Part 3 - Tough Questions to Better Select, Compare & Evaluate Any Software or Cloud Vendors
From the Series: Questions to Ask Software or Cloud Vendors
How can you more quickly select, compare and evaluate any software or cloud vendors?
Here are penetrating questions to ask any software or cloud vendor to help make a more rigorous and objective comparison. Make sure to download the other two related whitepapers: Part 1 and Part 2.
Ask these questions early in your qualification process to create a short list of vendors. Make sure to ask for commitments in writing!
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What happens if our companies have a disagreement? What is your dispute resolution process? What is your track record with respect to litigation and customers? How many customers have sued your company, and what were the outcomes? Did these disputes go to court? How were they settled, and what were the details?Giva's Answer: Giva values maintaining excellent relations with our customers and we make this a top priority. We recommend that prospects speak with some of our long-term customers for their perspective. In the rare situation of a dispute, Giva has incorporated a dispute resolution process in our Master Subscription Agreement for settling disputes. This process will provide both parties with a fair, reasonable and timely resolution with little cost and time investment as compared to litigation. No customer has ever pursued litigation against Giva and we have never pursued litigation against any customer.
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If my company wants a long term commitment on pricing, will you lock in the price today so I can better estimate the Total Cost of Ownership of your product in the future?Giva's Answer: Giva offers three Editions and locks in pricing for one year. For customers interested in a multiyear price lock in commitment, please speak to your Giva Account Manager for longer term commitments and discounts.Can we set up independent service desks/databases for different functional areas or departments? For example, could the Human Resources Department have their own service desk/database that is private and segregated from other departments? Can a service desk share a single database of underlying customers/employees so that this database does not have to be replicated multiple times? Are there additional costs for this capability?Giva's Answer: The Professional Edition offers an unlimited number of service desks at no additional cost. In addition to Customer Service and IT, other service departments like Office Services, Facilities, HR, etc. can have their own service desk uniquely configured. Any customer/employee can be a member of one or more service desks. This allows the leverage of Giva beyond a single department without any incremental cost except for additional licenses.What are your license options? Today, we may purchase "Named/Dedicated" licenses; but as we grow, we may want to have people use the application on a part-time basis. Can we share licenses across Asia, Europe and the USA so that we do not have to buy licenses for each geographic region, since they operate in different time zones with only minor overlap?Giva's Answer: We have Fixed, Concurrent Token and Floating Token License options. Concurrent and Floating Tokens are available with the Professional Edition and allow sharing licenses across geographies to minimize license cost.Do you have customer case studies that discuss business results that you have helped your customers achieve? Can I speak with these folks to learn firsthand of their experience using your product?Giva's Answer: There are numerous case studies posted on our web site discussing the business results that we have helped our customers achieved. We also encourage you to speak with our customers to understand firsthand their experience using Giva.How will your company obtain my evolving feature requirements after I become a customer? Will you regularly contact me to solicit feedback and incorporate it into your product plans? Are there any costs for making product enhancements suggestions that are implemented?Giva's Answer: A Giva Account Manager will call on your company approximately every three months to see how things are going. In advance of this call, Giva will review your configuration/customization and make any modification recommendations. There is no charge for these calls and review work. At any time, you can open and track product enhancement suggestions. Giva does not charge customers for product enhancements.Will I have an Account Manager that is compensated based upon retaining my company's business or will their compensation be based solely upon only their ability to sell me more products?Giva's Answer: Giva Account Managers are primarily compensated based upon long term recurring revenue generated from the customers they manage so they are very focused on retaining your company's business. Our Account Managers are compensated for signing up new customers that Giva can keep for the long term so their compensation is aligned with your company's interest in making the right long term vendor selection.Will I have a single point of contact at your company that has a 360 degree view of our relationship or will you make me navigate your company and seek out and coordinate resources?Giva's Answer: Your Giva Account Manager is your single point of contact and interface to your company. They can assist you with almost any question and will do the necessary leg work to save you time and effort in such areas as billing and administrative issues. The only exception is that the Giva Technical Support organization is responsible for making sure any technical questions are properly addressed.Will your company provide a 30-day supported trial of your products?Giva's Answer: Giva provides access to 30-day supported trials of all of our products. Most customers are up and running on Giva in 1 week or less. There are default configuration settings to quickly use Giva right "out of the box". We have a very easy step-by-step set-up process. Customers do not need to pay Giva for set-up, customization and configuration as all implementation work can be completed by customers. However, if you desire, Giva can assist on an as needed basis or take a more active role in set-up to meet your specific needs. Customization/configuration is all point and click with no coding, scripting or programming required.
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