A Helping Hand When Changing To A New Farm Software Package

When changing to a new farm software package, there are two main issues to address:

1. The people who are going to use the software
2. Technical challenges when transferring data from one proprietary software package to a modern system

A Helping Hand When Changing To A New Farm Software Package

Looking at the human side of IT, our experience at Orchid Farm Tech shows that it’s not always easy to change to a new farm software package. We have customers who had previously been using the same farm software package for over 10 years, but had found that it no longer met their needs – for example, lack of functions to run on modern mobile devices. However, despite identifying the benefits of changing software would bring, they found that when it came to actually making the switch, the fear factor could easily kick in. Some of the common reactions were:

• Frustration with the new software because it didn’t look and feel the same as the old farm software
• Drop in morale caused by having to learn new ways data recording within the busy working day

Very often when a farm starts with a new software system, we find that many farms want to transfer existing data from their old software to the new  farm software. despite livestock data being easily accessed from organisations like BCMS, HUK, CIS and NMR. This is understandable but is often more complex that it seems on the surface. Most farm software companies use their own proprietary  databases to store the data that users enter. The new software company often won’t have the knowledge to extract historical data beyond the most basic animal details. Sometimes a farm software company will encrypt or password protect their databases making things even harder.

When addressing these human and technical issues, you need a software company that can provide the complete “turnkey” solution to help you make a smooth transition to a new, modern farm software package. Orchid can provide over 30 years experience of farm data handling, user training and support, so give us a call on 01536 443300 for a friendly, no-obligation chat about your needs.