General

In the current foreign trade management software market, there are many brands and types, and each software product has many similar characteristics. It is very difficult for users to choose. If you try every type of software, it will take a lot of time. How to effectively select the foreign trade management software suitable for your own use is indeed a time-consuming and labor-intensive matter.

1. Determine the enterprise's own business model and determine the required software according to the actual business management process

The current foreign trade management software on the market is mainly divided into the following major functions: customer relationship management (CRM), email management system (EMS), foreign trade business management (FTMS), and production planning management (ERP).

Customer Relationship Management System (CRM), whose main functions include customer development, customer transaction records, customer after-sales, etc;

Email Management System (EMS) is mainly used for internal personnel and customers to send and receive emails, archive them, and then integrate them into the customer management system;

Foreign Trade Business Management (FTMS), with main functions such as business management, document management, financial management, report summary, etc;

The main functions of production planning management (ERP) are production management, inventory management, and schedule management.

2. Identify enterprise needs and personally try out various types of software

After understanding our business types, we can select software that is suitable for our management model. How can we determine whether these software are suitable?

Firstly, it is necessary to clarify the purpose of the software. The original intention of the software project is to achieve what goals, such as to quickly enter which documents, query which historical records, and quickly generate which statistical reports. You can create a list of functional requirements and compare the software against this list.

Later on, it is necessary to spend time and effort trying out various software, rather than simply introducing the features by the software salesperson, because many software products look the same in functionality, but only after trial will it be discovered that the details inside vary widely, some simple, and some complex.

During the trial process, basic data and documents are entered according to our own business processes, and then compared item by item based on the list of functional requirements we have listed. If the functional requirements are met, check the box and compare each software to select the software that meets the requirements.

3. Investigate the responsiveness and service attitude of software companies

After the formal implementation of software, the responsiveness and service attitude of software companies will greatly affect the success of our project.

During the implementation process, there are some problems that it is difficult to determine by the user alone whether it is a software problem, a computer configuration problem, or a network problem. This requires professional knowledge to determine. At this time, it must require the support of after-sales or technical personnel from the software company. If their response is not timely or their technical strength is insufficient, they cannot make accurate judgments, Will affect the implementation progress of the software. "For any project, the risk of failure will multiply over a long period of time, while the shorter the cycle, the higher the probability of success.".

During the specific implementation phase, there will be a high frequency of docking and communication, and there will always be situations where technical support personnel or users themselves have an unfriendly attitude. At this time, it is necessary for technical support personnel or after-sales personnel to have a good self management ability and demonstrate a friendly service attitude. If the expectations of users cannot be met, it will also affect the enthusiasm of users to use the software, It is more likely that users will have a greater resistance to the software itself, and it is more likely to affect other colleagues of the user, leading to boycotts of the software together, ultimately leading to project failure.

4. Finally, compare the prices of the software

Currently, the price difference of foreign trade management software on the market is also very large. Generally, customized software must have a price of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands or more, and it also requires paying a certain amount of maintenance fees and purchasing servers every year. If it is a general-purpose software that does not provide customization, it will be relatively cheap, available in the hundreds of thousands. Nowadays, the SAAS model is also popular, which charges service fees based on the number of users and each year. It is relatively inexpensive and does not require the purchase of servers.

If we simply choose software based on price, it is also very inappropriate for users. Even if we purchase any cheaper software, if the business model is not suitable and after-sales service cannot be guaranteed, even hundreds of thousands of software will be lost. Don't blindly and impulsively feel that a high price is definitely good. You must carefully select foreign trade software that conforms to your business model according to the first three steps. After completing the first three steps, compare the prices and select the appropriate foreign trade management software.