An interesting white paper was sent our way via IT Business Edge, giving us a series of questions that we should ask before making an on-demand investment. It also came with some valid points to consider, so we decided to share even if Christmas is nine months away.
1. What business problem(s) am I trying to solve? It might be lifting poor campaign response rates, shortening a sales cycle or saving money by outsourcing the contact center. A laser focus on the right business requirements before you shop is half the battle to making the best choice.
2. How much can I spend? Low cost of ownership will always be a big upside of on demand, but balance cost control with other goals as well, such as customer profitability and growth.
3. How deep are my IT resources and expertise? A “can-do” attitude is great, unless IT gets in over its head. If you don’t have the IT bandwidth or know-how to go on premise, on demand might be the ticket because the technology partner does all the heavy lifting.
4. How comprehensive do I need it to be? It may sound old hat, but as the power and flexibility of on demand pick up, stick to the functionalities you need and don’t let the bells and whistles get in the way. You can always add on later.
5. How much control/privacy do I need? If you have a ton of data to manage and protect, a long list of vertical specs, or a bevy of regulations to meet, you’ll want a solution that gives you more control.
6. How do I want to be served? For the do-it-yourself types, on demand can still come out of the box without a partner, systems integrator or consultant in sight. For others, sometimes it just feels better to have support resources.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)