Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for iT and network companies.
A checklist built from how iT and network companies work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Client asset register
- Renewal calendar
- Support ticketing
- AMC usage report
- Quotation and purchase order tracking
- Warranty and return tracking
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners and directors
- For account managers
- For the service desk
- For engineers
- For purchase and stores staff
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Licences and warranties ending this quarter, by client
- Tickets by client, category and engineer
- Contract usage against visits and hours
- Quotation margin against supplier invoice
- Open purchase orders awaiting delivery
- Warranty claims and vendor returns open
- Receivables by client, oldest first
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Messaging channels
- Remote monitoring alerts
- Accounting export
- Payment gateway
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can it hold both hardware sales and support contracts?
- Does it watch client machines remotely?
- How are licence renewals kept from lapsing?
- Can clients raise tickets themselves?
- Can I see how much support a contract really used?
- Will it post to my accounting package?
- Can we bring our current asset sheets in?
- Is the software hosted for us?
- What determines the cost for us?
- What would the service desk be using ahead of the sales side?
- Which client sheets should the director and service desk lead pull together?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Renewals are caught late
- AMC calls are not counted
- Serial numbers are nowhere
- Engineer time disappears
Prefer to talk it through? See the iT and network companies page.