You’ve probably seen many posts on social media asking for software recommendations, especially in business groups. You may even have given tried getting advice this way yourself.
Whether someone is looking for a new scheduling tool, a project management app, an email system or some course software, there are always plenty of people willing to offer suggestions.
If you’re not in a place to get advice from an expert, then asking your social media network is a great place to start. But my heart does sink a little when I see a post like this.
Why? Because every business and every business owner is different.
So, my top tip when getting or giving better software recommendations is: be specific.
When looking for software recommendations:
Ask yourself these questions and be as specific as you can in your post:
- What do you want the tool to do? And why do you want it to do that?
- What features do you need? Are there any features you wouldn’t pay for?
- What’s your rough budget?
- What have you already tried? And crucially, why do you think it hasn’t worked for you?
- How does your brain work?
Yes, that’s a big topic but you can start with things like how visual you are, whether you prefer big picture or details…
- What sort of customer support do you need?
Is live chat critical, do you prefer to watch videos…?
- How easy it does it need to be to set up?
And when giving software recommendations:
Remember that you might have fallen in love with a tool, but it won’t be right for everybody. If you’re going to sing its praises, you also need to share:
- What you think it does well (and doesn’t do well)
- Why you think it works for you (how does your brain work?)
- How easy it is to set up
- What the customer support is like
- What type of business you have, so the person asking for recommendations can see where you’re coming from.
By following these tips, it will be easier to sift through the 73 zillion suggestions given, and avoid spending 57 zillion hours researching and trying them all.
And hopefully the business owner searching for a tool will find their newest love.
Is there a tech tool that you love to rave about and share? What is it about that particular tool that makes it work so well for you?
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