Is Your Industry-Specific Software Helping—or Hurting—Your Business?

In today’s business landscape, industry-specialized software propels small and mid-sized businesses of all types. Construction firms manage building projects with Construction Management Software. Doctors’ offices easily track patient records using Electronic Medical Records (EMR) solutions. And nonprofits utilize specialized software to track and process fundraising efforts. Industry-specific software exists everywhere from funeral homes to marketing firms, HVAC installers, hospitality, shipping and receiving, ministry, and pet grooming.

There’s no question that industry-specific, line-of-business (LOB) software can serve as an engine for growth and better work for businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes. However, the more companies rely on software deeply integrated into their specific workflows, the more important it becomes to make sure that the right software is in place and that it is implemented and managed well. The failure or poor performance of such software can be a source of endless headaches in the workplace, which always translate into less productivity and profitability.

To help you think through how well your industry-specific software is serving your business’s needs, let’s approach some of the questions business need to ask themselves.

How integrated is your data across various software platforms?

A key consideration for evaluating the performance of existing line-of-business software or choosing a new application is how well the data stored and generated by that application will integrate with your other applications, such as accounting or CRM packages. If order summaries, contact records, or accounting data don’t transfer well from application to application, you could end up with cumbersome and dangerous discrepancies in your company’s key data. And if integration between applications is nonexistent, you’re likely dealing with a huge hit to efficiency. It’s essential, then, for companies to take a focused look at how data flows between applications and find ways to increase efficiency and develop deeper integration.

How many clicks do key tasks take?

When evaluating an existing or new industry-specific software solution, one way to measure the alignment between the solution’s design and your company’s needs is to literally count the number of clicks on buttons, menus, etc. that key tasks take for your employees to accomplish. If application A requires a sales rep to click through 10 menu screens to arrive at a contact record, whereas application B only requires 7 clicks for the same task, application B might better help boost sales productivity in the long run. While the productivity gains in any individual task may be small, seconds do add up into minutes, and minutes into hours—which could mean more productivity for your employees. 

How well does your software match your hardware?

Because of the breakneck speed of technological innovation in the business space, it’s often a challenge to make sure business-specific software is housed on compatible devices that meet or exceed memory and processing power requirements. If these are not in alignment, employees and customers can experience sluggishness and slowness within the interface that can lead to hardware failures and loss of valuable data. It’s important to actively keep track of this, regularly matching hardware and software in the most optimal combinations.

Underpowered hardware is a common cause of system failures because it hasn’t been adequately updated—or replaced—to handle the constantly increasing demands of software. According to Kroll Ontrack, 77% of data loss within businesses is due to system and software failures, and these failures be a huge setback for a business. That’s why it’s essential for an IT expert to consistently review the alignment between existing software and hardware.

Think about your biggest operational pain points. Can your current software help solve them? What about other software?

This is a good gut check. Sometimes, a solution to a pain point exists within current software and will only require a bit of configuration and training to implement.

However, it’s also possible that your current software may be misaligned with your needs, or that new solutions in the marketplace may solve key issues you have been struggling with for years. Many businesses choose not to evaluate or implement new software because implementation would involve a painful transition of workflow. Employees would need time to get acclimated with the new software and the existing data would need to be carefully migrated to the new system. Still, in some cases, short-term pain will pay huge dividends in the future if a new application could do the job better than the current one. Even if your business can’t handle an immediate change, it’s always good to plan for improvement in the future.

What do your employees think about your software?

Probably no one can better describe the limitations of and issues with your existing line of business software than the employees that use it every single day. They’re crucial resources in figuring out what IT improvements would be the most timely and liberating for your workflow. Be sure to include them in the vetting and selection process for new software options. It’s important to have as many sets of eyes as possible in order make sure the new software will work for everyone.

Get help assessing current application performance or selecting new software for your business.

Affinity Technology Partners is here to help your company match industry-specific software with optimal hardware to keep your workflow smooth and efficient. Our team can work with you to develop proactive optimization of systems to pair technology with actual software needs in the workplace.

Give us a call or contact our IT consultants online to find out how a partnership with Affinity can help your business today.