{"id":19395,"date":"2020-06-29T14:46:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elynxx.com\/staging\/?p=19395"},"modified":"2023-08-08T15:55:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T19:55:06","slug":"what-jobs-do-you-need-your-print-management-software-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elynxx.com\/staging\/what-jobs-do-you-need-your-print-management-software-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What jobs do you need your print management software to do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When using software that doesn\u2019t quite meet your needs, you put up with its shortcomings for a while until you reach a tipping point where it hits you that \u201cthis just isn\u2019t working.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a print buyer, maybe that\u2019s where you are right now: your print management system requires too many workarounds. The question, then, is how to evaluate the alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent WhatTheyThink article by Jennifer Matts<\/a> offers solid advice around three broad objectives: making the best decision possible, managing the change process, and getting to know the vendor. The article asserts that many printers approach these objectives in the wrong way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One point in the article bears closer examination. In hopes of getting the best possible software solution, Matts explains that businesses often create a wishlist or spreadsheet of software features and capabilities their business requires. But such eclectic lists aren\u2019t very useful because many items are so generic that any vendor could meet them, while others are irrelevant or based on legacy systems and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this kind of wide-ranging list, it\u2019s hard to end up with software that\u2019s any better than what you have. Rather than a kitchen-sink approach of seeking software that does a little of everything, Matt urges evaluators to focus on whether the software can solve specific business process challenges relevant to the type of software (don\u2019t expect it to do things it\u2019s not designed for).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, this approach echoes the jobs-to-be-done theory of marketing, introduced by Clay Christensen in The Innovator\u2019s Dilemma<\/em> back in 1997. He argued that people decide whether to buy something based on how well it does a \u201cjob\u201d they need to have done. They essentially \u201chire\u201d the product to do something specific for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when you\u2019re evaluating print management software, it would be useful to ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n