Evaluating any type of B2B software, including denial management software, is much like a first date. Everyone wants to make a good first impression, so tough questions may be off the table as a sales rep demonstrates the software and talks up its unique features, bells and whistles, and ability to address all your business needs.
You want to believe the pitch that this software will solve every business challenge, so you buy it. But without a detailed understanding of what you’re getting from the software for the price you’re paying – which includes ongoing costs, support, training, and peer communities – a breakup could be inevitable as reality sets in.
A recent KLAS Research report about claims software is useful to explore the reasons why a company leaves a software vendor, which include:
- Rising costs
- Nickel and diming for additional services
- Support issues
- Overpromising and underdelivering on product improvements
In the article, KLAS noted that one vendor in particular suffered a customer exodus due to all these reasons. In deciding to switch to a competing vendor, organizations “commonly cited frustrations about rising costs, slow support, and instances of the vendor overpromising and underdelivering product improvements.”
To help avoid these post-implementation surprises as you explore denial management software, we’ve compiled the following tips to incorporate into your evaluation process.
Nickel and Diming
During the demonstration, the sales rep will likely walk you through every feature of the software — things you’ll use every day, as well as those you may be interested in later as your familiarity with the software grows. But will those aspirational features cost you extra?
Cost creep is a very real issue, one that cost a leading vendor several clients in the KLAS report. “Unsatisfied and satisfied organizations said that the vendor nickel-and-dimes for additional services that were not included in the original contract,” according to the article.
When comparing competing software, try to determine the apples-to-apples price for the features you need. Don’t forget to include implementation costs, training, and ongoing support. Software costs are likely to increase a few percent over the life of the contract. If possible, have the vendor include the yearly price over the length of the contract so there’ll be no surprises.
Also, because denial management software touches multiple departments, be sure to include members from all impacted teams that will benefit from the software, and make sure everyone agrees with the purchase before signing the contract.
Support
Inevitably, there will be hiccups with the software. The time to gauge the support experience is before you need assistance.
In the case of one vendor whose current and former customers were surveyed by KLAS, high satisfaction was commonly cited. In particular, current customers noted “how representatives come on-site regularly and a support team that quickly resolves issues. Other customers said the solution was easy to use…”
During the evaluation process, ask for credentials to access the knowledgebase and user community. Check out the knowledgebase materials. Are they easy to follow? Do they include best practice recommendations to help you maximize use of the software?
How active is the user community? How many users does it have, and are there organizations of your size? Post questions in the user community, asking about the software and support experience overall. Call the support line. How long are you on hold?
After the sale, who will be your primary point of contact? It might continue to be the sales rep or it may be a customer service manager. The key question is: Will you have a dedicated person who checks in from time to time to gauge your satisfaction with the software and answer questions?
Initial and Ongoing Training
Related closely to support and cost issues is training, particularly given how critical end user proficiency is to the successful adoption of and satisfaction with any software. How much training is included in the contract price? How will that training be delivered? Regardless of how user-friendly any software appears to be, inevitably there will be questions. Will you have to pay for additional guidance, or are you expected to figure it out for yourself?
While there may be value in paying for additional training, it should be on your terms to extend the utility of the software, bring new employees up to speed, or ensure you are following industry best practices.
The vendor should offer training in multiple formats to reach different types of learners, including in-person, video, and written materials.
Finally, can you benchmark your company against other organizations? Look for denial management vendors with deep industry knowledge, a vibrant user community, and the data necessary to benchmark against industry standards and peer organizations.
Overpromising and underdelivering
This one can be difficult to determine during the evaluation process, so start with a question to the user community. What is the vendor’s process for software fixes and upgrades? How far out does the product improvement roadmap extend? How often is it updated? Does the company have a user group that makes suggestions for improvements? Is the company continuing to enhance the product?
Check out these additional considerations when evaluating software.
