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Firstly, thanks to all who have got in touch with us about our alliance partner program. The response to has been very strong, and we are discussing potential arrangements in a range of vertical markets and specialist areas with people from around the world — including US, Israel, Romania, Singapore, and Australia. We see alliances as an important part of our overall strategy — so if you see a good fit between your business and ours, please get in touch.
In other news, it’s been a busy month since our last blog post. While we had hoped to be live before now, the decision has been made to set up additional content and products before turning on the platform, which means we will launch early in 2009.
Key outcomes in the past month include:
- Our web platform is ready to go, with testing finalised and hosting in the US.
- The setting up of software vendors on the system is well underway, with a healthy number on board for Time Tracking; and Farm Management software.
- Step-by-step guidelines for vendors have been written as part of this process, including Vendor Sign-up Activities and Setting up Google Analytics.
- A base of articles have been commissioned on specific software topics. This will be expanded over time – and you can submit your own for inclusion too.
- Initial work has also started on reviewing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Accounting software for small to medium businesses. An interim report has been sent out to participants in our CRM software survey, and this research is continuing so if you haven’t taken part yet, please do so.
We have also been reviewing and updating our business plan. It’s been a year since we first wrote it, and while the fundamentals still hold true, there have been a number of important changes and lessons learned since then. Among other things, an advisory board is being put in place to provide us with expert input on key areas, provide a fresh perspective, and to challenge our thinking on the business.
There is also some other exciting news in the pipeline. We can’t reveal details just yet but stay tuned…
So, from all of us at SoftwareShortlist, have a wonderful Christmas and festive season. We’ll see you in the new year!
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Today we’re pleased to be able to show you a sneak peek at SoftwareShortlist.com. But first, a quick update…
Recent progress
Final testing is wrapping up this week, our provisional patents were filed yesterday, and hosting has been arranged. We’ve received great support from vendors and we will spend the next few weeks setting up all the necessary content in our first few niches. Beta launch should occur mid to late November.
A glimpse at SoftwareShortlist.com
(Note: the specific content shown below is fictional and for testing purposes only, hence the blurred out logos and text)
Homepage for SoftwareShortlist
Example Results Page
Here are two screenshots from our staging site showing (1) Home Page (2) Results comparison page.
The home page is the start of the software selection process, which essentially involves a quick yet robust online “interview” for the user about their software requirements. After providing this information, the user is shown a recommended shortlist of software tailored to their needs.
As you can see, we have focused on providing an easy side-by-side comparison of the software. Results can be saved for later retrieval, or emailed to others who may be involved in the decision process. Detailed product information is available by clicking on any of the solutions shown, from which the user can also visit the vendor website, ask to be contacted, or purchase the software.
We look forward to unveiling the full site very soon…
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Small business owners never suffer from too little to do, especially when launching a new business. This is when prioritization is most important. As Daley Thompson said while preparing for the Decathlon “it’s like having 10 jealous girlfriends who are all demanding equal attention”.
Progress
Website development has progressed well over the past few months and we are about to start full integration testing of the dynamic site. We envisage that we will be doing a few bouts of testing and refinement over the next month and will start working with vendors to set up products and profiles through October. All things considered, we should be looking at a launch of date of early November (fingers crossed).
Our focus has turned to enlisting vendors over the past month. We have had a strong response from vendors, who are equally as excited as we are about the service. This clearly shows the value of the SoftwareShortlist offering! We are well on target to signing up our desired quota of top quality vendors within the chosen industries as we go into Beta.
Industry Focus
We have decided to focus our initial efforts on delivering great results in 2 industries: agriculture, specifically farm management software, and professional services, notably software for management consultants and IT consultants.
We will therefore provide top quality shortlisted software options to SME customers from these industries who are seeking timesheet & expense software, accounting /farm accounting software, CRM software, crop and livestock recordkeeping software, and agri-business management software. This will expand to cover other industries and niches over the coming year.
Benefits to all
Finally, the SoftwareShortlist offering will provide benefits to all involved:
- Small business owners will gain an invaluable free software selection and recommendation facility, to aid them in finding specialist business software that meets their specific needs.
- Vendors will benefit from a marketing channel that is unmatched; a facility to manage digital download to a global customer base; the ability to invite their regional service providers to enlist; and a matching service for new service providers.
- Service providers will obviously benefit from the additional exposure, the opportunities that arise and a source of new products to represent.
We look forward to enjoying the journey with you all!
