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| Getting ready for your busy season…for many
innkeepers this season of the year is a time for
spring-cleaning, checking inventory and making sure
everything is in shape for a busy summer season.
If any updates are needed in rooms or technology,
now is the time to get everything in order! If you
are in the market to either update or invest in
new software, here is a helpful checklist. |
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| The Company’s relationship
with your industry. |
Over the years software vendors
in the B&B industry have varied from “one-man”
operations to large corporations that have “bought
out” smaller vendors. Ideally you want to
select a company that is well established as a
software vendor and can demonstrate industry knowledge.
- How long has your company been in business,
and how long has your product been on the
market?
- How familiar are you with the B&B/country
inn industry? Explain.
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| The product’s suitability
to your requirements. |
| Whether upgrading or looking
for new software, it’s important to think
about how you plan to benefit from this new product.
Will it reduce time spent on paperwork, or do
you need help with developing a guest database?
Are you interested in detailed reports, or do
you want simple automation for your day-to-day
communications? Make a list of the benefits important
to you before beginning to research any specific
product. It will make your selection process much
more efficient. |
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| How compatible is the product
with various computer and operating systems? |
Although most innkeepers would
name the desktop as their preferred computer,
you may have additional computing needs such as
wireless network, remote access needs (using the
software while off-site), and concerns about storing
data. Share as much as you can with your software
vendor about your current computer configuration,
and verify that their program is suited for your
particular needs.
- Operating system: Which does your software
work on; which does it work BEST on?
- Is software: Single user? Multi-user (network)?
Is there extra charge for multi-user? If so,
how much per user?
- Does the software reside completely on the
innkeeper’s computer or is it server
based and hosted off-site?
- If this is Server based and needs an Internet
connection to use the system. What happens
if my Internet goes down?. What is your server
uptime?.
- Is your software compatible with other Microsoft
programs?
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| What is the nature of the
Customer Support provided for you? |
Depending on your familiarity
with software and needs, you may require different
levels of support and training. For example, a
luxury inn with several staff that decides to
automate call accounting, computerize credit card
processing and setup an online booking system
may be interested in purchasing training along
with their software package. A former software
engineer who is now a full time innkeeper with
3 rooms may not need personalized training for
their new reservation software, but may like the
convenience of online help resources. Whether
printed, on-screen, web-based, or one-on-one training
– be sure the company you select is able
to provide a variety of support resources.
- Do you offer a warranty/guarantee? Explain.
- What kind of training/instruction/Technical
support/help resources do you provide?
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| Long-term viability of software
program. |
As I mentioned at the beginning
of this article, software is designed to adapt
to change. Its important that the company you
deal with demonstrates progression and ongoing
enhancements to their product. You should also
ask about flexibility within the product itself
– how easy is it for the user to adapt certain
features to their specific property? Finally,
ask about interfaces and modules available –
you may not need them now, but two years from
now when you add on rooms will you be able to
upgrade or add to the software easily?
- What kinds of customizations are built into
the software? Can I change screen labels?
Define new fields? How flexible is the program?
- How often do you provide updates to your
software?
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| Your relationship with your
new vendor is important. |
Vendors provide their expertise
to help your business. Will you be comfortable
working with this company three years from now?
Don’t underestimate your needs or shop only
by price – most software programs are used
on an almost daily basis. Consider your increase
in productivity and efficiency when measuring
the value of a software program. Make the investment
to select a product that will meet your needs
today and future requirements of your growing
business.
- What is the ONE thing that everyone should
know about your software?
- Pricing structure. Ask vendor to describe
each option with accompanying prices broken
out by option.
- Could you provide referrals of properties
that use your software?
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To insure success in finding
the suitable software program, consider your needs,
benefits offered and your relationship with the
vendor. Each program will have its strong and
weak points and each innkeeper has their own priorities.
Best wishes in your search for software –
Write me and let me know if this helped! |
May 15,
2003
