Software ImplementationStrategy & Operations

How To Buy Business Software in 6 Steps

Toby Cox - Guest Contributor profile picture
By Toby Cox - Guest Contributor

Published | Updated on
8 min read
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With so many options to choose from and features to consider, buying software can easily become overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

If you’re spearheading your business’s search for new software, you can overcome these overwhelming feelings which are common in this process. In this article, we'll discuss six steps you can follow to find the right software and feel confident in your decision.

6 key steps for finding the right software

Buying new business software takes time, patience, and teamwork with others who will also be using the new system. This process can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you try to tackle all the steps at once. If you try to do one thing at a time, however, you’ll find that the process will be much more manageable.

Step 1: Pinpoint your problem

The first step of the software-buying process involves figuring out your needs and making sure they're aligned with your business goals.

Ask yourself: What problem do I need to solve?

Identifying the problem helps you narrow down the type of software you need. Start with a specific, business goal-driven issue, such as:

  • We need our employees to collaborate faster on projects.

  • We need to track our inventory at multiple store locations more accurately.

  • We need to improve our communication with customers.

If you're not sure where to start, here are some ways to identify your problems and how they're tied to your business goals:

  • Talk to your team to pinpoint current problems, and dig deep in conversation to find the underlying issue, not just the symptoms.

  • Evaluate your current software, and discuss any issues you have when using it with your team. Are your current platforms meeting all of your needs?

  • Ask others in your network and/or industry if they're experiencing similar issues.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to better understand your business’s software needs, and open the floor to let other people and teams weigh in about what they need.

Step 2: Define your software requirements

There are likely dozens, if not hundreds, of software products designed to address the problem you're having. But not just any system will do. You need software that will match your business's specific needs.

Ask yourself: How do we want to use this software?

Knowing what you want to get out of the software you use will help you get closer to the right choice for your business. Here are some requirements to consider:

  • Features (all the things you need it to do)

  • Number of users (if you need separate accounts for each user)

  • Ease of use (how easy it will be for your team to use)

  • Integrations (how it interacts with other software you use)

  • Growth potential (how well the software will meet future needs)

  • Pricing (how much you're willing to spend on the software)

Don't stop at answering this question though. Bring in additional information to refine your requirements by visiting Capterra's software directories to browse in-depth user reviews from other people like you. You'll see what features similar companies see as must-haves.

Our research shows that customer reviews are the most sought-after content for SMB software buyers looking to inform a purchase decision*. In a 2022 survey of small and midsize businesses, respondents most often take three to six months to evaluate, select, and finalize a new software purchase. In this decision-making process, 52% say that user reviews significantly influence their evaluation of platforms. But not all reviews hold equal weight—verified reviews are important to nearly all businesses (89%) comparing software systems.

To build confidence in your requirements, talk with your team to see what users will actually need. Check customer reviews to see if they offer these features. You can also look at one or two leading software companies and see what extra features they offer. Compare those to other software you're considering to see which features you can't do without and which are just nice bonuses.

Step 3: Identify options and make your shortlist

In considering all of your options, you can create an exhaustive list of all the solutions that meet your needs. Searching Capterra for your software category is a great place to start.

After creating a comprehensive software list, it's time to narrow it down to a manageable shortlist of realistic options. Ideally, that list should have three to seven products on it—any more than that and the selection process risks becoming too long and complicated.

Ask yourself: Does this software solution need to be on my shortlist?

To answer this question, start comparing the software on your list against the requirements you laid out in step two, taking care to evaluate the following:

  • Does the product solve your key problem and support your business goals?

  • Does the product meet your feature requirements?

  • How user-friendly is the solution?

  • Does the product work (integrate) with the software you use now?

  • Does the product have good user reviews?

  • Is the product within your budget?

Once you've answered these questions, you should find that most of the solutions on your initial long list can be removed. To further reduce your list, use Capterra's filtering tool and user reviews.

The filter tool (found on specific software category pages) allows you to whittle down your results by popular features, pricing options, and more. User reviews (found on specific software product pages) will give you overall ratings, as well as ratings for ease of use, customer service, overall value, and features.

You can also see the industry and business size of reviewers. A product might be good on paper, but you want to make sure people like you actually enjoy using it.

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Step 4: Select your top choice

You've done a lot of research by this point, and are ready to make a final selection from your shortlist. To feel fully confident in your decision, here are some some last checks to be sure you're picking the right software for your business.

Ask yourself: Do I trust this company with my business?

Your relationship with the software vendor will be a partnership. Here are some ways to build that trust:

  • Read user reviews on Capterra from current customers that have needs similar to yours. Create a list of questions for vendors based on any concerns you have after reading the reviews.

  • Reach out to vendors, schedule demos, and ask questions. Seeing software capabilities up close allows you to make more meaningful comparisons.

  • Contact the vendors on your list to determine final pricing and service levels, as well as any training and onboarding materials. Different software companies provide varying levels of service after your purchase, so if you want something hands-on, talk to the vendor ahead of time.

After completing these checks, you should feel even more confident in your selection. The next step is ensuring your team shares this confidence.

Step 5: Get team buy-in

According to our research, 52% of U.S. SMB software purchases are being handled only by IT professionals. Only 22% involve people from departments outside IT [*]. This can lead to many issues down the road.

Before you purchase new software, you need buy-in from others. Not everyone will have spent as much time on software research as you, so share your findings and let them know how you arrived at your final choice.

Ask yourself: Who will this decision affect?

Include anyone who will be affected by the software change in presentations and discussions. That could include:

  • Team members who will use the new software

  • Those in charge of the software budget

  • Executives who will sign off on the software purchase

  • IT personnel who will implement the new software

  • Management who will be responsible for driving the change

Share your research and selection reasons, and leave plenty of time for feedback. Once those affected by the change (and those in charge of the software budget) are on board, you'll be ready to purchase.

Step 6: Purchase your new software

This final step is the most straightforward, but there are a few things to be aware of before you sign on the dotted line and send in that first official payment:

  • Make sure you've communicated with the vendor ahead of time about the terms of your contract.

  • Ask about any discounts your business might qualify for (e.g., if you work for a nonprofit).

  • Discuss payment plans, and ask about discounts for paying annually instead of monthly.

  • Discuss what the software vendor will be responsible for post-purchase (this could include onboarding and staff training, customer service availability, and access to future software updates).

  • If paying on a monthly or other recurring schedule, work with finance internally to make sure the budget will be available when needed.

You’ve done it

Once you've officially bought a software package, pat yourself on the back for your hard work, and feel confident that you've made the right software choice for your business because you took the time to get the buying process right. It's time to celebrate the greater efficiency and other benefits to come from your new software. And to sum up everything we’ve talked about, we’ve included this graphic below so you can easily remember the six steps we’ve discussed to streamline your software buying journey.

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Methodology

[*] Capterra’s 2023 SMB Software Buying Trends Survey was conducted online from August 2022 to October 2022 among 504 respondents from the U.S., and from SMBs with revenue less than $1 billion and two to 999 employees. Respondents were screened for their involvement in software purchasing decisions and those who were a leader or member of the group or had significant influence qualified for the study.


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About the Author

Toby Cox - Guest Contributor profile picture

Toby Cox is a guest contributor for Capterra, covering software trends and stories of small business resilience. Her research on business trends and corporate social responsibility has been featured on Clutch.co, The Manifest, and PR.co Blog. Currently, Toby is based in Boston, MA, where she is a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School. She loves nature and learning new languages.

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