How To Handle Software Implementation At Your SMB

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How To Handle Software Implementation At Your SMB

Read Time: 4 minutes Published: February 21, 2019

Finding a new software or system that is going to help your business achieve bigger and better goals is an exciting endeavor. But diving headfirst without a software implementation plan can often cause businesses to take a few steps back rather than move forward. Follow these steps to successfully prepare your business for the implementation of a new system.

Do Your Homework

No matter what type of software you are trying to integrate into your organization, it’s important to understand the needs of your business, first. Otherwise, the software vendor you ultimately choose may not end up being the right match.

The first step of your vendor selection process should be to create a document of your organization’s needs. What goals are you trying to pursue? What are the needs of each department that your software should be able to fulfill? Get quality input from your management team by asking them what their respective department needs are. Not only will this help you find a vendor that will fully support your company’s goals and missions, but it will also serve as a guideline for the rest of your software implementation plan.

Announce The Game Plan

When a company implements a new software into their organization, it’s because they want to improve their business operations. Maybe the software you’re looking at helps employees work more efficiently, or maybe it helps the business stay more organized. It could be software that accommodates an expanding business or one that allows a company to be better connected with its consumers. Whatever it may be, any new software or system cannot be useful if the people who will be using it are not aware of what’s to come.

Prepare employees for the upcoming changes with transparency; share the business objectives that the software will help achieve. Personalize training at the team level to better equip employees as they plan or move forward with their existing projects. Keeping everyone on the same page will be an integral part of a successful software implementation plan.

Stay Focused

Now that you’ve found a vendor who has the services your business is looking for, it’s time to create a software implementation plan in order to get the most out of your new system — right from the get-go. Implementing a new software system for your business can feel like getting a new smartphone: you want to spend all your time exploring the new features and personalizing your preferences. But would you customize all the different features of a smartphone before making sure your SIM card is in and working? Probably not.

It’s quite possible your new system comes with extra capabilities that don’t necessarily fulfill your company’s needs but are still beneficial. However, it’s important to address your current needs before falling down the rabbit hole of a new software’s bonus accessories. Refer back to your document of needs from your vendor selection process and prioritize the capabilities of your new system to stay on track through every implementation step.

Delegate Point-Persons for Training

Your new software system may serve various purposes for different sects of your business. If there are multiple divisions of people that will be using the new software, consider creating an implementation team. Train a handful of people to act as point-persons; they will be the ones who train new-hires, train other employees on new updates, and help handle any specific issues that may arise.

Depending on the type of software you are looking at for your business, there may be a lot more to think about than you originally thought. It’s difficult to organize and carry out a software implementation plan, especially if the responsibility of systems administrator has fallen onto your shoulders but it’s not actually your job.

That’s where Electric comes in. Electric support the implementation and troubleshooting for 50+ of the most popular SaaS apps on the market. Beyond SaaS app implementation, Electric is just a Slack away when it comes to troubleshooting slow internet connections or helping you develop an effective software implementation plan, Electric offers a variety of IT solutions for small to midsize business. We’re here to tackle all of your IT problems, big and small, so you don’t get sidetracked from what you were actually hired to do. Learn more about how Electric can help support your business by scheduling a demo today.

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