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Pay as you go
A key benefit of SaaS and web services is that you can pay as you use them. If you don't like the service you can turn it off and stop paying.
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Try before you buy
Try the service before you make a commitment to pay. A vendor should have the confidence to give you a free trial so you can assess if they meet your needs.
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Get supported
Make sure the price you are paying includes technical support. Gone are the days when a company sold you a licence to use their products and then left you to figure out how to use it.
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Avoid hidden update costs
With SaaS and electronic services you should always be on the current version at no additional charge.
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Will the service grow with your business?
Check the supplier has a range of products and services that cater for businesses of all sizes, and files and data from one system can be transferred to the higher level systems. Expect to pay an incremental cost to move up the range but avoid penalties and other upgrade costs.
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Choose ‘best of breed'
Not all businesses are the same, so shun those suppliers who don't offer choice or products that you have never heard of.
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Use offline
Avoid SaaS providers who insist you are connected to the web to use the software. You will need the flexibility to use the software while you are disconnected from the web.
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Save time
Whatever software and services you use you should be able to access them straight away and save time by replacing manual processes.
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Save money
Your software and services should save you money compared to using manual processes or other methods.
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Free replacements
If you pay as you use software and you lose the use of the system or a computer is stolen, you should expect the supplier to restore access to the service or the software at no extra cost.
About the authorThe Forum of Private Business has linked with
Rentsoft, the UK based software as a service specialists, to provide leading software and services electronically. Accounting, staff management, business processes and other types of software are all available from this new service.
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