On Halloween you expect that people are pretending to be someone that they’re not. It’s understood that dressing up is part of the fun of the day. Celebrants often try to outdo one another with elaborate costumes that obscure their true identities. When you choose solutions for your small business, however, that is not supposed to be the case. Solutions should deliver exactly what they’ve promised. If it says it in the shiny marketing, it should do it when you get it installed. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many solutions make big promises but then only deliver headaches, compatibility issues and pricey add-on costs that keep you from seeing the benefits.
How do you protect yourself and your small business?
Is there any way to be sure that you are getting a product that will work for you, before you make a costly investment?
Luckily, you can accomplish both of these goals fairly easily. Step one is to decide what you are looking for in specific terms. Not only will this help you find the best match for your needs, it can help you stick to your budget as well. You need to know exactly what you are looking for. Many solutions will offer features that you either don’t need or don’t want. Don’t get stuck paying for options that you aren’t going to use. Keep your checklist close at hand when you are considering purchases so that you can be sure that you get what you want.
Do your homework. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Before you make any significant purchase you need to do some research. Visiting the company’s website or a software retailer is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Both of these sources have a vested interest in convincing you to make a purchase. You need to gather opinions from some impartial sources as well. Read reviews, take them with a grain of salt, but read them. Remember that unhappy customers are much more likely to leave reviews than the satisfied ones are. You should really be looking for any red flags among the reviews. If several reviewers voice a common complaint, if people express difficulty reaching customer service or getting the company to stand behind their product, or if people mention hidden costs this might be an indication that you need to keep searching before you settle on a solution. Also, look for industry blogs that compare several solutions. This is a great way to narrow down your choices because you can quickly see which solution offers the most features that you want for the least amount of money.
Try it before you buy it. It’s amazing how many people forgo the free trial and jump right in and purchase a solution. We get it. Once you find a contender, you just want to be done. This can be a huge mistake though. What if that great option that you found doesn’t work quite as well as you thought it would? Wouldn’t it be better to discover that before you’ve made a monetary investment? A free trial is your chance to pull the mask off and see the solution’s true colors in action. Regardless of what it promises, no matter how awesome the reviews are, what you really need to know is how well it will work for you. A free trial allows you to answer that question on your own.
Consider the customer service. Most buyers only deal with salespeople when making a purchase. They never even think about what the company’s customer service will be like. After the sale, you likely won’t deal with the sales staff again. Any issues you have will be routed to the customer service department. The best way to protect yourself and your investment is to deal with reputable companies that offer superior customer service. You want to know that if a problem arises (even if it is user error) they will be willing and able to help you resolve it to your satisfaction. Good companies want you to be happy with your purchase and strive to deliver on their promises.
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We hope these tips help you the next time you are in the market for a new solution for your small business. If you need an inventory management solution, look no further. Stockpile free inventory solution checks off all the boxes we mentioned above. Our inventory management solution is fully customizable and mobile compatible. Quickly and easily track inventory within a single site or across multiple locations. With Stockpile free inventory solution you’ll always know what inventory you have on hand, and where you’re keeping it. Our software is FREE so the only thing you have to commit is your time. We value our customers so we provide world class customer service. Our goal is to provide the best small business inventory management solution available. Try Stockpile today and see what we can do for you!
