Dear Tony,
Being a Brit I can't really help you on American proprietory software but
here's a few tips on what to consider when chosing the software - for this
and indeed any software! In no particular order.
1. Will it work with your existing computer infrastructure.
2. Will it be upwardly compatible for future upgrades? Which of these will
you receive free of charge and which will you pay for?
3. What is the cost structure depending on how many user licences you need.
4. Is training bundled into the buying price and if so how much do you get?
5. What is the annual maintenance cost and what support is provided as part
of that? Do they guarantee a specific response turnaround? What is the size
of their support team?
6. Ask them for contact details of at least two existing users IN THE MUSEUM
SECTOR and go talk with them about how long it took to install, what
glitches they found, was it up to their expectations, how easy to use,
service levels etc.
7. What standard reporting is provided. Is there a report writer included in
the price and how easy is to use for the non-technical? (If it's something
like CRYSTAL report writer this isn't something you can pick up in 5 mins!).
8. For retail are you expecting to scan stock items in which case you will
need them to quote for scanners.
9. Are you looking to integrate point of sale with inventory control? Now or
at a later date? If so, you should also ask (a) if they sell a seperate
inventory module that can be interfaced in and (b) if so what the cost is.
10. Do you want the system to interface directly with the Accounting system?
If so, you need to get your Accounts team in on this so they can talk direct
to the provider about how this might be done and what it might cost.
11. The most important thing is to write down a list of your requirements
BEFORE you talk to any software providers: otherwise there is a real danger
they will 'woo' you with their functionality and you will loose sight of
what you actually want. Most people divide their list into "must have",
"useful to have", "optional". Decide some scoring system and for each
product you look at mark a score against each requirement. This will provide
some logic to your selection process.
12. Don't feel shy to ask for details about the software company e.g. how
long in business, how many clients - especially in your field and for their
last 2 or 2 years accounts: ask your accounts team to run their eyes over
these to make sure they look financially robust. Also ask them if they have
any expansion plans for the next 5 years.
Lastly and not least, the ability to handle your volumes of data should not
be as much a problem as it used to be as software gets increasingly more
powerful, but have some metrics to take with you to discussions e.g.
visitors per year, number of stock lines, how many tills, average sales per
day, number of staff working at point of sale: this will all help make sure
the software company doesn't over/under spec what you need.
Good luck!
Jerry Symonds - Senior Internal Auditor
Historic Royal Palaces
England
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 9:31 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Museum store retail software
Looking for suggestions of a quality retail software that can handle the
museum store and admissions. (5 stations; 4 retail, 1 admissions)
Also, any issues that should be considered when choosing the software.
Thank you.
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