Nine questions to ask before you pay for business software

The demo looked good, and the salesperson answered every question with "yes, it can do that". Six months later the team is back on WhatsApp, and the software is a monthly bill that nobody opens. These nine questions, asked before the first payment and answered in writing, are your protection.

The nine questions

1. Can I see it working on my own data before I pay? Good answer: "Send us last month's orders and we will show you." Warning sign: only a standard demo with a sample company.
2. What exactly is included, and what is not? Good answer: a written list of screens, reports, users, messages, data loading and training, and what counts as a "change". Warning sign: "everything is included".
3. What is the full cost for three years? Good answer: one total, with setup, monthly or yearly fee, charge per user, WhatsApp or SMS charges, server and yearly increase. Warning sign: only the first payment is quoted.
4. Who do I call when it stops working? Good answer: a name, a phone number and working hours. Warning sign: only an email address for "tickets".
5. Where is my data, and can I take it out myself? Good answer: you can export everything to Excel at any time, without asking. Warning sign: no clear reply on what happens to the data if you stop paying.
6. Who enters the data, and how long does one entry take? Good answer: they make one entry on a phone while you watch the clock. Warning sign: an entry that takes several minutes. Your staff will stop making entries.
7. Does it work with what I already use? Good answer: they show it working with Tally or Busy, WhatsApp or your Excel files. Warning sign: "integration is possible", with nothing to show.
8. What happens when I need a change? Good answer: a price for a change, how long it takes and who decides. Warning sign: "we have noted your request".
9. What if it does not work for my firm? Good answer: clear terms for a trial, a refund, any lock-in and the notice to stop, and a firm like yours you can speak to. Warning sign: a long lock-in, paid in advance.

About references

A seller with many customers should be able to connect you to one in your trade. A new seller may not have one yet. That raises your risk, so start with one small process and pay in stages.

Get the answers in writing

A promise made on a call is forgotten by both sides. After the meeting, send one WhatsApp message or email:

Thank you for the demo. Please confirm in writing: what is included, the total cost for three years, the support contact and hours, how we export our data, and the terms if we stop.

A serious seller will answer this plainly. A vague or slow answer tells you how support will feel later.

Before the first payment

• Tick each of the nine questions: answered, and in writing.
• Pay in stages: one part to start, the rest when the system is live and your staff are using it.
• Start with one process and one team, not the whole firm.
• Name one person in your firm who is responsible for the system. Software that is nobody's job is soon forgotten.
• Keep your old sheet or register running for the first two weeks, then stop it on a fixed date.

What the answers will not tell you

No seller can promise that your team will use the system. That part is yours. Staff use what the owner looks at. If you read the daily report and ask about it, entries get made. If you do not, the new software ends up like the last one.

Sheet or system?

If you cannot name who will enter the data every day, do not buy yet. Run the process on a shared sheet for a month first. Excel or software? helps you judge when the sheet has had its day, and custom or ready-made? helps you choose which kind to buy. We offer small systems ourselves, so put these nine questions to us as well.