Things to Consider When Making a Software Purchase

Things to Consider When Making a Software Purchase

If you company has an applicant tracking system that you are considering updating then you need to be careful at the moment. Buying new software could seem like a really good idea because there are quite a few good deals around at the moment. It is wise to look hard behind the deals. It is important to remember that the company selling the cheap product still needs to be making a profit themselves so make sure that you are really getting what you think you are.

It could be that you are getting a good deal but not actually getting what you need. Do not let the low price tempt you into making a quick decision. Make sure that you know exactly what it is that you need to buy. Write down a list of all of the features that you are looking for in the applicant tracking system and make sure that whatever you buy has at least all of the features. You may have to pay a bit more for this but it will be worth it if it means that you get exactly what you need. There is no point in updating if you cannot improve on the system you have at the moment.

You may feel reluctant to pay a lot of money for a staffing CRM system but you need to think about the advantages to the company as well as the disadvantages. If you feel that it is not the right time to buy, because you cannot find what you want at a price that you can afford, then wait until the time is right.

There is no point in rushing into a purchase that you are not sure about, just because the price is good. Think hard first and there may be no harm in waiting at all so do not be afraid to do so even if you have the smallest doubt. Of course, make sure you discuss it with other people at the company as their opinion will differ to yours and they may see things from a point of view that you had never even thought of. They may have other advantages or other disadvantages which may make it easier to make a decision. It is also important to talk to the people ho will be using the system to see whether their requirements are the same as what you imagined they would be.

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If you company has an applicant tracking system that you are considering updating then you need to be careful at the moment. Write down a list of all of the features that you are looking for in the applicant tracking system and make sure that whatever you buy has at least all of the features. You may feel reluctant to pay a lot of money for a staffing CRM system but you need to think about the advantages to the company as well as the disadvantages.

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Author: Caitlina Fuller

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Organized Evaluation of ATS Venders

Once you have decided that your company can benefit from the use of an Applicant Tracking (ATS) or Talent Acquisition software, you must determine an efficient evaluation process. Taking a calculated approach will save time and create the data that will help make the presentation to your team organized.

Gathering Requirements
This initial step should be to develop a scope of work that will help find the services or features that are most crucial to you. Speak with all of the stakeholders including HR, recruiting, and managers with roles in the process. Create a simplified flowchart or workflow to document how candidates move from start to hire to start date. Define your requisition process in the same manner.

Establish primary and secondary objectives
Your budget and time constraints will likely be limited for this project so organization now will help ensue all objectives are met. Now that you have your processes on paper, share them with your stakeholders. Ask for comments to highlight bottlenecks or problem steps in these processes. Isolate the areas that need improvement to rank there order of importance. After narrowing down the key primary and secondary issues, create goals for each to help determine measurable factors of success. Work backwards from these goals to find the questions you want answered by prospective venders.

Evaluate venders
Contact an appropriate number of venders for information. Simple 1 to 5 scale or pass/fail scoring works well for comparison purposes. Initial response time and the professionalism of their response is a good place to start scoring. Once you determined that the software vender can meet your needs, price estimates can be requested to save everyone aggravation.

Consider how all of the steps from your workflow would be effected by each option. Intangible factors such as business size, experience, and recommendations should be a significant part of the overall equation. Compare usability factors, features (built-in or upgrades), storage limits, and license restrictions. Good venders can act as partners. Rate their willingness to accommodate your workflow(s) and solve the problems you prioritized. Be aware that some ATS venders only offer multi year agreements.

Decision Time
If you have made it to this point, pat yourself on the back. Now demo your top systems. Pay attention to the details and encourage your stakeholders to participate whenever possible. Limited trials help, but can also slow the decision process down. In the end, you should be left with only good options. Time spent planning will help avoid costly mistakes and ensure you get the credit you deserve.

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