Your Guide for Selecting the Right Workforce Management Software: How to Separate the Signal from the Noise

Your Guide for Selecting the Right Workforce Management Software: How to Separate the Signal from the Noise

You have kicked the tires on a number of software platforms in security workforce management. You can recite by heart the claims they are making about being the best solution since no-lick envelopes. But now it is short-list time. You want to identify the software that does not live up to its claims. You want to determine which solutions will truly contribute to the efficiency and profitability of your security services company. To help save you time and money, we have listed below seven questions that will help eliminate the vendors making noise from the ones that signal a path to efficiency and growth. The Checklist for Your Software Selection Process These seven questions are, of course, part of a larger process for selecting software. We are assuming that before getting to this short-listing phase, you and your team have been carrying out a sound and systematic search for the right software. To make doubly sure you have organized your software search effectively, see our article 7 Steps to Selecting the Key Software for Your Security Business. Now, onto the short-listing. With each vendor on your list of software solutions, ask the following questions.

1 Does the platform provide a solution that takes into account your entire business? No sane person hires a personal trainer to build their biceps only. Similarly, when you want to attain maximum success in your business when you want to strengthen and make more efficient and profitable your entire business you want to make sure the platform you adopt can empower you to automate your business from end-to-end. Vendors who do not have an end-to-end solution can be easily detected. Their questions will be focused on one or two particular functions in your business, or they will address your pains in a siteby-site manner and not assess the business as a whole. That is because they are simply not equipped to handle the big picture. After all, to derive all of the benefits inherent to a security workforce management system, you have to take the blinders off, and strive for optimization of your entire operation. You have to look at security workforce management as a mission-critical system connected to other critical functions, such as your accounting and payroll systems.

2 Does the platform require the purchase or use of their hardware? Before the widespread use of smartphones, workforce management platforms required all kinds of extra equipment to collect and download guard-tour information. Today, some platforms still require this costly, inconvenient, servicerequiring equipment. And yet a contemporary smartphone has all the necessary features to carry out an efficient and data-rich guard tour assuming, of course, the platform can take advantage of current technology. Do you want to be constrained by the costs and hassles of managing and maintaining their hardware?

3 Is the platform designed to be mobile? Anytime and anywhere access to the Internet has become a given in our day-to-day lives. Why should our operations platform offer us less convenience and flexibility than that? Yet, some security workforce management platforms still rely on on-site hardware for data exchange. As a result, data collection is limited by location and time of day. This lack of flexibility constrains what your staff and management can do, and that translates into reduced productivity. Cloud-based platforms, on the other hand, offer 24/7 access, dependable data security, and the convenience of automatic software maintenance.

4 Does every modification of the software require custom in-house programming? Perhaps one of the function leaders in your company believes that their software needs are unique. If so, make sure they have a business case to prove it because with software customization you must carefully consider the cost-benefits. More customization means a more time to write and test the code, a longer wait to get a return on investment, and more system and staff instability to deal with as you transition to the new implementation. If not, then a turnkey platform, especially one focused on the security industry, must be seriously considered. You will benefit from stability, significant cost-savings, and great ease of use. You may have to trade off a little flexibility, but you will gain self-sufficiency in so many ways. With the right software, for example, you will have many options for the forms of the reports you prepare, and never have to count on a programmer again. Even report generation will require custom coding. That means to get the information you need presented the way you want it, you will have to seek out available programmers, pay for their time, and rely on them to respond appropriately. Furthermore, when upgrades are necessary, the custom code will need the whiteglove treatment. Is your company comfortable making these costly concessions?

5 Does the platform have a roadmap for future development? Before you sign a multi-year contract, you want to be sure that the software platform you commit to today will be evolving with you tomorrow. Since the security environment, technology, and your business are in constant evolution, your security workforce platform must evolve and adapt as well. A vendor with an If it ain t broke, don t fix it mindset will leave you with a set-in-concrete platform that will limit your options for adapting to new business conditions. So, ask your vendors questions like these: What kind of roadmap for development do they foresee? What industries will they focus on? What input determines how the platform will develop? What is next? What will be the frequency of upgrades?

6 Does the platform seem to be designed with customer input? Anybody who has worked in the security industry knows that its operational concerns and challenges are distinctive. If during the demo stage, you notice platform features that seem unrelated to the industry, or not remotely relevant to your needs, ask your vendor how these features came to be. Some companies systematically solicit customer feedback as an integral part of software development. To stay on top of a changing world, they also consistently participate in industry-related conferences and dedicate people to monitoring trends. Does your vendor engage in this kind of dialogue and information-gathering?

7 Does the platform try to be a jack-of-all trades for multiple industries? A Swiss Army knife sure comes in handy on a day-to-day basis but when it comes to survival in the big bad woods you need to resort to more serious tools. pizza-delivery firm is not going to stand eye-to-eye with a software platform specifically designed for mission-critical functions in the security industry. Similarly, a general-purpose ERP system that does the job for a

What is on your short list? Having asked your vendors the seven questions above, you may notice that your short list is very, very short. Here is how your TrackTik representative would answer these same seven questions. 1. Does the platform provide a solution that takes into account your entire business? Our people make a diagnostic analysis of your entire business to pinpoint cost inefficiencies. As the industry s only all-in-one platform, TrackTik offers security services companies complete control of every aspect of their business. 2. Does the platform require the purchase or use of their hardware? No. Your staff uses their own smartphones or desktop computers to access the TrackTik platform. 3. Is the platform designed to be mobile? Yes. From day one, TrackTik software was designed to be mobile.

4. Does every modification of the software require custom in-house programming? TrackTik regularly updates its platform based on client feedback and the latest relevant industry and IT trends. 5. Does the platform have a roadmap for future development? Ask us for our roadmap. It is based on input from many company functions. Our Product Experts keep us on top of trends in IT. Our Customer Success Teams regularly solicit feedback from our global clients. TrackTik participates regularly in major security industry conferences. 6. Does the platform seem to be designed with customer input? Both our Customer Success and Product Development Teams interact with clients in a structured and regular way to gain insight and perspectives on new development. 7. Does the platform try to be a jack-of-all trades for multiple industries? TrackTik focuses on serving the security industry. Seeing is believing, so the best way to confirm how TrackTik can help your operation run more efficiently and profitably is to request a demo. To get a more in-depth view of how the functional teams at TrackTik support your success, see TrackTik Works for Your Success.

About TrackTik TrackTik s integrated security operations management software is the industry s only all-in-one platform offering security services companies complete control of every aspect of their business. TrackTik saves customers time and money by enabling them to access insight, streamline operations, and improve business development through easy-to-use mobile and webbased technology, customized implementation and technical support, and a personalized sales toolbox. TrackTik has become the #1 software for security experts by driving efficiency and growth through automation and accurate data. For details visit www.tracktik.com