Property Management System Features Evaluation, Never Assume!
Back in high school one of my teachers would often say, "never assume it just makes an ass out of u and me."
This saying brings to light the importance of completing a detailed evaluation prior to purchasing a Property Management System for your Lodging business. There is a lot riding on the decision you make.
Earlier this year I purchased a portable phone for my home and made a short list of what I needed and wanted in a portable phone. I needed a new phone as the old one was dying. I needed it to fall into my budget range, I needed one handset but I wanted two, I needed a built in answering machine as my old one was on it's way out, I needed a range that would cover the main rooms of my home, I wanted a phone with a long range so I could take it outside on a sunny day.
I ended up purchasing a unit that was within my price range, it included an answering machine and a long range so I could take it outside and it included 3 handsets.
A couple of weeks later, I was writing a letter using my computer and the phone rang, it was one of my friends that is well versed in talking for long periods of time making it difficult to get a word in edgewise.
That's easy enough I thought, I will continue with my letter and just put them on speakerphone while they talk. At that moment, I realized that my new phone did not have a speakerphone like my old one did, a feature that I really liked and was really missing at that moment.
It also occurred to me that I had assumed that all portable phones these days had speakerphones and never put that on my list.
Looking back, if I had taken more time in the evaluation period and perhaps included another family member in the telephone evaluation I would have reduced the risk of overlooking something and may not have overlooked the fact that the speakerphone feature was missing.
Portable phones can be returned or replaced relatively easily, however a Property Management System (PMS) cannot.
A great deal of time, effort and expense is involved in the training and implementation process for a Property Management System (PMS), the last thing you want to learn after you have made the purchase and completed the installation is that a feature you assumed was there, isn't.
Good luck with your evaluation process, take enough time, include the right people and never assume!
Jeff Sefton
property management system evaluation
