F. Curtis Barry & Co.

Recently cited information from the technology firm CNET reveals that roughly 49 percent of IT projects suffer from budget overruns, and 47 percent suffer higher than expected maintenance costs. It’s imperative that companies identify and properly plan for all expenses associated with replacing a business application to avoid these costly mistakes. Here are seven ways to help you go about this process. 1. When considering replacing your software application, ask yourself the following questions during the due diligence process: * What applications will be considered, and what functionalities are required? * What are the major milestones and time frames necessary to complete the project?

On June 17-18, Catalog Success and F. Curtis Barry & Co. co-presented the first Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct Commerce Systems interactive workshop in Richmond, Va. The success of this intimate event — we drew 50 percent more attendees than we had planned on — represents an exciting, fresh beginning for both of our organizations, one that could easily lead to greater rewards down the road for us, and most of all, for attendees. For this edition of The Corner View, I asked Curt Barry to give his expert synopsis of the key issues that were addressed during the conference. As he points

Many projects to replace direct commerce systems fail to be delivered on time and within budget. Companies often stop short of identifying the total cost of ownership on a three-year basis by year. Consequently, substantially more investment is often required than budgeted for, and delivery of the system for “go live” is delayed. A more complete total cost of ownership estimate may change your selection outlook as you consider perpetual site licenses vs. Software as a Service (SaaS) options. To find out more on this and other vendor selection topics, plan now to attend the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct

Picture this: Your organization completes the process of evaluating and selecting the software and vendors best suited to meet your needs. You’re ready to sign the contract. Stop! Often management prematurely commits to said vendor and pays a substantial deposit before negotiating price; payment terms; and, of equal importance, the license, service, maintenance and equipment purchase agreements required. Consequently, contracts are signed, but they lack fairness and balance, and the ability to be enforced if legal action is required. These contracts require experience in intellectual property law as well as strategy. To find out more on this topic, plan now to attend the upcoming

When acquiring new software, many businesses attempt to retool it to make it look or work like their current systems. There may be some uniqueness about your business that requires modification, but the key is to select software that has a high percentage of fit to your business. Also be open to changing business practices to fit the new software. The key is to minimize risk, reduce costs and reduce the time needed to implement the new application. To find out more, plan now to attend the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct Commerce Systems, June 17-18 in Richmond, Va., co-presented

When selecting new software, you have several options: some new, some not. You’ll find varying pricing models depending on vendor. Some are the traditional per concurrent user, while others are based on annual order volumes or server processing capacity. Software as a service (SaaS), or on-demand software, is becoming an option. And how this is priced also has its own options, from the simple per-user/per-month fee to a revenue sharing model. Understand these options and what they give you with these different models. To find out more, plan now to attend the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct Commerce Systems, June

In today’s soft economy, many multichannel marketers are trying to significantly reduce returns in order to boost profits. Some companies are putting more restrictions and conditions on returns, which I think will cause further erosion of sales. After all, who really wants to buy a product that can’t be returned, or that carries so many conditions for return? Others, however, are doing what I call “save the sale.” They’re working with customers to help them understand the product and how to install or use it. Electronics, software and technical products are far and away the biggest problem areas that could benefit from

When you begin searching for a replacement system, consider functional requirements as your first selection criteria. Platform is important as well, but it shouldn’t supersede the functional capabilities of the software. To find out more, plan now to attend the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct Commerce Systems, June 17-18 in Richmond, Va., being co-presented by Catalog Success and F. Curtis Barry & Co. For registration and other information, go to www.fcbco.com/seminar .

During the implementation of a new system, take enough time to review the reporting by user and department. Oftentimes companies try to replicate all the reporting, only to find that they end up never using many of the reports generated. Save time and dollars by not recreating these unused reports. This and other topics will be examined during the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and Implementing Direct Commerce Systems, being co-presented by Catalog Success and F. Curtis Barry & Co., June 17-18 in Richmond, Va. For registration and other information, go to www.fcbco.com/seminar .

When reviewing a software vendor’s proposal, evaluate the services as well as the training that the vendor offers. Some vendors underbid the training and services; watch out, as that will cost you more than you budgeted. Get in writing the number of days each training session will take and for how many people, then do the same for project management. Talk with other companies that have converted to find out what their experiences have been like. Compare this against how much time you really feel is necessary to properly implement the system. Learn much more at the upcoming two-day interactive workshop, Evaluating, Selecting and