Irrigation Business Software Buyer's Guide

How can you do better?

Why does your irrigation business need software? Sometimes it’s as simple as a general feeling that what you’re currently doing is holding back a greater level of success. Other times, there’s a very real and definitive issue holding you back that needs to be solved.

Using a hodge-podge of paper, spreadsheets, and miscellaneous apps don’t cut it. But don't waste your time and money. Figure out your why, and then get to work.

Your Total Score

The next section you’ll see is your total score and is pretty straightforward. It’s your total score as a percentage based on how you ranked your business. This might be a bit skewed if you don’t do winterizations or start-ups since that section will be all zeros. But it should give you a comprehensive look at how difficult or easy it is to operate your business and the total burden or efficiency of all you processes and areas of your business.

Personalized List of Features

The last section on your results page shows the actual features and functionality that will specifically help your business the most, based on how you ranked the areas. For example, if you said it was difficult (ranked 1 or 2) for your business to “respond to an emergency when techs are already booked for the day” then an adaptive daily schedule is the feature that will make that process more efficient and save you time. 

As you’ll see on the results page, we recommend prioritizing those features & functionality during your buying process since they can best help your business.

One Last Note

Everything we’ve gone through in the first two sections (the Why, the What & the Interactive Calculator) is aimed at helping you understand what your business needs and what you should be focusing on as you begin the buying process. The goal is to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. So any and everything that needs improving gets addressed as you research and evaluate your options.

It’s an exercise, not scripture. Feel free to adjust. At the end of the day, you know your business better than anyone and what will drive its success. 

Now that you’ve determined what you need, and what falls into the “nice-to-have” category, you can sit down and determine your budget. There are lots of ways to do this, but here are two simple ones.

One: Evaluate your cash flow, and determine what percentage of your current cash flow you are willing to allocate to additional technology for your business. Essentially, what can you afford right out of the gate?

Two: In the process of determining what you need, you’ve also uncovered specific problems that this software solution will solve for you. What’s the value - in real dollars - of those problems? You should have specific scenarios, and for each one do the following.

1. How long has the scenario been a problem?
2. What are you spending currently to try to solve it (or have you given up)?
3. What will the savings be from the combination of a) resolving the issue, and b) reducing other costs around it?

As a point of reference, most contractors -in fact, most small to medium businesses (SMB) - spend between $10,000 and $49,000 a year on technology. The same study that provided that number also identified that 22% feel they spend too much, and 52% feel they spend too little. So, don’t go crazy, but don’t go too cheap. We have it on good authority that a contractor with 5 trucks can get excellent software at about $5,000 annually.

Just don’t forget, your business management software (which should cover sales through billing) is only one of several tools. Make sure you don’t lose sight of the total suite of software:

• Business Operations / Field Service Management, with integrated communication tools
• Accounting (e.g. QuickBooks) with integrated Payroll
• Marketing Tools and Website
• Irrigation Design Software
• Miscellaneous other productivity, communication, or industry-specific tools

Finding Solutions

Now you know the Why. You’ve outlined the What. You have a rough budget number in mind. Now start finding software options. There are plenty of tools available, from G2 to SoftwareAdvice.

However many of these include paid sponsorships. Where the more the sponsoring software company pays, the higher they rank. Frankly, Google will work just as well. And include your specific industry (e.g. “irrigation business software.”) in your search. Right away you’ll have a page’s worth of options to start evaluating.

Websites don’t always tell you what you want to know, but they’ll at least give you the message of the company behind the product. Who are they, what do they prioritize, and does the software provide the core must-have features you identified?

And of course, look for transparent pricing. Often, there are add-ons, extra services, or contracts with special terms to consider. How much is available on their website?

Once you have a list, start looking around at what people are saying about it. Again, you can look at G2, Capterra, and SoftwareAdvice, but as we’ve talked about, be aware of their pay-to-play element.

Google Reviews are always helpful, but really you just need to talk to others in the industry. Seek out owners and managers of companies similar to yours. You want advice that matches your operations and how you seek to grow. Ask your peers about what’s being used, and - most importantly - what experience they had, both with the product and the company itself. And, ask how old that experience is. Things change fast in this industry.

Finally, sign up for a demo of the software. Have your list of questions ready to go, so that you can check the boxes on your must-have items.

Features and Workflows: Does it have the core functionality you need? Does it solve the business need, but perhaps in a different way? Be open minded, often the software is based on feedback from a range of clients and can (should!) help you enforce a “best practice.” Just make sure that the industry best practices are actually from your industry.

Integrations: What integrations are available? Does the software try to be everything to everyone, or do they integrate with other great solutions? How much can this irrigation business software act as a central point of information across the many services and tools available?

Scalability: The whole point of irrigation business software is to help your irrigation business thrive. Will this software help you do that, and what can they do for you when you’ve grown?

Roadmaps: What’s next? The magic of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud technology is that new things are always happening. You should be buying as much for what they do today, as for what they are going to do tomorrow.

Usability: Ask the people who will be using it every day to sit in on the demo, and have them think through their daily tasks - especially the ones they do over and over - and make sure they feel this is easy to use. Remember, automation and increasing the speed of daily tasks is a key element of your success.

Security & Data Management: Your data and its safety are important, so make sure you ask about what security features and policies are in place.

Who are they? Where did they come from? Are they passionate about the irrigation industry or are they all things to all people? You’re not an “outdoor plumber” - does your partner know that? What’s their stated mission?

How do they talk about training and support? Do they charge extra for it? Do they provide a real person that you can talk to? What about self-guided? You need to decide the importance of each element for yourself, but at least be aware of the answers.

How do they see your data? If you leave them, what happens to the data (i.e. make damn sure you can take it with you!).

How do they get ideas on what to build next? Does your feedback matter to them?

How are they funded? Are they privately held, or public? Are they backed by venture capital (VC)? If they’re VC, is there any discussion of flipping the company or going public? We’re all for capitalism, but the goals of “running up a share price” are very different from those of “building a large, passionate, loyal user base”.

Subscription vs. Contract

There’s nothing wrong with a contract. As long as it’s simple. Keep It Stupidly Simple (our take). Month-to-month may mean higher prices, but it’s a great way to get started.

• How long is the contract?
• Does the price change year-over-year without notification?
• How hard is it to change things (add users, licenses, etc.)?
• What happens if you decide to cancel?
• And make sure you have a trial period in which you can bail if you need to. Nothing worse than getting into a multi-year contract, and realizing that the tool isn’t right for your business.

And regardless of monthly or contract, make sure you ask about other fees that might pop up. No one likes surprises.

There’s an array of software out there (apps, services, solutions, yadda yadda yadda). Take a minute to think about Value, not just Price, and not just Features. How well will the tool fit in your business? What value does it provide?

There are tools that literally try to provide everything in one system. Super neat. Super expensive. Is that really what your business needs? Remember, you created your Must Have and Nice-to-Have list for a reason.

You can, and should, change that list as you go, but don’t get too distracted by bells and whistles. You’re running a business, margins matter, keep it focused. Save the extra money for your people. (They’re more important than software any day).

If you tell people to “just play around with it” they’ll never do it, and you’ll never see the results. It doesn’t mean be an asshole about it, but you’re running a business, not a commune, so be clear on the expectations.

• Give them a voice in defining the “Why” (what do they say they need, vs. what you think they need). 
• Include them in the demos, get their feedback on what they see and what they think it can do for them 
• Talk to them about the overall business goals, and how their work and this software will, together, get them there.

• How long will the implementation take, both in duration and estimated hours?
• Should you form a team or task force to keep things organized and on-track?
• What steps/activities happen during setup? Importing, configuring, creating new stuff, or modifying old stuff… again, what’s this really going to take?
• What kind of skill set does it take to do this right (e.g. do you need a spreadsheet wizard? Or will they help you with that?)
• If your business is highly seasonal (e.g. you live where it freezes), is there a better/worse time to take action?
• Is there an extra cost for the provider to help you with everything, be it data imports or training and setup?
• Are there other technologies you need to purchase? Do you need new field devices or other hardware for your office?
• All of this adds up when it comes to understanding your “true cost of ownership” and what it takes to successfully get moving.

You’re a business owner. Decision-making is part of the job. It fills your daily life. Choosing what software is right for your business might have a bigger scope than your typical decisions but there’s no reason to put unnecessary pressure on it.

You’ve gone through the steps. You know why your business needs software and what features and functionality to look for. You have a budget and understand the real price of the software. You know what to expect and what questions to ask when evaluating your options. You’ve done the hard part.

Now’s the exciting part: Make the right decision for your business by choosing the software that unleashes its potential.