Selecting a brewery software can feel like a daunting task.
Making a choice can quickly become overwhelming and frustrating if you have not given real thought into what your brewery needs. Before you register for brewery software demos, here are four tips to help the evaluation process go much smoother.
1. Identify if there is a need that has to be addressed. If you are a brewery — whatever your size — you need a way to maximize production, meet distribution demands (even more important in today’s marketplace) and increase profitability. What about streamlining compliance reporting such as TTB and beer excise tax? Are those reports becoming a burden? Are your employees spending more time trying to manage and maintain inefficient processes and systems that it is making it difficult to complete the job at hand or effectively review and analyze operations? Brewery software can help with those needs and much more.
What business issue or challenge is preventing you from achieving your goals?
2. Quantify that need. What happens to my brewery (think saving time and money) if I make the change? It could be reducing manual or double data entry, getting a better handle on your inventory, or tracking yields. Brewery management software can identify labor, equipment and raw material fluctuations, as well as capture and track all production costs. Understanding those costs leads to tighter cost reporting while streamlining finished good production. And let’s not forget about improving customer satisfaction. Recording and analyzing quality control tests to ensure a consistent end-product is a win all around.
Ask yourself, what business issue is keeping you up at night and how much is that issue costing you in time and money?
3. Do your research. Talk to other breweries about your issues and hear their stories – search the web and find software companies that specialize in brewing. These companies have solved the problems you’re facing before – leverage what they have done. Engage with a professional that understands craft brewing and can deliver the change that is needed to solve your unique challenges. Be open and honest about what you are trying to accomplish, the size of your budget and internal resources available.
Is it difficult to abandon old systems and processes? Are you open to collaborating with the software company to find a solution that meets your needs?
4. Finds software that can grow with you. If your business plan includes future growth, eventually you’ll have to make a change. To increase efficiency, improve earnings and support overall growth, you will need to implement a software solution to manage your operations in an orderly and connected manner. Your business has grown which is great, but it also means that there are many more moving parts that can create complications for your team –and the stakes are higher for all parties involved!
Is your business at risk if you are unable to make a change? Can your existing process keep up with demands of the business and your employees?
As you evaluate brewery software, think about how important it is to have a system that can reflect and deliver results catered to your actual production processes? What system can easily change as you change your process? Can these new systems really adapt to what you deal with daily? Take your time and you will find a brewery specific software solution that meets the unique challenges of your growing brewery.
VicinityBrew brewery management software with Microsoft Dynamics® or QuickBooks® Online enables breweries to meet fluctuating demands of customer requirements for quality, delivery and price. Key functionality includes inventory control, centralized recipe management, log processing, quality control and testing, production planning, lot traceability, automated TTB.
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