Enabling Software

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Digital brings a complexity and speed which most businesses never before experienced. Firms realize that they must address dozens of functional gaps to better orient to digital, but each has dozens of applicable solutions from software, vendors, consultants, etc. In the market, little transparency exists on the best prescriptions for firms seeking to digitalize; it’s just too new and fast-changing. We are bombarded with content around digital transformation, but this tends to be highly generalized and doesn’t offer concrete, pragmatic paths forward. Many firms can get stuck simply because they just don’t know where to start. 

Firms tend towards making two types of mistakes, each on polar sides of the spectrum.

• When making the "grand solution" mistake, firms can apply overkill solutions to smaller problems, sometimes to fix problems that don’t even exist.  Large software sellers with extensive platforms love to bolt-on solutions, say to a central CRM system, and sometimes this can be a good approach.   However, it also can lead to high pricing, features that the business doesn't need, and even destructive bureaucracy to develop inside the business.  

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• On the other side, it's surprising how many firms tend to implement software opportunistically, say based on a chance meeting between a vendor and business leader, without a sound strategy, the right preparatory work, and without shopping or making sure that the software features and price point are optimal for the business’s needs. This can lock the software in, and sellers that know they have strong incumbency position with high switching costs can command high prices for years to come. 

In today's market, it pays to have an autonomous, independent, knowledgeable expert help with determining the right software considering your unique needs and your budget.