What to look for in export software: a checklist for business owners

Before you start

A software demo is designed to impress. It shows the smoothest path through the product, with clean sample data. Your business is not clean sample data. You have buyers with special formats, suppliers who change prices and banks with their own instructions.

So do not judge by the demo alone. Ask these ten questions, and ask for proof.

The ten questions

1. Can you produce our documents in our buyers' formats? Your buyers expect documents to look a certain way. Ask the vendor to set up two or three of your real buyers' documents before you buy. If they cannot, you will spend months fighting the software.

2. Is data entered once and used everywhere? Ask them to create an order and follow it to the invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and bank documents. Count how many times the same detail is typed.

3. Does it cover the whole export, or only documents? Documents are one part. Check enquiries, quotations, orders, purchases, stock, shipments, letters of credit and payments. Partial software leaves you with spreadsheets for the rest.

4. How does it handle Indian compliance? Ask about GST declarations, IGST refund tracking, drawback and RoDTEP, export proceeds realisation dates and preferential certificates of origin. A tool built for another country will miss these.

5. Does it work with our accounting software? If you use Tally, ask how data moves between the two, and in which direction. Ask to see it working, not described.

6. How long until we go live, and what is included? Ask for a written plan: who sets up your formats, who trains your team, and when the first real shipment goes through. Be wary of answers measured in many months.

7. Who will train our team, and how? Your experienced staff may not be comfortable with new software. Ask how training is done, in which language, and what happens when someone new joins.

8. Can we see the status and the numbers without asking anyone? Ask to see the dashboard with realistic data: outstanding payments, shipments in transit, pending refunds and margin per shipment.

9. Where is our data, and who can see it? Ask about access control by role, two-factor login, audit trails, backups and certifications. Ask how you can export your data if you ever leave.

10. Who do we call when something goes wrong? Ask about support hours, response times and whether you will speak to people who know export work. Ask for two customers you can call.

Run a short pilot

The best test is real work. Ask the vendor to run one buyer or one product line through the system for a few shipments. Let your team use it. Watch how fast problems are fixed.

A good vendor will agree to this. A vendor who avoids it is telling you something.

Questions to ask your team

1. 1Which three buyers' documents should we use to test a vendor?
2. 2Who in our team must be comfortable with the software for it to work?
3. 3Which parts of our work would still be in spreadsheets with each option?
4. 4What would we need to see in a pilot to say yes?

Quick answers

What should I look for in export software?

Documents in your buyers' formats, data entered once, coverage from enquiry to payment, Indian compliance, integration with your accounting software, a clear go-live plan and good support.

How long should export software take to implement?

For export management software built for the purpose, weeks rather than months. Ask for a written plan before you buy.