Lightspeed eCommerce Demo - 65 Must Ask Questions

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Lightspeed eCommerce Pricing

Lightspeed eCommerce Demo

ITQlick rating
(4.2/5)

Starting from $69 per month

Lightspeed eCommerce is an on-premise and cloud-based eCommerce platform that allows users to analyze multi-channel sales data, manage online and in-store inventory, as well as view customer information.

  • ITQlick score: 88/100

    Main category: eCommerce

    Sub categories 6:

    • Channel Management
    • Distribution Order Management
    • Inventory Management
    • SEO

    Typical customer size: Small business, Medium business

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Questions To Ask on Lightspeed eCommerce Demo

When you are planning to buy a software application, do not forget to find out about the existing bugs in the app. You should be made aware about the existing bugs and any scheduled updates for fixing them. You can use a software solution more effectively when you know about their pros and cons.
An understanding of whether the business app can be used standalone or with integrations can save you from investing in a product that was not designed for your type of business. If you want a standalone product, do not forget to make it clear to the software vendor earlier.
Before finalizing a business app, you want to understand that the implementation would be smooth. So you should be interested to find out about the person responsible for handling the implementation process. Do not hesitate to ask about their qualifications.
Try to find out about the vendor’s implementation strategy. There are several software rollout options – all at once or in phases. Since your business has different goals, risks, requirements, budgets, and time frames, make sure the software vendor can adapt to your preferences.
You should always look for a software provider who has a track record of successful rollouts so that they can give you an accurate estimate of time and budget. You should be looking at their entire project control strategy, from the requirement gathering to deployment.
The solution should provide easy integration with existing apps as well as any third-party applications that can come in handy for your business.
A growing business is always in need for expansion and integration with third-party apps is a part of the growth model. When it comes to choosing software, make sure the business app provides an application programming interface for easy integration.
Ask the software product vendor if the tool will allow you to export data to an external file or import data from external sources.
Of course, nobody wants to pay hidden fees. So you want to make sure you get your hands on a tool that is offered for a transparent price.
Ask the software vendor is the software package includes consulting hours. Do not hesitate to ask if there are any hidden charges involved.
You do not want to be caught unawares when a software vendor sends a technician to resolve an issue that may crop up due to varied reasons. You want to make sure the charges are reasonable. Better still, you should be aware of what needs to be paid to the technician sent by the vendor to fix a problem.
some tools requires engineers, databases people, developers, and other software are much easier to operate. understand the required skills set needed to estimate the real cost and complexity
You do not want to fall in love with the front end unless you are 100% sure that the software is compatible with your existing system. Ask the software vendor is you need any specific hardware to install the software. Will the business application run on your existing workstations. How much space will the software take on the disk drive? Is there a need for RAM upgrade to successfully run the software for optimum performance?
Does the vendor have a knowledge base, where solutions to common problems can be easily found? Do they have a support team to assist you any time you are facing some issue with the system. If so, how do they offer support? Is available by email, phone, or live chat? Make sure you’ll have help when you need it.
As an enterprise or medium sized business, with an extensive list of products, it is important to look for a vendor offering a personalized training process so you can get off to a great start with their software and don’t have to waste time struggling with the tool. If the vendor offers organized training as to how to use the tool, it can save you from hassle and stress and facilitate your adoption process.
When it comes to purchasing a new software solution, you want to make sure that it integrates with existing on-premise tools, besides other third party apps that may be crucial to your business processes. If you are a wholesaler, you seek a solution that seamlessly syncs with your sales order management solution. It is important that the software has integration capabilities.
The software should be accessible offline so your sales reps in the field are able to access Lightspeed eCommerce even without an Internet connection.
Having all of the customer order information and sales history imported will ensure that you have the data at your fingertips.
Is there any cap on the number of users per app? Can it handle huge amounts of data? You want to make sure that the software can scale with the growth of your business.
Your business needs change with the change in customer demands. It is therefore important that the software is easy to customize, depending on your marketing or sales strategy. For example, you have customer-specific pricing and discounts or a list of different materials, colors, or sizes. So you would want an app that can be customized with your logo and branding.
You may want to find whether Lightspeed eCommerce allows you to control the information certain reps can see. It is important to ask the vendor whether you can exercise privacy controls.
You want an up-to-date application to remain updated with trends in the industry. An outdated app may not be the best investment. Ask the vendor about the software updating schedule, since you are looking for a vendor that constantly works on improving and optimizing the product. Is there a long interval between updates?
You may want to know about the vendor’s current customers to ensure that they can handle and serve other businesses in your industry. You do not want to spend your money on an application that was designed for a specific audience, as it may not be apt for your industry.
As a customer, you want the best product in the market that adds value to your business. By asking Lightspeed eCommerce vendor about their unique selling point, you are asking them what makes them different from others in their space. This also gives you ample insight into their industry knowledge. If they can’t answer your question, they may not be the perfect choice.
Perhaps your business is growing and will expand in the future. So you would be interested to know if the software is scalable and can grow with you. It’s no use investing in a solution that can be scaled.
The prime purpose behind investing in the software solution is to boost efficiency and growth. Ask the software vendor how their business app would improve efficiency of your enterprise.
Can you generate more revenue/profits with this software? Will it rrplace employees? Does the software vendor guarantee it? Ask them how.
When it comes to selecting a software product, you are interested to know if the product will help improve your decision making. Seek clear explanation from the software vendor in this regard.
Ask the product vendor if the solution is compliant with your regulatory and legal requirements.
How efficiently can the software product handle your business requirements? Ask the software vendor how their solution can help improve workflow processes for your enterprise.
When selecting a software solution, you may want to talk to an existing user of the business tool to find out about their experience with the same. This should give you an idea as to whether this is the right product for you.
The software vendor should answer how their business software will improve your bottom line and ROI. Most service providers make tall claims, so you want to make sure you get your hands on the best solution.
Is the software designed to support one location or it can support multiple locations? If you have a business that expands across locations, you want to make sure the software supports all your requirements.
When it comes to selecting a software app, it would help to find out about the tangible and intangible benefits the app promises to accrue. The software vendor should be able to answer this clearly.
Go over the full list of reports and features and compare between the reports your management are using and the software's offer.
Not every software app may have the type of report templates you are looking for. So ask the vendor if there is any customized report option available with the business app. If the software doesn’t have built-in templates for the type of reports required, is there any tool that can enable customization of reports? If so, is the custom report-builder easy to use?
Try to find out if the software is capable of allowing your business to focus on adding value to customers.
When it comes to selecting a software tool, you have to consider direct & indirect costs that the software entails. This includes the software price, hardware & data center cost, upgrade cost, implementation cost, ongoing support and maintenance cost, and end-user licensing. a good place to start is here: Lightspeed eCommerce pricing
Each business has different needs. Yours is no different. When it comes to selecting a software solution, you are looking for a tool that can be easily customized and configured to cater to your specific business needs. So you want to understand if the software you want to buy is easy to customize.
Software on the cloud are usualy handled by the vendors and they are responsible to the security and updates of the software - does it match your business style? do you have special security considerations? make sure this model fits your needs
In a business, time is money. So you should be keen to ask the software vendor about the time it will take them to install and implement the business app in your enterprise setting. It’s hard to meet deadlines as there are different factors that can make implementation complicated. Make sure you have realistic expectations. Additionally, the vendor should have a proven track record to meeting project time-frame.
You should be interested to know what makes this software company and their services different from their competitors. Ask them why a customer should choose to work with them instead of a competitor offering a similar software product.
Such a community forum is the best way to engage users. Getting access to software forums can help new or proposed users connect with product experts through peer-to-peer discussions.
A best-of-breed software product is designed specifically for the type of business you are in. So if you want such a product, you should enquire about it first. Else, you may want to settle with a fully integrated product that works for all kinds of businesses.
You should enquire about the cost of having more than one terminal in your store. While some software vendors charge on the basis of the number of store locations, others charge per terminal.
What type of training is provided along with the software to make the learning curve easier for you? Does the software vendor provide training for everyone in your organization or is it for a handful of employees? Is the training available live, so that you can ask questions to any specific issues?
When buying a software product, you want to get a clear picture on termination clauses and contract term commitments.
Data loss can prove extremely risky for any business. So you should always ask the vendor about their backup policy. How often is data backed up and what is the cost for the same?
What is the software vendor’s policy on disaster recovery? Are any charges involved for disaster recovery support if a catastrophic hardware failure affects your system?
Let key users play with the software before making a commitment. How easy is the software to work on? Is it user friendly for your end users? Does it involve any complexities that are difficult to understand for the team? Even a feature-rich solution is of no use if end users find it difficult to use.
The software provider should clearly mention whether the solution is complex or simple to use. If it is not an easy-to-use software solution, then do they provide training? What is the level of training your team requires to make the most of the solution?
When selecting a software product, you do not want to land in a tool that is extremely difficult to understand and does not come with any documentation. The same applies to any system upgrades that will be carried out in the future. Unless there is detailed documentation to back up any changes or upgrades, you cannot understand the system.
You will be interested to know about the software updates. When is it updated? Does the service provider notify customers when the upgrades are scheduled? Does the software work when the upgrades are under way? How long does the process take?
Of course, you would be interested to find if the software vendor provides remote support. This would save you time and money if the service provider offers online support for his software solution, making things easier for you.
The software vendor should be willing to answer all of your queries any time. So you should go with a software vendor who provides 24/7 technical support so that your system remains up and running for your customers.
How long does the customer support staff take to respond to a query? Your business cannot depend on a customer support team that takes hours to reach out to your requests. You want a quick response time.
When using a software product, any glitch in the product can make things difficult for you, so you should try to find out about the vendor’s support team. Ask them about the location of the support infrastructure and team.
Ask thorough answers to these questions from the service provider. If they do not explain it clearly, move on to the other business app vendor.
Of course, you do not want to experiment with a vendor who has just stepped into the software industry. You want to get your hands on a tried-n-tested product that adds value to your business. So the experience of the software vendor matters here.
If the software vendor is widely popular, chances are that they have a good product. So always check their client base to measure their product’s competence in the market.
Perhaps you want the best business product in your hand. So when it comes to selecting a software solution, do not forget to ask the vendor a thing or two about the software development process. Does the software vendor develop the product? Or they outsource it? Or a contractor is responsible for the same?
Try to find out about the software provider’s staff numbers. Is the number increasing or falling? You should also be interested to learn about employee skills, qualifications, and experience. Do not forget to enquire about the sales and support staff employed in your location.
When it comes to comparing software vendors, you want to work with the best. So it is a good idea to learn about their strengths and weaknesses so that you know who you are working with and what you can expect.
Get a feel of how the software vendor will manage onboarding, implementation, or installation. Learn about their most difficult implementation projects to date.
Onboarding will get easier if the service provider has an experience of similar integrations earlier.

Lightspeed eCommerce Demo With Software Vendor V/s Unbiased Consultant

Good product demos have to be perfect for the audience, not for the product. Vendors try to motivate customers to buy their product by showing that it will have a long-term positive impact on their business. They try to harp on its benefits, as they clearly understand that the audience has a short attention span and thus try to take advantage of the same. Since the vendor is making a sales pitch, the standard demos focus on highlighting the strengths of the app while trying to breeze through its weaknesses. Vendors primarily try to get to the point quickly, telling a compelling story to retain the audience’s interest and convert prospects to leads and sales. On the other hand, a software demo by an unbiased consultant gives you a better picture of things. While a biased consultant or vendor may refer only to the positive aspects of a product, even if you highlight a negative feature, an unbiased consultant would be fair in their approach and agree to the pointed weaknesses.

They will not try to call wrong is right; rather, they will keep the customer’s best interest in mind and highlight the product weaknesses. Additionally, they are expected to give unbiased advisory service and make best recommendations for the customer’s specific needs. A neutral consultant negotiates a lower price to get you a better deal.

When looking for a software solution, you must look for a fair software demo so that you get your hands on the best product that can optimize your business growth. While a vendor may not give you honest answers about their product, try seeking an unbiased consultant’s insight into the software and get the best recommendations.

Do your research and due diligence like an informed consumer to get real sight into the system before going ahead with the purchase.

If you are looking for the best software demo advice, please come in touch with us at ITQlick - fill out the form BELOW to access unbiased demo and advice whether Lightspeed eCommerce is the right choise for you.
Author
Shlomi Lavi - admin

Shlomi Lavi

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Shlomi holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Information System Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel. Shlomi brings 15 years of global IT and IS management experience as a consultant, and implementation expert for small, medium and large size (global) companies.

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