Are you looking for an Online Scheduling system for your EMS or Fire Department? Or how about an Online Learning Management system to help educate your EMT’s, Firefighters and Paramedics? If you find yourself answering yes to any of these questions then you have found a great article that will provide you with important information to become a smart and educated buyer which will help you avoid making common mistakes.
Now let’s take a look at some important questions to ask your vendor and explain why these questions are so important.
Besides scheduling; what other features does your software include?
This question is vital to your decision making process. There are too many scheduling programs in the market today that only fill your “scheduling” need. But like other EMS and Fire departments you have many needs such as Training/Education, Fleet Management, Personnel Management, Forms Management, Inventory and the ability for department collaboration and accountability. If the system you are looking at only offers scheduling along with a few other features try continuing your search as the market has become very competitive and you will find a similar priced scheduling tool to manage your EMT’s, Paramedics and Firefighters along with many of the other features mentioned here. Imagine a fully integrated system from managing employee records to training records, to scheduling, to time cards all from the same login.
What will be my return on investment and how quickly will I see it?
The price you pay to your vendor is one thing however the cost you don’t have to pay is another. ROI or Return On Investment, is vital to understanding the true price. Don’t be fooled by the “cheaper per employee” costs because the price you pay per month/year may be a significantly higher than expected. For instance, if you were to purchase a scheduling system for $1.75 per employee, then add another $.50 for payroll. Now you need an inventory system that may cost you another $1.00 per vehicle per month from another vendor. What about training and education? That’s another vendor and that could cost up to $3.50 per employee per month. As you can see; the “cost” from any single vendor is reasonable however when compounded after the purchase of all the systems needed the cost becomes higher than expected. Look for vendors that can offer you a complete workforce management system, not a single tool. Typically the platforms that offer multiple features/tools within a single login are tightly integrated and offer an “easier to own” experience while saving thousands of dollars. This approach of using a single vendor that offers multiple tools/systems typically will result in a much higher Return on Investment.
How does your company handle feature requests?
Feature requests are the lifeblood of software. Feature requests enable a company to gain valuable insights as to what features are valuable but missing from the current software. Companies that have open ears and minds when it comes to feature requests are typically those that will provide a better system and experience in the long run. It’s not enough to hear “We love feature requests” from your vendor. Ask about fulfillment rates as these rates will tell you how often feature requests are implemented and what the likelihood that your feature request will make its way into the software.
What technology is the system built on?
The benefits of most scheduling systems out there these days are fairly equal so let’s focus on the longevity of the technology the systems are built on. There are many technologies used in business today such as the following:
ASP: Active Server Pages - This is a Microsoft technology and has been discontinued by Microsoft and is no longer supported. This technology was great in its time however has not had any new development since around 2004.
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor - This technology is an OPEN SOURCE (meaning its code is free to be modified at will by anyone at any time) and is widely used within businesses today primarily because it’s free to download and use. Being an open source technology, there is an elevated risk to security threats and readily available bug fixes. Since development of the technology is done by a community of volunteers not employed by your vendor, you may see a delay in technology releases.
ASP.NET: Active Server Pages .NET - The latest technology delivered from Microsoft. This technology is fast, reliable, actively being developed and monitored for security threats and bugs.
Java / Coldfusion: Created by ADOBE Coldfusion, this offers new upgrades coming annually. This technology is fast, reliable and easy to develop for, which allows companies using this technology to develop a lot of features/tools in a short period of time. Backed by JAVA, which is the most widely used technology on Planet Earth, Coldfusion is the preferred technology for all Civilian Contracts to the US Government. This technology is actively being developed and monitored for security threats and bugs by ADOBE systems.
There are many other technologies out there and you may find your vendor is using another technology not listed here.
If I don’t like the software or it doesn’t work for me; can I cancel and get a refund?
Many companies today will lock you into a one year agreement or longer. Be sure you’re able to cancel at any time to get a refund for the unused portion of the contract.
What is the vendor’s primary market?
This question is always a great question to ask. This helps you identify if the vendor is looking for your business or if you were looking for them. Be sure you vendor is actively looking for agencies and departments like yours. Many of the vendors today have identified their market by actively looking for smaller agencies or even volunteer departments. While this is great if you fit within that mold, if you don’t you will be glad you identified that before you purchased the software and found its limitations.
For more information about the suite of products offered by VAIRKKO please contact us today.