Found yourself in a position where your current Orchard Management Software (or the company that provides it…) is no longer a fit?
You’re not alone and there are some common situations that lead to this crossroad – let’s take a look at them:
Your existing software provider is no longer supporting your software…
Some software, especially in niche industries, is created by dedicated one man bands, or very small teams. They do an excellent job while they can, but at some point they face their own crossroad – expand or exit. Many are not keen to take on the pressures that come with running a larger business and exit is the path they take.
Others, especially in the technology arena, find it too hard to keep pace with the speed of innovation. They may have developed an app that’s good at labor tracking, but the payroll integration is poor. Or labor tracking is the only function they provide. Or maybe they focused on scouting and task management but when it comes to managing the complexities of minimum wage and piece rates, it’s lacking.
And small teams can also be heavily impacted by personal situations, such as health issues, finances, relationship woes and age progression (we all feel that one!)
The company is closing down…
It’s been a really tough time for businesses all around the world. Forbes note that in general, 50% of small businesses fail by their 5th year, add in a global pandemic and unfortunately that number is likely to climb significantly.
Even if your current provider is a well established company, for some, the past few years would have just been too tough. It may well be “the great resignation” happening on the job front with employees seeking change and lifestyle enhancements, but it could well also be “the great exit” as small businesses who have struggled, decide enough is enough.
If you’re not seeing signs of tech progression from your provider through the regular communications they send your way (assuming they send you regular communications?), then it may be time to switch.
Poor support and/or unfriendly service…
Some technology companies get caught up in the hype of the next exciting project and lose sight of what’s really important – their customers.
They stop investing in support and service and that in turn leads to overworked support staff who are continually dealing with customer complaints. It’s probably no wonder their support people end up grumpy, unresponsive and sometimes, darn right rude.
It’s not good enough and you should not put up with it. It’s time to switch.
Regulations have changed but your software hasn’t…
Ah regulations… Don’t we love those! Unfortunately, whether we agree with them or not, regulations are a fact of business. Another fact is that with regulation, generally comes additional compulsory administration. More recording, more paperwork, more calculations, more audits and more labor required to take care of the extra recording, paperwork, audits and calculations!
When new regs come in, you want your farm management software to keep pace. Whether it’s new minimum wage requirements, new overtime and double time pay rates, or waste reduction bylaws, you need to know that your software provider is continually scanning the landscape and making plans to address these new regs, so your admin burden is minimized.
You want to be able to focus on what really matters. The fruit!
If it might be time to switch your orchard management software provider, we can show you how to switch and we can make it easy for you.
Request a free consultation with our friendly team and let’s get you moving forward.
