The Global Phoenix - Issue 2 April - June 2017 | Page 16

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Can you speak directly to
other clients of the supplier?
Software suppliers will have a list of clients that they
will share with you. They should also be happy to put
you in contact with client-side project managers so
that you can get independent, third-party feedback
on the software, the teams and the service you are
considering buying. Make sure you have a full list of
questions to make the most of this opportunity.
HOW THE
SOFTWARE WILL
WORK FOR YOU
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Will you need the software to
be configured or customised?
Your business is unique, so a system which works
well for one company may not be the best for yours.
The size of your expatriate workforce, the complexity
of your policies and the number and types of users
will influence the decision as to how personalised the
software needs to be to deliver the operational gains it
should.
Off-the-shelf software systems are nearly always the
cheapest option, and can be the right solution for
companies with less complex needs. The question
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you need to ask to help you decide whether it
would be right for you is, “Will the predefined
functionality of the system enhance or constrain
my ability to perform the necessary tasks?” If the
answer is ‘constrain’, you may want to think about
software that is configurable to your needs or totally
customised for you.
Configurable software will give you some flexibility
to switch features on or off, or input policy
provisions, for example. Be clear on what the
supplier means by ‘configurable’ as it is a term
used to mean different things. Some suppliers class
some functionality configurable that others offer as
part of the ‘off-the-shelf’ solution, and charge more
for it.
Customised software that does exactly what you
need it to is worth considering. You are investing in
a system to improve your business processes so the
more it can do to deliver your precise objectives,
the better, saving you time, reducing errors and
promoting consistency of policy application and
compliance. It is likely to be the most expensive
choice in terms of upfront and implementation
costs but, done well, the benefits and cost savings
will more than justify the initial investment.
Find out what options the software provider can
offer you. A combination of configurable and
customisable could provide the optimal balance
of cost and return. Remember, you are about to
invest in a tool which should be making your life
easier – why invest in a system which only does
half the job or, worse, dictates what you do and
how you do it? Fully explore the options available
before you decide.