With the right partner, changing your software systems should be a smooth process that can energise the business and lead to unexpected benefits

Changing your software provider can be daunting. After all, didn’t it really hurt last time? Perhaps, but last time was probably over ten years ago...

The human psyche is hard-wired to resist change, especially when it comes to changing IT systems, as those most affected may not have participated in the decision.

Overcoming inertia is up to the software company that is taking over the contract. They must drive the process and deliver a project plan that results in complete confidence and assurance to all the staff involved. After all, we humans are resilient, and change – once embraced – can bring about a wide range of invigorating benefits.

Avoid feature-chasing
The secret to a good project starts with smart planning. Firstly, delay looking at the market – instead, draw up a list of the things you feel are holding your business back and aim to engage as many of your team as possible in the process.

Define the gap and describe it in terms of problems you wish to solve with a new system and then list these as simple sentences – after that rank them in order of priority, based on business benefit.

To get the creative process flowing, think about your customers’ experiences when compared with your own consumer experiences. What good things stand out? Make a list of these.

Don’t hold back in your brainstorming – be energetic and creative.

Avoid falling into the trap of listing a ‘superset’ of features from a market review, as this dilutes your focus and doesn’t ultimately help the accuracy of your procurement. Having a new computer system will turn out to be a bad investment if it doesn’t solve your problems.

Luckily, a quality software vendor understands this and will help you avoid engaging in a feature-chasing project.

Make life Easy
Ensure your software supplier impresses you with the quality of their project plan for your business and establish how they will help you guarantee success.

Legend’s project management process is an outstanding feature of its ISO 9001 certification. By sharing advice and best practice from similar projects, Legend can help unlock opportunities inherent in a modern system that aren’t necessarily obvious at first.

The limitations of an old system can be a barrier. Legend’s experts will guide your team smoothly through the transition.

We even guarantee that the transition from your old system to Legend will happen on time, within budget, and will incur zero downtime.

Another way we make life easy is by reducing the scope of our customers’ exposure to regulation. Legend is the only UK vendor that is accredited for ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), with data backup and off-site disaster recovery included in the package.

Our customers found GDPR easier and cheaper to deal with as a result.

Successful delivery
We pride ourselves on going the extra mile, as William Thrower of Bridport Leisure Centre explains, saying: "Legend is the best supplier I’ve worked with to date. The knowledge of the project manager and engineers was excellent, as was communication, and there’s always been someone available to assist with our queries at any time of the day or night."

Operational Excellence
Project success depends on how well we prepare, equip and support each individual using the system to drive organisation success and outcomes.

Legend trainers are recognised by customers for their excellent service, as our customer satisfaction surveys show (see table on opposite page).

It's personal to us!
Post installation, Legend’s key account managers continue the highly personal customer service. They engage customers in their use of the system – optimising configuration and uncovering knowledge gaps, increasing awareness of features that are released in the free upgrades.

Day-to-day, Legend’s industry-leading help desk runs 24/7. Customer feedback reveals 84 per cent of customers find Legend help desk staff professional, courteous, polite and friendly.

Graham Roberts-Phelps, MD at Brilliant Customer Service, says: “As a business skills trainer, specialising in software helpdesks, I’ve had the pleasure of spending time working with the Legend team. I found them to be an extremely positive, engaged and open-minded group of technical experts, keen to provide client satisfaction.

"The team is committed to continuous improvement – working together to identify ways of interacting with customers and solving problems faster.”

Growth means Change (but it needn’t hurt)
To move a business forward requires change. Successful adoption of that change drives organisational outcomes. Effective change management means individuals and organisations can adopt the changes more swiftly to drive business growth.

Sean Maguire, MD of Legend, comments: “We listen carefully to our clients in order to deliver advantage to them through our innovative service.

“Our R&D success is unrivalled – what’s most pleasing is how we’re helping operators by making it easy to switch to Legend and how that service trend continues post-installation.

"As a result, over 80 per cent of our new business comes from referrals from existing customers who are delighted with the service, showing the ongoing value Legend delivers.”

Speak to the Legend team today to see how easy a transition can be and how we can enable improvements to your business.