How to Choose a Moving Company Software for Your Moving Firm

Are you a business owner that is looking to bring your moving company into the new age? Are you maybe unsure of how to pick the right software that will suit your company’s needs, and because of that, you just never set the time aside to do a little research?

Or are you a business owner that knows a little something about the software that is on the market, but don’t feel confident it can do what you want it to do- so you have just settled for what you currently have?

Well, I have outlined some things to think about that should assist you in your process of due diligence, and what to look for in the many moving company software that is available to you.

First, what brought you to the conclusion that you need software or better software? Do you own a moving business that doesn’t have software?

Or are you trying to update your current process with newer, updated Moving Software? Once you narrow down why you need software, you can start thinking about features that you need and want from the program.

It’s important for you to write down or think of things that can help you in your day-to-day operations.

Things that are necessary for you to successfully run your business. Do you need a better estimating process? Do you have any kind of follow-up system set in place? Do you have an automated communication system for your clients?

What’s your ops system like? Looking for software that is an all-in-one platform is something that should be number one on your list too.

Not having to open several tabs in your browser or download several apps on your mobile devices to do one thing is something you will appreciate.

Once you make a list of things that will help you in your day-to-day operations, you can compare what the software on the market has to what your list reflects.

Second, doing demos of software versus just purchasing software outright without any idea how it operates, is the smartest and financially most responsible thing you could do for yourself.

The last thing you want to do is get locked into a possible contract, without having any idea how the software will benefit your company- and then get stuck with them for potentially a year or more.

Doing live demos with companies versus pre-recorded demos should be preferred by a consumer, because you can ask questions right away, without any wait time; like “how much does the software cost?” or “can my information be imported into your system?”.

Doing demos this way too (depending on the company) the consultant will tailor everything to you and your company’s needs; so there’s no wasted time.

If you’re busy, going out on jobs, or trying to run a bajillion-dollar moving company, you can respect this.

During your search for software, it’s also important for you to find out how the software came to be.

Do they have any experience in the moving company software OR are they just a software company trying to be the next big thing?

That should be a HUGE factor in your decision-making. Another thing that you don’t want or rather, shouldn’t want, is generic software that is not tailored to movers and doesn’t know specifics on what is needed to do your job in this industry.

Finding software that maybe owns a moving company or has owned a moving company in the past, and has several years of experience in the moving biz, is the route you want to go.

Because not only is the software set up to work how you want it to work but the customer support staff could probably assist you in some areas of the industry or point you in the right direction.

Next, look at the support that is offered. I’m sure you can agree; terrible support or close to non-existent support is a big deterrent.

Who wants to get the software but not be able to talk to the support staff when needing help or if you have any questions- especially if you just purchased the program? Make sure there is a training schedule set in place.

Having an experienced representative who was trained in length on how to use the system, then show you how to use the system should be required. You don’t want to buy software and then learn your demo was your training session.

Do they have standard 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday business hours or, is it 24/7 customer support with zero wait times and not having to open a ticket to talk to someone? I don’t know about you, but I want the software so that I can speak to someone at 10:00 at night when I’m fiddling around in the program because I was too busy to do so during the day.

What’s their customer service like? Nowadays, everything is rated on Google so you can easily find out how highly rated or lowly rated their customer service is.

Five stars all the way! There are also specific review pages for moving software you can search for to see how the software is rated, like Capterra.

Finally, some of the things to look for are updates and features. How often does the software update? When was the last time they updated? Having an updated program is not only appealing to the eye but also helps with user-friendliness.

If you aren’t REALLY a tech-savvy person, but you can get around okay- user-friendliness is probably important to you. Outdated software is the opposite of that; think of how difficult the DOS system was to navigate (if you know what that is).

If a software update is often done, that is gold. That basically means the software developers are staying on top of things and not letting the system become neglected. The chances of bugs are slimmer than the average software Joe; so it’s smooth navigating for you when you are doing your estimates.

What kind of new features do they have? Is Texting an option? Digital BOL? Is there an Accounting system in the software? Or Claims? If you are a smaller business, these features may be something you want to look into as you grow.

If you are a larger company, these features may be necessary for you to continue your growth.

As you go through your journey don’t necessarily focus on the price of the software either. Obviously keeping to a budget is important; don’t go outside of your means- but keep in mind that going with the cheapest software may not be the best decision.

What features are they lacking? What kind of support are they lacking? As a whole, what corners are they cutting that allow them to be the cheapest or “competitive” priced software on the market?

It’s like in the moving industry, as a consumer, would you go with the cheapest moving company and potentially get 50/50 quality? Or are you going to go with a moving company that’s on the pricier side but they’re licensed and insured, rated A+ with the BBB, and have outstanding reviews?

I hope all this info was helpful in your journey for software! Happy Hunting!

About the Author:

Jenna has worked at MoveitPro Software for several years. She has talked to hundreds of moving companies looking to make their company better.

She consults with companies ranging from small one-man band-moving companies to large multi-location companies that need help finding the best solution for their issues.

Prior to working at MoveitPro, she worked at J&J Metro Moving and Storage - where she had firsthand experience with the many issues moving companies face and dealt with them accordingly all the while using MoveitPro Software.

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