If you are in the market for new staffing software, I suspect that one of the most daunting of tasks will be to sift through the many vendors that are now servicing the staffing industry.

You will find many very qualified companies with good staffing software products. These products will utilize different technologies and different approaches to how they implement and train your company. The choices will be many, the approaches varied, and the results in some cases may be very good and in other cases you may find yourself with a staffing software solution that was over hyped and under delivered.

What can you do to insure the best possible result? Below are our six suggestions for evaluating staffing software and the companies that are providing those solutions:

1. Know what you want.

Spend time with the different players in your company and solicit their input on what your new solution should contain. Develop a decision matrix that you can use to evaluate the different staffing software solutions. Understand that no solution will match all of the requirements, at some point you will find that you may have to make a decision to exclude some desired features for the benefit of the total solution.

2. Evaluate the company.

Do they have a solid track record servicing the industry? How long have they been around? Do they have a large, established customer base with companies varying in size that use their products? If at all possible, plan a visit to their offices to see how their staff interacts with you and their environment. This will communicate volumes.

3. Evaluate their services.

Do they put their customers first? How is that demonstrated? Do they ask for feedback on their products and services? Do they regularly communicate with their customers? Do they have an annual users meeting? Do you have access to their top executives if needed?

4. Evaluate their technology.

Do their products use solid, reliable technology so you focus on your staffing needs versus technology bleeds? Do they provide regular enhancements to their products? How many versions have been released, and how often? Are they still on the original product platform released or have they taken advantage of better, more advanced technology as it has become available?

5. Evaluate their software.

Do they offer a way to objectively evaluate their software over a competitive solution? A matrix should be available that can be used to evaluate each feature and compare side by side with the other solutions. Can you 'test-drive' the software so that you can get a hands-on feel for how the application will be utilized in real-life? Make sure that you can do this on your own, away from the sales person.

6. Evaluate the total package price.

Once you determine the solution you like and you are talking about pricing, ask yourself if you are comfortable that all of the costs are outlined and easily understandable? Will the sales rep guarantee you that the actual costs will not exceed the quoted price?

These are just some things to consider. If you want independent help in evaluating the different staffing software solutions, there are consultants available that can help you work through the different choices. Selecting new staffing software can be a great experience for your company. You can learn things about the operations of your business that you haven't thought about in years. Don't just choose something to replace what you have, choose something that will help you to manage and grow your business more effectively than ever before.

Good Luck.

For more information visit VCG Software

VCG Press Contact:

Phil McCutchen
Marketing Manager
Toll Free: 800-318-4983, ext. 112
Direct: 770-246-2319

Steve Taylor is President of VCG, Inc., he has over 8 years experience in the staffing industry. Phil McCutchen is Marketing Manager of VCG, Inc., he has over 13 years experience in the industry.

Our focus is your success. Since 1976 staffing firms have counted on VCG, Inc. for staffing software solutions that help them improve the productivity and profitability of their operations. Founded by staffing professionals and technologists intimately familiar with the business of staffing, VCG is the staffing industrys largest and most experienced dedicated staffing software development firm. VCG solutions today power hundreds of successful staffing companies and 12,000-plus staffing professionals throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

For more information regarding VCG, or our WebPAS and StaffSuite products, visit VCG Staffing Software or call 800-318-4983. VCG, C-PAS, StaffSuite, TempWare-V, WebPAS, StaffSuite WorldLink, and WebPAS WorldLink are registered trademarks of VCG Inc.