Despite the best of intentions, businesses can make mistakes when they select and purchase specific equipment, such as a date coder. Even if research has been done and criteria has been matched, mistakes can still happen. That’s why it is valuable to consider these common mistakes that have been made when purchasing this type of equipment.
Common Date Coder Purchase Mistakes
Here are three common mistakes that companies admit to making when buying this type of equipment:
- Not researching flexibility in functionality or scalability: What often happens in business is a focus on the short term since the long term often appears so uncertain. One of the main challenges with this type of mistake is that a business can select a system without fully defining their project. The choice might appear to be a good solution now, in terms of its features and options. However, the opportunity of future expansion and growth may not be considered in terms of flexible functionality or the ability to scale-up and handle a higher workload. Define your project and look for a solution that can be expanded in the future with ease rather than having to reinvest in a new piece of equipment, which can become very costly.
- Not considering the secondary costs: Many businesses just consider the capital equipment cost of the machine but fail to consider or fully appreciate operating or secondary costs. There are times where these secondary costs can grow past the cost of the original piece of equipment and cut deeply into the bottom-line benefits that were the main objective. All of these costs can be researched and the various models can be compared in terms of how these costs are minimized. For a true snapshot of the equipment you are considering, contact a current user for their input.
- Not valuing the idea of value: Too many times, businesses feel pressured to simply buy the cheapest option available. The mistake here is the old adage, “you get what you pay for,” which leaves many businesses facing repairs, downtime, added expenses, and customer complaints. Purchase decisions should focus on high value, including such factors as performance track record, functionality, ease of use, and quality. Even if it means spending more now, the overall cost in the long run will be considerably less and well worth a slightly higher price. This does not mean purchasing the most expensive model on the market; it just means not thinking cheaply.
Keep these mistakes in mind before making any date coder purchases:
- Define your project and think long term rather than just what the equipment can do next week. Selecting a machine that can grow with the business is a wiser investment than making the mistake of buying one that has limited expansion and functionality potential.
- Account for all the costs that go into purchasing a piece of equipment, not just the price tag. That means remembering things like training, maintenance and repairs, and downtime.
- Being cheap never helped any business in the long run. Select a machine for its value proposition and respect that this may require a slightly larger budget than first anticipated.
