Considering a Back-Office Software Change Should be Carefully Explored

If you’re ready to make a change, be prepared to put in the time to learn about the program with some long days of training

Considering a Back-Office Software Change Should be Carefully Explored

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Not long ago, our ever-evolving company went through the process of changing back-office software. In this industry, the software-as-a-service all-inclusive options have officially taken over. The power of the cloud, right?

I’ve heard these referred to as “an operating system for your business” — a clever and apt description. At a minimum, we are talking about scheduling, dispatching, customer management and invoicing that integrate with your bookkeeping software. The best of the best also include marketing automation, documentation, advanced reporting, inventory management and much more.

A high level of integration among departments can save you a ton of time and administrative costs. There is no way to automate labor in the field, but you can automate certain office functions. Streamlining processes like this can reduce your office-to-field ratio, reducing your overhead costs. That’s a big win.  

When you outgrow software, though, it can slow the growth and potential of your business. For us, that time came recently. The experience of making that switch, even in the hands of a capable provider, felt nearly apocalyptic. As the person spearheading the transition, I yearn for the days when a simple calendar and a spreadsheet could run things.

It’s easy to drool over bells and whistles during the sales process, but implementing the software is big task. Here are some lessons I learned along the way:

Change Is Hard

The challenge, I found out, is that no two software providers organize your customer data the same way. That means when you move from one platform to another, getting all of your data imported may be painful. Sometimes it’s impossible. Historical customer records, I probably don’t have to tell you, are crucial to business.

Because of this data organization mismatch, changing software platforms is often a difficult task. Be prepared to spend hours on data conversion or pay dearly for it. When considering a platform change, do your best to understand the capabilities and limitations of data conversion ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.

Regardless of where you are in the software journey — just moving from a handwritten calendar all the way to considering a custom platform — take data extraction into consideration when making your initial buying decision. That may seem counterintuitive, to consider leaving the platform before you even start using it, but the reality is that you won’t use it forever. You will make a change eventually. Don’t underestimate the importance of those customer records, visit history, job notes, etc. Set future you up for success.  

Even if you have the best-case scenario and the data conversion is a breeze, you still have to consider that change is hard. Communicate with your team and get their input. Be firm about the change not being optional, but show compassion for the challenge of the task. Overall, make sure they are getting the training they need to be successful and give them plenty of time to adjust.

Promises, Promises

Lesson two is to get everything in writing. Sales people, bless their hearts, love to make vague promises. The longer they spend with you, the more invested they are in the sale. The more invested in the sale, the more they are likely to get liberal in their interpretations of your questions to give you the answers you want to hear. If you feel you need more clarity on an issue, ask for the clarity. Beat that horse until you are very sure you understand.

Industry terms and jargon often have soft definitions. Most were invented by marketers to sound like whatever your heart desires. Learn to recognize these vague phrases and ask for details, ideally in email form.

They won’t answer in an email? That’s fine. At the end of the phone conversation, send a summary email of your expected deliverables and request a reply with any corrections. This creates a paper trail that you might need later.

Don’t be afraid to ask for more demos. More clarity. More explanation. More examples. They are going to push you to wrap up the sale. They are going to tempt you with time-bound offers. Resist. Make an informed decision.

Be Flexible

All that being said, it is important to realize that with new software comes new possibilities. Don’t be so tied to a process that you dismiss a good option that will give you the same end result but use a different path to get there. Remember that the result is what matters.

Try to be objective enough to look at the big picture and understand the trade-offs and benefits. If you understand the capabilities, you can trust the process. When you come upon something that you think is a deal breaker, challenge yourself to see past the obstacle and envision the payoff. If the end-game payoff is worth it, then maybe it isn’t a deal breaker after all.

Taking the Drive

A few final pieces of wisdom, if you are going down this road:

Time your decision well. The go-live date should happen in your slowest month.

Take the time to train. Your employees should be comfortable and confident on launch day. Proper training will also ensure that you are getting what you are paying for and that all of the bells and whistles are used.

Duplicate the important stuff. Don’t blindly transition something like payroll without a backup. Suffer one or two weeks’ inefficiency if it means happy customers and employees.

Create a task force for implementation. It’s nearly impossible for one person to handle the entire transition. Create a task force of individuals who can provide input for each department and ensure that every employee has buy-in with the process.

It is not underestimating the power of these platforms to say that a good all-in-one back-office software can transform your business. Painful or not, the change is typically worth it. Just be mentally prepared and learn from my hard-earned lessons of change.

About the Author

Anja Smith is managing partner for All Clear Plumbing in Greenville, South Carolina. She can be reached at anja@acpupstate.com.



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