Choosing a system of record when every vendor wants to be it
Choose one system of record per domain — billing, CRM, provisioning, dispatch — scored against your actual rate structures, plant mix, and field workflows. Decide on a written decision memo with five-year cost, announce it once, and don't let the compromise be "every vendor wins something."
Decide per domain, not per vendor
The best billing system rarely comes bundled with the best dispatch tool. Evaluate each domain independently: billing accuracy under your real rate structures and promo logic, provisioning coverage across your plant mix, whether techs can actually complete work in the field tool, how cleanly your data maps, and what it costs to leave in five years.
Signs a vendor is auditioning, not advising
- The "free assessment" concludes their system should be the system of record
- Migration cost is vague but the license discount is very specific
- They can't name a reference operator with your plant mix
- Exit cost is described as "we'll worry about that later"
The decision memo
One page per domain: what was chosen, what was retired, the three reasons why, the five-year cost including migration, and the owner accountable for the system. Circulate it, then stop relitigating. The memo is the decision — everything after is execution.
Stuck in a vendor stalemate?
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