allows customers to find answers to questions easily, and take some of the load off your customer service staff!
5. Your staff uses “Workarounds” that everyone knows
Creating workarounds for your software’s weaknesses is a red flag that it’s time to reconsider your options. Your software should work with you, not against you! If you need an intricate list of instructions to do even basic tasks, your software isn’t intuitive and needs a refresh.
6. You rely on Post-Its and other reminders for avoiding errors
Another sign that your software isn’t intuitive is if your staff uses written reminders, such as Post-Its or notebooks, to avoid errors or complete a process. We can work with you to create a software system that everyone can use with little worry about making errors!
7. Only “certain people” know how to run/manage a process
When everyone else has to rely on a few “experts” to get their work done, it creates information “bottlenecks.” Bottlenecks make your staff more vulnerable to making mistakes or getting behind if the “experts” aren’t there to help. To prevent this, you can update to a system everyone can use – and give your software “experts” a well-deserved day off!
8. Your company is struggling with missing data or double entry
This should be a clear sign that something isn’t working with your software. Missing information and double entry wastes time and money, and it can hurt your company’s reputation in the long run. We can review your process and use API to connect data sources, make clear paths from one system to the next, and prevent future mistakes.
9. Your employees/customers are not getting information or losing information
If your employees or customers don’t have a central place to get the information they need, or they can’t remember where information is located, that’s a sign to make changes to your software. We can create a dashboard that has all of the information you need in one place. We can also help you create alerts or reminders that send people to the information they need. For example, you can send out an annual reminder with an online form to fill out, such as updating tax forms, performance reviews, customer satisfaction surveys, and more.
10. Your company is losing orders or missing opportunities
Finally, if your company is missing out on valuable clients, customers, or opportunities, your software might be to blame! Losing or delaying orders due to mistakes will ultimately hurt your company’s reputation and lose your company money over time. We can help you create better online tracking and auditing, automated reports to catch matching errors, and alter you when a process is incomplete or deleted.
