Technology becomes outdated, and your surveying software is no exception.

Over time, a failure to innovate can damage your company, so it's essential to review your software regularly. Here are some indicators that it might be time to review your software.

1. You've Lost Your Competitive Edge

Technology moves at a rapid pace, although old software is not necessarily second-rate.

The problem is that software companies often become complacent or "locked into" old technology.

Modern software alternatives are often:

• Faster
• More flexible
• Better maintained
• Able to solve more everyday problems and challenges
• Designed for mobile phones

A problem that was difficult to solve five years ago, such as offline support, can be solved easily today. It's important to review your surveying software periodically, to maintain a competitive edge.  

2. Surveyors Quit out of Frustration

When surveyors quit from frustration, it should send a clear message to management that something isn't right. Alarm bells should start ringing if your surveyors have difficulty or suffer embarrassment learning your software, leading them to quit.

This situation can happen when surveyors join you from another company with better software. Your surveying software should not be causing you to lose experienced staff members.

3. Software Provider Delays

Delays with your software provider can occur for many reasons; if your software provider is slow to respond to technical issues or change requests, it can affect:

• Cash flow
• Staff morale
• Your relationship with the client
• Your relationship with the supplier

Delays with your software supplier can cost you thousands of pounds. There's a "lost opportunity" cost here too, how many other jobs could you have completed in the time you were waiting for the supplier? If your software is causing bottlenecks or financial strain, it's time to start looking elsewhere.

4. Spiralling Costs

Some companies may charge thousands of pounds for (often minor) changes including:

• Installation / setup costs
• Handheld devices (iPads and tablets installed by the supplier)
• Training
• Upgrades
• Data fixes
• Changes to survey templates
• Support
• Server backups.

Software companies can get away with this because the surveying company has no alternative. At Flow Software Solutions, we favour simple pricing, and we don't charge anything for small changes.

Conclusion

If you're losing your competitive edge or having issues with your software provider, it might be time to consider switching apps.

Flow Mobile Surveying could be the solution to your problems. Get in touch for a demo

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