Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.129 2022.07.01 Takahashi Minoru

At the very least, use your own domain for email

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


I would like to discuss some points to keep in mind when considering a contractor for system development.


The topic of this article
This does not apply to the purchase of so-called packaged software (solutions).
These points pertain strictly to selecting a vendor for the development, deployment, and implementation of a customized system.


Customized systems, as opposed to packaged software,
(1) are better suited to the unique business practices of the industry or company (i.e., those specific to each client)
(2) Easily adaptable to a company’s unique circumstances (such as extreme staff shortages)
　　*Simply put, they are "easy for anyone to use"
(3) Provides comprehensive after-sales support in the event of issues
and other such factors,
a major benefit is that you can operate the system
is a major advantage.


Since system salespeople are well aware of the needs described above,
they generally respond to any requirement by stating, “Since this isn’t off-the-shelf software, customization is easy.”
As a result, the sales representative secures the order and passes the baton to the development staff—such as system engineers—who will actually build the system.
The sales representative who handed over the case disappears to the next client.


After a system development order is placed, the process—from development and deployment to operation—
It would be ideal if everything proceeded smoothly as agreed,
but system development is such that things don’t always go as planned.


Once a salesperson has slipped away, they’re hard to track down,
and even if you do manage to track them down, you’ll likely be forced to choose between putting up with the current situation or accepting a cost increase.


Is there a connection between the sales representative and the development team?
Before placing an order, I recommend making the salesperson introduce you to the actual staff who will be building the system
I recommend making this a factor in selecting a system development company.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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