Parcel - October 2008 - (Page 32) management SOFTWARE SELECTION DEMYSTIFIED It’s not the Twilight Zone By Susan Rider like doubling people count, etc. It is refreshing when an IT executive dictates, “We have our preferences, but ultimately we want our operational people to get the solution that best helps them do their jobs.” After all, IT is a support structure to other areas in the company. You now have much work to do before you start determining what solutions you will review. The next step is to map the process you are using today and be open to a better process. The process flow should be analyzed; are there steps, touch points, walk times, data inputs that can be reduced or eliminated? Benchmark the best in the industry. What features do they have that you could deploy with new software? Look at any paper in your process flow; can it be reduced, combined or eliminated entirely? It is so important to avoid buying software and deploying it over bad processes. The software people don’t care, you have to make sure this step is followed. Now that you have your functional design, you are ready to determine what companies would be the best fit. Some S electing the right partner is as important as selecting the best software. Oftentimes the best software may not be the best partner. It is important to evaluate all aspects of this new partnership to really find the best solution for your business. First of all, who should be on the selection team? If it is just the IT department, this is a selection ready for failure. The IT department should definitely be involved, but the functionality and the productivity gains the business will get for the software should be the primary driver. It’s not uncommon to come across an IT executive that dictates the platform, programming language and the new partner without concern for the benefits of functionality. These implementations are some of the horror stories you hear, 32 October 2008 www.PARCELindustry.com http://www.PARCELindustry.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Parcel - October 2008 Parcel - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note What Would Augello Say? Best Practices Survey Results Going with the Flow Is Your Parcel Network Optimized? Last (Mile), but Not Least Moving From Manual to Automated Fulfillment A Race for Excellence Making Ends Meet Is Your Job Killing You? Software Selection Demystified Controlling Costs On the Mark Product Profile New Products & Services Advertiser Index Wrap Up Parcel - October 2008 Parcel - October 2008 - Parcel - October 2008 (Page Cover1) Parcel - October 2008 - Parcel - October 2008 (Page Cover2) Parcel - October 2008 - Parcel - October 2008 (Page 3) Parcel - October 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Parcel - October 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Parcel - October 2008 - Editor's Note (Page 6) Parcel - October 2008 - Editor's Note (Page 7) Parcel - October 2008 - What Would Augello Say? (Page 8) Parcel - October 2008 - What Would Augello Say? (Page 9) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 10) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 11) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 12) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 13) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 14) Parcel - October 2008 - Best Practices Survey Results (Page 15) Parcel - October 2008 - Going with the Flow (Page 16) Parcel - October 2008 - Going with the Flow (Page 17) Parcel - October 2008 - Is Your Parcel Network Optimized? (Page 18) Parcel - October 2008 - Is Your Parcel Network Optimized? (Page 19) Parcel - October 2008 - Last (Mile), but Not Least (Page 20) Parcel - October 2008 - Last (Mile), but Not Least (Page 21) Parcel - October 2008 - Last (Mile), but Not Least (Page 22) Parcel - October 2008 - Last (Mile), but Not Least (Page 23) Parcel - October 2008 - Moving From Manual to Automated Fulfillment (Page 24) Parcel - October 2008 - Moving From Manual to Automated Fulfillment (Page 25) Parcel - October 2008 - A Race for Excellence (Page 26) Parcel - October 2008 - A Race for Excellence (Page 27) Parcel - October 2008 - Making Ends Meet (Page 28) Parcel - October 2008 - Making Ends Meet (Page 29) Parcel - October 2008 - Is Your Job Killing You? (Page 30) Parcel - October 2008 - Is Your Job Killing You? (Page 31) Parcel - October 2008 - Software Selection Demystified (Page 32) Parcel - October 2008 - Software Selection Demystified (Page 33) Parcel - October 2008 - Software Selection Demystified (Page 34) Parcel - October 2008 - Software Selection Demystified (Page 35) Parcel - October 2008 - Controlling Costs (Page 36) Parcel - October 2008 - Controlling Costs (Page 37) Parcel - October 2008 - On the Mark (Page 38) Parcel - October 2008 - On the Mark (Page 39) Parcel - October 2008 - Product Profile (Page 40) Parcel - October 2008 - Advertiser Index (Page 41) Parcel - October 2008 - Wrap Up (Page 42) Parcel - October 2008 - Wrap Up (Page Cover3) Parcel - October 2008 - Wrap Up (Page Cover4)
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