IWMS applications are evolving rapidly as vendors invest research and development dollars into bolstering, augmenting and, in some cases, redesigning their software. As a result, it is extremely important for end users to understand how vendors and their software are positioned currently as well as how an IWMS may be situated in the next three to five years.

Organizations typically make a multiyear commitment to their IWMS applications because the costs to migrate the data, configure and customize workflows, integrate with adjacent systems, and train a broad user base is too high. Thus it is vital to evaluate the software vendor’s strategy, road map, and responsiveness to customer feedback in addition to the vendor’s present features and functionality. Innovation is an essential part of the “buy” decision, so a guiding factor in our vendor research was the 3rd Platform and innovation accelerators’ current capabilities in addition to the strategic direction. Buyers are looking for a technology partner that can rise to the complex, agile, and remote management needs, which this time demands, as well as take them into the future. The vendors vary in terms of size, experience, levels of support, sales model, and focus on the market.

Following are a few key steps in the journey to select the right fit among the myriad of software vendors:

Understand your needs. Before you choose your IWMS vendor and product, you should first take the opportunity to do some self-reflection. Watch out for technical debt and paying for more than you need. Think about how well featured the product really needs to be for your organization. A few key questions to ask regarding the internal factors involved in choosing software are:

• What is our strategy for managing and maintaining workplaces and facilities as well as the teams that implement those activities?
• Are we looking to better define or improve our processes as we implement new technology?
• What aspects of workplace management do we want to digitally transform first, and what features do we consider essential now?
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed or restructured our business?
• What industry-specific considerations apply to our software selection?
• How many and what types of users will interact with the software, including consideration for ways in which third-party contractors will interact with the application?
• How much are we willing to spend on the software?
• Will we be doing a new installation (greenfield) or migrating (brownfield) from existing applications to a new application?
• What are the deployment models we are using now, and are we planning on shifting?
• What are the organization’s internal support resources and capabilities?

Do your research. With so many options, organizations must take a systematic approach to researching and vetting software packages. Tap into the vast web of software evaluation options including market research firms, online review sites, and industry associations. A few key questions to ask when researching the software are:

Does the vendor have experience in successfully implementing an IWMS in our industry and company size?Is the vendor knowledgeable about applicable regulations and guidelines, both locally and globally, as they affect our company?

What levels of support are available, and can the vendor or partners support all the geographic regions where we operate?

Is the ROI achievable? Does the vendor have a track record of meeting the ROI requirements?

Can the vendor integrate with our organization’s other IT systems?

Is the product available anywhere and anytime?

What mobile capabilities does the vendor offer for the different user groups?

Does the software come with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotic processing automation, virtual assistant chatbots, or natural language processing? What purchasing, pricing, and cloud deployment options does the vendor offer?

How long does it take to implement the software? How quickly can we start using the product?

Do we need an outside consultant to help with deployment? Is there self-training available for our team?

What type of in-house IT resources do we need to have available, if any? Or are we reducing internal resources and datacenter by moving to the cloud?

Look to the future. Workplace management teams are adopting more innovation for efficiency, autonomy, and competitive advantage. Organizational agility is critical when purchasing software as the applications and vendors must be able to scale up to support your growth or scale back if business may need to slow down. A few key questions to ask when considering the growth aspect of choosing a software package are:

Is the product updated frequently enough for our needs?

What new innovations is the vendor offering or considering, especially with regard to deployment options, IoT, mobility, and location-based services? How and when will it impact my business?

When will new digital transformation use cases be built out in the product, and what impact will it have on return-to-work and future workplace outcomes?

What is the vendor’s strategic investment outlook for the next three to five years? Why? How will that change and enhance my business?

Will the vendor be a partner, helping our business grow now and in the long term?

This Baachu vendor assessment assists in answering the aforementioned questions and others. The goal of this article is to provide potential software customers with a list of IWMS vendors that have taken great strides to incorporate the previously listed capabilities. We have profiled and assessed their capabilities to support the broad needs of an IWMS.

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