Industry pros share their software buying secrets and how to avoid purchase regret
This edition of Capterra Tech Insider was curated and written by social media content lead Gabriele Gudo .
Purchasing software for your business is a crucial decision that demands both time and money. If you’re spearheading this process for your business and approaching the final decision, you might be concerned about making the right choice. In fact, our survey found that 58% of businesses regret a recent software purchase.
In this edition of Capterra Tech Insider we spoke with experienced software buyers who’ve been in your shoes. They shared their biggest regrets and tips to avoid them in your software purchasing process.
Good customer support matters after purchase
Anticipate the level of customer support you’ll need once you own the software. Software vendors offer a wide range of service options - from live support to self-service forums. And while some vendors offer a suite of services to all customers, others include different services in their pricing plans or as additional charges.
Find out the total cost of ownership before purchasing
You might know the base price to purchase your software, but do you know the cost of extensions, integrations, and all the other add-ons? That’s why you need to determine the total cost of ownership (TCO). Ask the vendor about their pricing tiers and what’s included in each one to avoid surprises.
Budget extra time to set up your new software
Setting up new software is often more difficult than it looks. In fact, the top reason why SMBs decide against investing into new software is concerns about the implementation process and steep learning curves during the training period. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to ask vendors what installation, training and onboarding they can provide. It’s also wise to involve your IT department into installation and training discussions as it could provide that extra support and expertise when setting up new software.
Learn from your professional network and other industry peers
It's always great to learn from other software buyers about their experiences. Whether it’s colleagues or others in your industry you can learn a lot from hearing stories about what worked well (or didn’t!).
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Thank you for reading! We'll be back in July with the next edition of Capterra Tech Insider.