Email a collegue.| Headline: | Businesses fed up with the software upgrade treadmill |
| Description: | Six out of 10 small business owners interviewed by a financial software house said they weren’t interested in the extra functions new software upgrades offer and a third said they would prefer to stick with the versions they had already mastered.
Disillusionment with the constant stream of upgrades coming out of software houses emerged in a survey of 525 small businesses carried out by KTS, a supplier of firnancial information programs. The hassle of learning their way round unfamiliar programs was one of the main irritants identified in the survey. A fifth of respondents (21%) said they didn't want to spend time learning an unfamiliar package and 20% considered getting to know new software a distraction from running the business. Even though new releases were supposed to make life easier for managers, 38% of respondents said they dreaded the prospect of having to learn new software and 69% said they dreamed of never having to learn a new software program again. A quarter of owner-managers said they upgraded reluctantly from versions they were familiar with only to keep up with clients or customers and 23% said they considered earlier versions of software were easier to use. To cope with upgrade overload, 54% of survey respondents said only bothered to learn as much as they needed when faced with a new software release. Yet 40% of them admitted they worried that that their business would be less efficient if employees were unable to use all of the new software's capabilities. “We’re not surprised that so many owner managers look on with horror when faced with learning new software," said KTS chief executive Marc Pinter-Krainer. "In our view, too many software issuers put in too little thought about how new releases are going to be received. What might seem like fun new functionality all too often adds to the confusion and stops a familiar user from navigating the product as efficiently. The best software should be simple to use and can be mastered quickly by trial and error." Very few business owners said they reacted to a new program by playing around with menu options to learn new features. Pinter-Krainer said more people should be willing to do so. And if business owners wanted to learn how to cope with new software so it made a positive contribution to the business, they should overcome their reluctance to invest in training, KTS suggested. Other recommendations on how to deal with upgrade overload included: Creating an atmosphere that encouraged employees to acknowledge their IT weaknesses and ask for training. Employees needed to know they will not be penalised for admitting weaknesses, but helped to overcome them. Encouraging employees speak to each other about IT problems - often someone will have found a solution in-house. Such discussions will help people to share IT skills and pass on time-saving tips. Consulting employees before introducing new software to the workplace. There’s little point providing an expensive new program if your team doesn't have the time or the willingness to learn it. They will be much keener to learn if they’ve had a hand in the implementation process. Leading by example. Owner managers should go on training courses training courses themselves to ensure they have similar software abilities as their employees. Considering software that is delivered and updated over the internet. While 95% of survey respondents found the final point about third-party software "appealing", it is worth noting that survey sponsor KTS operates this kind of business model. Don't let the blatant plug distract you from the other useful findings and advice generated by the survey. |
| Date: | 29.06.2005 |
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