Software Demonstrations

Those who have seen my video on software demonstrations and ERP selection will know how important I believe cultural fit is to the process and the role it plays in helping achieve success in an industry that has such a high failure rate.

I was recently involved in a selection process for a client and one of the well known software houses simply overwhelmed the client with 16 people involved in a one day demonstration of the product. The vendor had more people attending, both in person and remotely, than the client did. Understand that many software vendors will not read your situation correctly. Some will. Take careful note of those who demonstrate and check they understand your position and culture. It is important, no … it’s vital!

While I am thinking about software demonstrations, another important point comes to mind. The importance of language. The vendor usually means one thing when they use commonly used industry terms and you may, and often do, have another meaning for the same word. This creates a risk the demonstrations will over promise capability and underwhelm in the delivery. A recent example:  

DIFOT – ‘delivery in full and on time’

In recent demos there were questions around what the application could do – for instance, we (the client) needed to be able to measure and report DIFOT. The client received the usual response – “Yes we can do that.” But the devil is in the detail and understanding what the question really meant. 

When we dug into the capability of the software further, and asked whether it was “Line level DIFOT” or “Header level DIFOT”, the response was: “Ohhh you meant that …. no we can’t do that.”  

Language is important.

If you’re an executive or owner of a mid-sized or large company and want to discuss ideas on how you can use systems and technology to dramatically improve efficiency, decrease costs, and increase profits and enhance scalability, give me a call. 

Sincerely,
David

© David Ogilvie