Five questions software vendors must answer before you choose their marketing software.

1. 5 Questions
You Must Ask Marketing
Software Vendors About
Customer Experience
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2. Looking at new marketing software?
There are many companies currently
offering solutions.
How should you choose between
them?
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3. The first considerations
Integrated or stand alone? Online or offline? Remember, the
less expensive solution may not be the most suited to your
business needs, or be the most cost-effective long-term . . .
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4. The first considerations
Integrated or stand alone? Online or offline? Remember, the
less expensive solution may not be the most suited to your
business needs, or be the most cost-effective long-term . . .
Compliance with legal requirements and also the latest
standards/protocols (eg Sender ID), to optimize delivery rates.
www.adestra.com

5. The first considerations
Tools which allow:
- Easy subscription/unsubscription management.
- Easy list management, for segmentation and
personalization.
- Distribution of targeted emails.
- Automatic delivery of different versions of emails to suit
different software and settings.
- Automatic update of your database in real time for various
types of bounce.
- Sophisticated statistics to enable you to track response and
calculate ROI.
- Automatically generated reports.
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6. But what makes a good software vendor an excellent
software vendor?
Don’t limit your focus to the marketing software. In order for
your organization to make the most of its investment, you need
a supplier who can provide a service and support which is on par
with its technology.
www.adestra.com

7. But what makes a good software vendor an excellent
software vendor?
Don’t limit your focus to the marketing software. In order for
your organization to make the most of its investment, you need
a supplier who can provide a service and support which is on par
with its technology.
Make sure your potential
software vendor answers
these five questions before
you purchase.
5 Q
www.adestra.com

8. Q 1
How does the product meet the
specific needs of my organization?
The ideal software vendor should seek to become more than just
your supplier – they should seek to become your partner.
Look for one who will:
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9. Q 1
How does the product meet the
specific needs of my organization?
The ideal software vendor should seek to become more than just
your supplier – they should seek to become your partner.
Look for one who will:
- Collaborate with you to identify your business pains;
- Design tailor-made solutions to help you reach your goals;
- Offer you the experience of their specialist team to drive
your business’s results.
www.adestra.com

10. Q 1
How does the product meet the
specific needs of my organization?
You may think this will be costly, but the cost of not seeking a
personalized service can be far higher.
For instance:
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11. Q 1
How does the product meet the
specific needs of my organization?
You may think this will be costly, but the cost of not seeking a
personalized service can be far higher.
For instance:
- You may need to increase headcount to use the new
technology;
- You may need to invest in additional resources, such as
extra hardware or licenses;
- You may end up investing in software which does not aid
efficiency or deliver results.
www.adestra.com

12. Q 2
Will I receive assistance with the set-up?
The best software vendors put customer service at the heart
of their business. They will not leave you with only a manual
or a video to implement your software. They understand
that ensuring your team can use the software effectively and
efficiently benefits both of you.
www.adestra.com

13. Q 2
Will I receive assistance with the set-up?
A software vendor which seeks to see itself as an extension of
your in-house team will ensure they have a support team to
provide you with new user training either face to face or via
a webinar, and subsequent support response in minutes, not
hours or days.
www.adestra.com

14. Q 3
What ongoing training is offered?
The more practical training resources the software vendor
offers, delivered by qualified, effective trainers, the more likely
your staff are to develop a deep understanding of the software
and extract maximum possible benefit from it. As well as the
training on offer at set-up, you should be looking for:
www.adestra.com

15. Q 3
What ongoing training is offered?
The more practical training resources the software vendor
offers, delivered by qualified, effective trainers, the more likely
your staff are to develop a deep understanding of the software
and extract maximum possible benefit from it. As well as the
training on offer at set-up, you should be looking for:
Training videos
eGuides
Webinars
Certification programs
Ongoing classroom
training
www.adestra.com

16. Q 3
What ongoing training is offered?
The more practical training resources the software vendor
offers, delivered by qualified, effective trainers, the more likely
your staff are to develop a deep understanding of the software
and extract maximum possible benefit from it. As well as the
training on offer at set-up, you should be looking for:
Training videos
eGuides
Webinars
Certification programs
Ongoing classroom
training
. . . all from introductory to advanced level.
If software vendors offer nothing more than
manuals, their package probably isn’t right for you.
www.adestra.com

17. Q 4
Can I expect to receive real-time support?
Does the vendor offer any proactive support? Are they
consistently helping you do your job better, or do you only talk
to them when you have a problem?
www.adestra.com

18. Q 4
Can I expect to receive real-time support?
Does the vendor offer any proactive support? Are they
consistently helping you do your job better, or do you only talk
to them when you have a problem?
What happens if you do run into problems? How do you contact
the software vendor? Do they offer:
Telephone support?
Instant messaging support?
Support forums?
www.adestra.com

19. Q 5
What’s in it for my customers?
Finally, software vendors need to be clearly able to explain and
demonstrate how their marketing platform will benefit your
customers - throughout the customer lifecycle. If the system
does nothing to improve your customers’ experience when
hearing from you, the platform is unlikely to offer you any great
advantages.
www.adestra.com

20. Q 5
What’s in it for my customers?
Finally, software vendors need to be clearly able to explain and
demonstrate how their marketing platform will benefit your
customers - throughout the customer lifecycle. If the system
does nothing to improve your customers’ experience when
hearing from you, the platform is unlikely to offer you any great
advantages.
55%
of consumers would pay more for
a better customer experience.
Defaqto Research
www.adestra.com

21. Remember:
Examine the marketing software, then ask the vendor:
www.adestra.com

22. Remember:
Examine the marketing software, then ask the vendor:
How can they address your specific business pains
and goals?
What help is there at set-up?
What ongoing training is there?
What support is on offer throughout the contract?
How will the software improve your customers’
experience throughout their lifecycle?
www.adestra.com

23. To read more about why customer
service should be an essential
deciding factor when choosing
software, download our free eGuide:
Ignore customer service in software
RFPs at your peril: here’s why
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