ShopWorks is a workforce management software vendor, and for our new customers, we offer a paid pilot to demonstrate the tangible ROI the software delivers. In this article, we discuss how ShopWorks WFM software paid trial works and answer some of the common questions we get asked.
Why does ShopWorks offer a paid pilot?
ShopWorks WFM software paid trial is offered because it benefits both parties and ensures successful implementation. The pilot allows the customer to cancel a contract if we don’t meet the pilot’s objectives, reducing the risk to the customer of being stuck in a long-term contract with a vendor when the software isn’t the right fit for their organisation. It also incentivises us as a software vendor to do everything we can to make the pilot a success because we don’t make a profit from the pilot and only get a long-term customer if we can deliver a successful implementation amongst the pilot venues.
Through ShopWorks WFM software paid trial, we de-risk customers’ decisions, and we get more sales because they are happier to do business with us. We also work with a customer who has invested a sum of money and effort in a project which they have acknowledged could fail; this creates an incentive for the customer to support the pilot fully.
What makes ShopWorks WFM software paid trials so successful?
The combination of incentives to perform, the commitment of the customer to invest and the approach of testing the software with a small trial group of your team means that we have a very high success rate. In particular, our pilots are a success because:
- We are incentivised to help the customer deliver a successful project. If we don’t, the customer will terminate the agreement at the end of a pilot.
- The customer will risk some money and employee time in the pilot, which creates an incentive for them to make the pilot succeed.
- The 30-day discovery phase ensures we have uncovered all relevant information. Our discovery documentation has been refined through many pilots to ensure we capture everything we need for a successful pilot before configuring your system.
- Staff get to trial the system in a smaller group and give feedback to us throughout the trial. We try hard to explain their role in the pilot and that they are helping the business fine-tune a new workforce management software. We clarify that they play a key role in the project and encourage their contribution.
In our experience, this approach leads to a better implementation and creates a solid foundation for roll the software out to the rest of the business once the pilot is complete. - We have done many pilots, and through continuous improvement, we have refined the processes to ensure we cover all key issues.
- We do our own implementations and don’t rely on implementation partners. This allows us to make changes to our software if required to offer a bespoke solution for every customer if needed.
- We have written a blog post on the ten biggest issues to address for a successful WFM implementation which we would recommend you read. We will work with you to make sure you have answers to all of these issues when you do a paid pilot with us.
How much does a paid pilot costs?
The cost of our WFM software paid trial depends on the implementation’s complexity and size. We usually charge a single fixed fee for the build of a platform and the configuration and a monthly fee to support the pilot. We will also agree to the fees post-pilot so that both parties know what the ongoing cost will be if the pilot is a success.
For example, if the ongoing fee for using ShopWorks at the end of the pilot were £5,000 per month, you could expect your pilot to cost around £5,000 as a one-off set-up and around £2,500 per month to support the pilot.
How long is a pilot with ShopWorks?
ShopWorks WFM software paid trial usually consists of 30 days for a discovery phase and 2 or 3 months for the pilot phase, when your staff will use ShopWorks in parallel with your existing system.
Does ShopWorks do a free pilot?
We don’t offer a free pilot or free trial. There are costs involved and our customers and we benefit from doing the trial. So we always ask for some payment both to cover some of our costs and ensure both parties have some skin in the game. We don’t profit from Paid Pilots; we need long-term contracts to make a profit, so we are highly incentivised to make the pilot successful.
What are the stages of a paid pilot with ShopWorks?
The detailed steps are outlined in our ts and cs, which can be found here.
The key phases are:
- Discovery and planning
A 30-day period is when we document all of your business processes and rules that apply to a ShopWorks implementation and when we build and configure your bespoke platform. We would also install any biometrics hardware and train the staff involved in the pilot during this phase.
- Pilot
During this phase, your staff will use the ShopWorks system, plan rotas, confirm end-of-day logs and create payroll files. This is often done in parallel with your existing processes. At the end of each payroll period, the output from ShopWorks will be compared against your existing process to allow any exceptions to be corrected.
Some pilots may also involve a proof of concept (POC) for our AI solutions. For instance, a customer may want us to prove the accuracy of our forecasting software and demand predictions before carrying out a ShopWorks pilot. We would usually discuss the phasing of an AI POC and WFM pilot once we understand your requirements in more detail.
Are there any terms and conditions which cover a paid pilot with ShopWorks?
Yes, they can be found here.
What happens if the pilot is unsuccessful?
If one of our WFM software paid trials was to fail, the customer has the right to terminate the contract and walk away. No money is refunded; both ShopWorks and the customer would have had a commercial loss. However, the customer would have avoided being stuck with a long-term contract for the wrong software.
The best way to avoid failure as a customer is to do your research. We have written plenty of blog articles that can get you started – why don’t you check out some related articles below.
Related articles:
What are the 10 biggest issues when implementing WFM software and how do you address them?
How much does Workforce Management software cost?
What are the types of workforce management software?
