4 Myths Holding You Back From Switching Brand Tech Software

We’re not going to sugar coat it for you. Switching software is a pain in the a$$. You have enough on your plate already just to add on product demos and contract negotiations – not to mention learning a whole new platform. 

So just chill out about all of that cool new software out there and stick with the status quo, right? 

Wrong. As a brand leader and business innovator, you know quite well that the status quo is the kiss of death. Might as well send a formal invite to your competitors to jump right in and steal your revenue.  

Your job is to stay on the cutting edge to both outrun and outsmart the competition. And that includes the software you select to support your processes and infuse the daily work streams of your employees.  

So, what’s holding you back?

You can get to the bottom of any software’s pricing model pretty quickly to assess how much more or less expensive it is than your current solution. But leaders are concerned with the financial implications of more than just the price tag. In business, time is money, and time spent doing something outside of directly serving your customer base is costly. 

So let’s put the dollar-for-dollar comparison aside for a moment. It’s true that in the short term learning and onboarding new software will take hours away from your product and customers.  

But business is about playing the long game, and if a new solution costs you a dozen hours up front but saves you hundreds down the line, isn’t that the savvy move? 

Even if a solution is more expensive, the cost savings of implementing or changing to a software that better suits yours needs will likely outweigh the additional dollars. Here’s some easy math: 

• Task A takes your average employee 10 hours to complete. 
• Company A typically nets $100/hour for each hour an employee works 
• Employee A completes Task A once a week, roughly 50 times per year 
• What if the new and improved software allows Employee A to complete task A in just 5 hours per week? 
• Congrats! You’ve gained 250 hours per year, which translates to $25,000 in profits per employee! 

That meager extra $5k per year doesn’t seem so costly anymore, does it?

See Myth 1. 

As a brand leader, you are likely to rebrand sooner than you think. The market, customers, and competitive forces are moving with a momentum unlike any other time in history. So, to stay in front of your tomorrow, investing time and resources in a solution should start now, especially when factoring in time needed for systems to mature post-implementation. 

But let’s take a step back from the urgency and lean into why this is important.  

Investing in new solutions that have major business impacting implications such as: enhancing revenue, reducing costs, and risk mitigation, is critical and eliminates responsibility to better prioritize responding to emails, status meetings and other office noise above it. 

It’s true that many enterprise software solutions require a 1-year contract to get started. It’s also true that if you don’t like it after you sign, you might not be able to legally back out. 

But let’s take a look at the definition of “too risky,” which essentially means that the risk outweighs the benefits. If you do your homework when evaluating software solutions, that just isn’t true. 

Most enterprise software companies are backed by a robust sales team eager to earn their commission. They’ll be more than happy to bend over backwards to provide all of the information about the company and the product you’ll need to make an informed decision. 

Here are some things you can do to ease your worries: 

• Ask for a robust product demo. Ask to be walked through every nook and cranny of the interface, and have your rep carry out different workflows while you watch.  
• Make sure key stakeholders from all the departments that will be using the software sit in on the demo and early conversations with you. Different perspectives will help you identify blind spots and unique build business cases. 
• Outline multiple business-specific use cases and stress test them during the demo or trial. It’s easy to be dazzled by cool new tech. By focusing on exactly how the product will work for you, you can better avoid shiny new object syndrome. 
• Conduct reference calls. Ask other users how they are using the software across the organization, and have them walk through their implementation, launch, and life after so you can get a better idea of what that may look like for your organization. 

In sum, talk to your rep. Don’t be shy about asking questions, and don’t be afraid of a longer buying cycle if you need it to explore all your options.  

Remember what we said about the status quo? Just because what you’re doing is working now doesn’t mean it’s the best, most profitable, or most risk abating option. It also doesn’t mean it will work a year from now, especially if you’re in a race against your competitors for quality, efficiency, and market share (who isn’t?) 

In addition to time and productivity, better software helps you produce a better product, period. The best software will help you deep dive into niche areas of your business to optimize your output across your product, customer experience, and employee engagement.  

When people think about enterprise software, they often think of automation and AI. Sure, that is a major time-saving benefit of great software, but the right solution offers so much more. 

Take your Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), for example. At worst it’s a glorified spreadsheet. At best, it helps you identify important customer behaviors so you can create an exceptional and personalized customer experience. 

Or take your leading enterprise brand software, the Beam Brand Center. This is not just a typical digital asset management software (we’re not rebranding Dropbox). It’s a place to empower your entire team to tell your brand story in a unified way and encourage employees to share that story.  

According to Google, 62% of employees expect brands to deliver a consistent experience. Beam doesn’t just make brand consistency easier to execute and manage, it makes brand consistency more profitable by enabling employees to become better brand storytellers and amplify brand values across their own networks. It also eliminates the risk of brand corruption, as employees will work out of set brand guidelines built into the brand center. 

Once you have determined whether investing in brand management software is right for you, you then need to find the right solution for your brand strategy and goals. Through research with brand leaders, we’ve found it takes more than technology to manage your brand successfully. It requires alignment with brand strategy, technology and ongoing support.  

To better compare your options for brand asset management software across key features and functionality, check out Beam’s Brand Comparison Worksheet and match your business challenges to proven solutions.