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How to Avoid the Hidden Headcount of New Software

August 20th, 2010 | No Comments

You’ve heard sales pitches from software vendors about the tremendous efficiencies their product will provide your purchasing or AP department.  You buy the software, and sure enough, you become more efficient in a particular area.

However, that efficiency comes with a cost that wasn’t mentioned in the brochure: hidden headcount surprises. Some software is so hard to maintain, you need to hire several IT administrators just to keep it up and running.

 Before you implement new purchasing of invoice automation software, here’s a few things to check.

•  Ensure the system has one common interface that simple, intuitive and “self-discoverable.” The less buttons and tabs the better.
• Make sure the system doesn’t require a dedicated system administrator — the database should be designed so you can “set it and forget it.”
• Demand single sign-on. The last thing your IT department wants is 50 people calling every morning to reset yet another password.
• Make sure the system is flexible enough to provide all the features and functionality you need. Some generic purchasing and invoice automation modules from ERP systems come as a “one-size-fits-most” package. Users should only need a Web browser for access — especially if you have users across multiple locations.

Jay Wick
Verian Technologies
jwick@verian.com