Use Google Shortlists to make evaluating DAM software and other enterprise applications easier and collaborative.
I really feel for people who are shopping for enterprise-class software like digital asset management, CRMs, etc. The process sucks. Though I’ve never had to actually buy DAM software (for obvious reasons), I have had to buy marketing automation software—twice! It’s no fun because, on the one hand, you first have to deal with sales people, many of whom know nothing about anything. And then there’s the learning curve: You don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve learned so much that your head hurts and you just want the whole miserable process to be finished. (And then the @#!king salesperson starts nagging you just as the marketing automation software’s “drip nurture” program kicks in. )
Okay, you get the nightmare.
But there’s a killer little tool for making a process like this easier. It’s from Google and it’s called “Shortlists.” The tool was clearly meant for retail shopping because it’s integrated with the Google Shopping network. But you can add any product based on the product’s URL. This means you can compare DAM systems, CRMs, marketing automation—hell, you could even use it to compare job applicants! Best of all, you can invite others to the evaluation process. Everyone can leave comments, see notes and schedules, links to recorded demos, etc.
I wrote a piece in the Picturepark DAM Innovation blog that describes how it works.
I just love simple solutions—especially when they’re free!
DAM & Content Management Books 