7 key questions to ask when evaluating admin and payment software

7 Key Evaluation Questions

If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you have already discovered the numerous benefits of admin and payment software. So now you are probably asking which is the best software for your organisation’s needs? As with any software, there are a lot of providers to choose from, all offering different features and benefits.

Even though they all have numerous features and functions to offer, it goes without saying you need to select the one that best meets the needs of your organisation. Of course, we hope you will choose LoveAdmin to manage your organisation but we understand that everyone has different requirements.

Software in any sphere is rarely a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. Moreover, the potential benefits to your organisation are too great to leave to chance. That is why it is imperative you ask these seven key questions when evaluating any admin and payment software:

1. Is it easy to use?

Having software that has a large range of features and options is pointless if you do not know how to use them effectively. Software that is not user-friendly will require a lot of training time and is more likely to promote human error. Main administrators aside, if the software is not easy for your members or customers to use, they may well abandon it, leaving you to return to the manual admin methods of old.

2. Does it serve its purpose?

Be careful not to choose a provider whose software is too basic to manage your subscriptions adequately. Many organisations make this mistake while searching for user-friendly or low-cost software. Consider using providers that offer free trials or demos to see if the functionality suits your needs and discover just what else it can do for you.

3. Is there help available if I need it?

Even opting for software that is simple to manage does not guarantee that there will be no kinks in the learning process. Should you need assistance with navigation or operation, you’ll need someone that you can speak to, not just a faceless support email address.

4. Do they invest in product development? 

As your needs evolve, so should your software. Look for evidence of continued investment in the service. If you can’t find any indicators, it could be a sign of lacking business capital to invest in the product or the software provider isn’t listening to the feedback from its clients. At LoveAdmin, we invest over 27,000 hours a year in development to help our clients do things better and quicker than ever before.

5. Will my information be safe?

A security breach can put you and your member’s information at risk resulting in identity theft or worse. Any software provider should have systems in place to ensure the integrity of confidential data. This security is important if you are to encourage your members to use the system, especially when asking them to enter financial information.

Any software provider based in the UK that stores information about your members or clients have to adhere to the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). You should find information about GDPR readily available on the software providers website.

Always check the Privacy Policy of the providers. Some organisations may state they share your members’ information with third party marketing companies, others, like LoveAdmin, will not. It should all be in the small print so worth checking.

6. Is it a fair price?

Many people believe in the saying’ “You get what you pay for.” So while a membership database plan may be affordable, it may be too basic to be useful and therefore a false economy. Therefore, do not decide on price alone. Instead, compare the whole package and then determine its worth.

Software providers will often provide a range of price plans with different available features. Often these plans will be based on the size of your organisation and the number of members / customers you have. The larger your pool of contacts, the more you will pay. Others may set prices according to the number of administrators you want to have access. Plan prices may be annual or they may be monthly. Custom plans may also be available whereby you can negotiate the price and features to suit your club and budget.

With LoveAdmin, you don’t pay for the number of members or customers you have, nor for the number of administrators. You only pay a small transaction fee when people pay online via the system.

7. What are others saying about them?

It goes without saying you want to choose a provider who is reliable, secure and affordable. You will want help and support when you need it and you will want software which offers all the features you need at a price you can afford. So your final stop on the evaluation process should be to check out reviews and ratings. Look at social media too by searching for the provider by name. No reviews/mentions is not necessarily a bad thing and may mean the provider is new to the market. In this instance, you may want to wait a while to see how they perform before signing up.

Finally, ask around other clubs and organisations to see what software they use. Their responses can give you valuable insight into how different providers perform and even throw some new names into the pot!

Selecting the best software for your organisation may require a lot of research and comparison. In the end, it will come down to the provider who offers the best range of features that meets your needs and budget. But, knowing that you have made the right choice is worth the effort.

To evaluate LoveAdmin, why not sign up for a free account or contact us for a demo, where you can see all the features before you commit. We also provide a free Buyers Guide that explores the functionality you’ll need when switching your membership management online. Download your free copy from our resources page.