How do I know that my agencyās software truly meets our needs?

Software is expensive, and letās face it, these days software runs your agency.Ā Whether youāre evaluating the software you already have or youāre looking to upgrade, itās important to feel confident that your software is going to meet your agencyās needs.Ā However, figuring out if the software is āgoodā can be a daunting task.
While certainly, such a subjective term like āgoodā leaves a lot to the eye of the beholder, there are three major qualities of āgoodā Law Enforcement Software; namely stability, usability, and future proofed software.
STABILITY ā Is your software, and the company that makes it stable?
This is such a basic, but critical component to āgoodā software.Ā Software breaks now and again, and any other vendor who tells you otherwise is a liar.Ā Just saying.Ā But, if your software is always broken, why do you even have it?Ā Youāre not getting your moneyās worth.
āStabilityā means a lot more than most people realize.Ā A stable software product has a stable company behind it.Ā It could be the best software ever made, but if the companyās not around to support it, it wonāt be great for much longer.Ā Both in terms of responsible financial choices, management and employee turn-over rates, a stable company is just as important as a stable product.
Stable software also doesnāt have 10 million updates.Ā While that number was just slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect, you get my point.Ā If things are constantly changing on you, that gets frustrating.Ā Especially in the Law Enforcement industry, with many state and federal policies requiring you stay up to date with the most current version of your software, and this can be an exhausting process.
USABILITY ā Is your software TRULY user-friendly, or does it just check the boxes?
This is another multi-faceted word that encompasses several aspects of āgoodā software.Ā Usability is a conglomerate of terms like āuser-friendlyā, āintuitive designā, āefficiencyā and āabilityā.Ā It means software that most effectively accomplishes what it was designed to do in a way that is the easiest for the intended audience to use.Ā Again, this seems basic, but most companies donāt really understand what that means.
Letās pretend that weāre building a home.Ā There are subtle touches to a āgoodā design that make life convenient, like having the kitchen pantry adjacent to the garage so you donāt have to carry your groceries as far.Ā But, if your designer has never had to carry groceries into their house before, that feature is probably not going to end up in your home design.
That designer will surely give you a design that complies with building code and other regulations.Ā It will have bedrooms, bathrooms, and all the things a home should have.Ā Lots of people will buy that design and build houses from it.Ā But youāre going to be in that home every day and will appreciate a design thatās considered the details that make life convenient.Ā Not just a design thatās checked the required boxes.
The same is true with law enforcement software.Ā Most companies have built products that comply with CJIS, NIBRS and other such policies and programs.Ā On paper, theyāve got everything an RMS or CAD should have.Ā But when you start using that software day in and day out, youāre going to find out that nobody at those companies ACTUALLY understands what those requirements mean.Ā It will be very apparent that nobody whoās done your job was involved in the design of those products.
FUTURE PROOF ā Can your software keep up with changes in tech AND Law Enforcement?
This is the real separator when you start comparing Law Enforcement Software Companies.Ā Can a company keep up with changes in technology, or will their products get lost to the march of progress?
The Law Enforcement software industry has been around since the 1980ās, when larger agencies like LAPD started putting MDTās in their patrol cars and typing reports on computers.Ā As hardware became more affordable and available in the 2000ās, we saw several companies come out with products that would revolutionize the industry.Ā Riding the .com bubble, these companies introduced software that, when created, was pretty darn great.
Now, 20+ years later, a look at most of those companies shows that their products have changed very little.Ā The outlook is equally stagnant for their company.Ā As youāre more than likely familiar, tech is an industry which requires companies to rapidly pivot with changes.Ā The underlying technologies upon which these products are built can go out of date and converting to a newer platform is time consuming and expensive.Ā With venture capital long dried up and diminishing returns worrying potential investors, these companies are unable to adapt, even though they might want to.
There are plenty of companies run by RODās who are riding out their softwareās last days of viability.Ā If your agencyās software products are not built with an underlying flexibility that permits the company to adapt, theyāre going to quickly be obsolete.Ā When that day comes, these companies will cut their losses and close up shop, leaving your agency holding the bag.
A quality software product is not only able to adapt but is looking to the future for how to grow.Ā Weāve seen dramatic changes to Law Enforcement lately.Ā Iām sure youāll agree with me that itās not the same job that it was even 5 years ago.Ā Not only should your software be able to keep up with changes in technology, but you need a product that is tuned into trends in Law Enforcement.Ā You need a product that responsibly balance industry-leading tech with long-term sustainability.
CONCLUSION ā Your agency needs EFORCEĀ® Software
Ā There are lots of companies that offer products which can check the boxes for your agency.Ā There are very few that can offer you a product that does everything you will actually need.Ā EFORCEĀ® Software has been providing cutting-edge software to Law Enforcement agencies since 2003.Ā We have seen our competitors come and go.
Through responsible financial management, weāve positioned our privately-owned company to rapidly adapt to changes in our industry without the need to lay-off staff or take on investors.
Our stable products are designed by on-staff, current and former LEOās.Ā Weāve done your job.Ā We know the difference between what the State and Feds require and how the work is actually done in the real world.Ā Weāve built products that are designed to do the work the way you actually do it, while seamlessly integrating the bean counting requirements.Ā Itās so smooth that theyāre expertly doing it without even knowing.
Weād love to schedule a one-on-one consultation where we talk about your agencyās needs and how our software is the best option to meet them.Ā Itās the best way to get a sense for what sets our products apart.Ā Contact me today at 888-570-4943, ext. 2919 or at [email protected].