Choose the Best Software for Your Business

If you are wondering how to choose the best software for your business strategy, this is the guide you will need.

We will see the exact ways on how you can select the right software for your business.

We will first analyze the requirements and then see how you can choose the right one based on your requirements. The guide starts with analyzing the requirements and then we will go to the part where we see how you can select the right one.

Now, when it comes to business software, there are multiple things you need to consider. We will start with the basics where you need to identify the problems and then we will proceed to others. Let’s begin.

(a) Identify Specific Business Problems

Start with a clear understanding of the challenges you want to address. The first step is always being specific. So, you need to be specific with your business problems.

You can take multiple steps here to identify the right problems that your business might be facing. You can ask questions like, does the problem lie with inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), or logistics?

You can narrow down the main problems by defining your specific pain points. For instance, if there are problems with inventory, you can take steps accordingly. Now, if your problem is with the logistics, you need to be more specific. You can see if there are route problems, timing issues, etc.
This will also help you with the software options.

(b) Research Software Options

Once you know what you need, dive into research. This is the most difficult option you need to watch out for.

Don’t worry, we will soon see how you can research the software more efficiently. This is the first research step.

You can start by looking for software solutions that are popular among businesses similar to yours in India. We always recommend going with an all-in-one software rather than going with different software for every single use case.

An all-in-one software is the one you need if you’re in a logistics space.

Read reviews, participate in forums, and maybe even reach out to other businesses to get their insights. A simple Google search will also give you a lot of results. If you are still confused, you can consider Indian IT firm as one of the best management software providers. So, you can always consider this and compare others. If not, you can carry on with the other sections where we will see other important factors that you need to consider.

(c) Ensure Scalability

Your business won’t stay the same size forever, especially your logistics business. So, choose software that can scale with your business as it grows. This means it should be able to handle more users, have a larger volume of data, manage multiple offices, have more investors, or have additional features without compromising on performance.

The software should be scalable in all these parts. So, for instance, if you open more warehouses, the software should have the capability to add more. In the same way, you also need to consider the global option. So, if you scale up to the global deliveries, the software should be able to do the same. This is not a major consideration as most companies will take a lot of time to scale to a global level. However, it’s always good to consider this as an option.

(d) API Integration

In today’s interconnected world, your software should play well with others. API integration allows different software to communicate with each other/

Coming to the Indian logistics business, you need API integration with E-way bills, invoices, WhatsApp/SMS, etc. These are the main API integrations you need to look for.

This way, you can generate the bills with just a few clicks. Talking about bills, you can also look for software that is either integrated with the GST portal or gives you reports. These API integrations make a lot of things easier as you can manage all the things directly from the software. You don’t need to open the E-way bill to do these. Instead, you can directly generate bills or send SMS from your business software.

(e) User-Friendly

No matter how powerful software is, if it’s not user-friendly, it won’t be used to its full potential. If your staff is going to use it, you don’t need a lot of options. Simple software with important features is recommended. You can also see if the software is available in the traditional language as many Indians have issues with the English language.

(f) Check Customer Support

Good customer support is essential.  The team should be able to help you whenever you need it. 24/7 support can be a boon. However, if the company is Indian, 24/7 support is not necessary.

One of the things you need to consider is call support as it’s much easier to just give a call to the support and get the query solved. You also need to see if they have training for your staff. The software training helps you get the best out of the software.  The training should also be in the local language rather than happening in any other. So, it will help all your staff members know how to run the software effectively.

(g) Take Advantage of Free Trials or Demos

Most software providers offer free trials or demos. Use this opportunity to test the software with your team to see if it fits your needs. It’s a risk-free way to ensure the software works for you before making any investment.

Please note that even if you go with the trial, the paid features are not unlocked. Instead, you can ask the team for a quick demo. In this, the team takes you through the entire software and teaches you about how the software works. You can take control if needed and use the software. A 30-minute demo is more than enough if their team member is with you to explain how the software works and how you can operate it in the best way possible. Most software demo are completed in just 15 minutes.

(h) Consider the Long-Term Viability

Lastly, consider the long-term viability of the software.
Is the provider well-established?

Do they invest in updates and new features?

How often will they update the software based on the recent updates?

The best way to ensure this is to go with a software company that only specializes in your industry. For example, Bharat Software Solutions only specializes in the logistics industry. The Transport Management Software (TMS) includes all the modules and features you will need to run in this competitor business.

So, the software will have everything you will need even if you grow into a worldwide company.
There are several aspects where your company will grow. To begin with, you will first evolve in the delivery cities. You might be transporting to a single state which might increase to all the states and UTs in the future. In the same way, you will also do the same for offices and branches.

Final Words

Choosing the right software for your business in India requires a lot of thinking. You need to carefully consider your current needs and future growth. We discussed a few factors here which you should surely consider. To begin with, you first need to consider the requirements and then proceed to the features. You can see the API integration, scalability, etc. in the software.

Lastly, you can consider customer support and training. Depending on all these things, you can go ahead and select your software.