how to take up references on software products & service providers

Here is an excerpt from our new software buyer's guide on the subject of taking up references on software products and suppliers.

When considering a company to work with, it’s advisable to ask the company that will be supplying the product to provide the names of two referees that can give you feedback about the performance of both the software and the supplier.

This is especially important if you are purchasing a permanent license, or are paying a large upfront fee for software and services.
Taking references is less common with SaaS contracts, which usually don’t have long tie-ins, however the more money you are investing in your purchase, the more inclined you should be to take references!

Ask the software supplier to arrange reference calls or site visits for two customers, ideally with similar requirements to yours, that have been using the product for at least 3 months.

If they can supply references from companies of a similar size, and in a similar, or complementary sector, that will give you an insight into the specific challenges and benefits a company like yours might realistically expect. (It is worth noting that introducing you to direct competitors may not work as well, because referees may not feel comfortable discussing how they really use the product with a rival company!)
 
Ask a combination of these questions, and you will be very well informed before making your final decision!:

1. How long have you had the product?
2. How many other companies / products did you consider? Which companies were these?
3. Why did you choose this company and this product? What “swung” the decision?
4. How smoothly did the implementation process go? (Did it take the expected amount of time, or longer? Did they experience any issues? How did they get over them?)
5. Did you complete the project within budget? (Ask how this was achieved, or what caused the project to run over budget.)
6. What is working well with the product and the supplier?
7. What hasn’t gone so well?
8. How has the new software affected office life? (Of course, we're expecting to hear that life has been improved and things are much better, but ask this open question and see what you can learn - both good and bad.)
9. What are the biggest benefits you have experienced since getting the software?
10. Did you get all the benefits you had hoped to get from the product? (If yes, why do they think this is the case? How did they achieve this? If no, why?)
11. What are the biggest challenges, or disadvantages that you have experienced with the software, or the vendor? (What’s the history behind these issues and how / why did they arise?)

​
Taken from "21 questions to ask when taking up references" from the software buyer's guide for businesses - Don't Buy Software for Your Small Business Until You Read This Book, available now on Amazon.

Copyright 2017 © K.N. Kukoyi, Purposeful Products.