Finder Tool
Find the right software for your business in a blink of an eye. Answer a few short questions and receive a personalized recommendation.
Appropriate software can make a big difference for your business and finding the right tools can take a lot of work away from your shoulders. However, sticking to a solution that is not a perfect match can confuse and create even more work while keeping you guessing if there may be a better option for you out there.
With a wide range of software in every niche, the selection journey is time-consuming, and you might still make the final decision based on gut feelings or assumptions since there is just too much to consider.
This is where our software finder tool comes in as a saver.
What is the Finder Tool?
The finder tool is a step-by-step questionnaire with simple questions that help us understand your business to narrow down your specific needs, intentions, budget, and priorities for software in a particular category.
It allows us to collect the essential information necessary to understand your pain points and demands. Thereby, our custom algorithms are provided with all inputs needed to give a specific recommendation that matches your profile.
Sounds easy so far. Let’s look under the hood.
Our main goal at Softailed is to perform the most accurate competitive software analyses and maintain a regularly updated database of software services so you can find the best fit for your business. You can find more information about how we develop our analyses on our Best Picks page.
During our first studies, we’ve discovered that users need more than a comprehensive software list to choose from. They want to be guided and find just one specific software tool to rely on.
So who would be best to judge what’s best for your business?
Well, it’s you.
But unfortunately, you haven’t used any software of its kind before, and if you have, then you won’t have compared it to all options on the market and frankly don’t have the time or industry knowledge to do so. The next best group to best judge your needs would be industry experts and similar companies to yours that use or need specific software.
And this is where the idea for the software finder tool was born.
Using our extensive research, we can match the results from each study with different customer groups. And because you are the best person to judge what you need, we create questions together with industry experts to understand which customer group you belong to. Think of it like a guided tour through our research, just that you don’t have to deal with all the noise. We have combined both worlds of market research and your personal view in one tool to tailor it down so you can easily find the best software for your business.
Let’s take a closer look at how we assemble the finder tool for each software category.
1. Research Scalping
We take our research and extract every detail about what can determine customer segments and different characteristics related to the software category.
2. Customer Segment Mapping
Together with industry experts, we put together customer segments based on our robust market insights and outline the key features of every segment.
3. Software Matching
We take the results from our study and assign software to each customer segment tailored to their primary needs and pain points.
4. Questionnaire Development
We brainstorm straightforward questions that lead us to understand precisely which customer segment a user belongs to. Next, we look at which questions can be grouped or aim for the same outcome. We then eliminate all questions that are not more purposeful and keep a small selection of questions that answer everything to determine a segment.
5. Algorithm Creation
We create the algorithm that matches a user's combinations of questions and answers with the appropriate best software. In addition to the segments, we include additional branches so that each unique case receives an individual recommendation. Even though we design the questions accordingly, we can ensure maximum accuracy that way because we have set a custom recommendation for each possible path, no matter the answers or how close a user may be to multiple segments.
6. Quality Assurance
We check each part of the process for any discrepancies. Furthermore, we perform a short test with real people and businesses to see if we hit the target correctly. In the last step, we still test exceptional cases and adjust the algorithm if something has been noticed during the QA.
As you can see, the base of the software finder tool has much to do with grouping businesses and needs.
Customer research is a core element in determining what is essential in general and what applies only in some instances. For example, a small company likely wouldn't need as complex software functionality as a larger enterprise, and lower costs could be more meaningful. On the other hand, a larger company that is not on a tight budget usually aims for more specific features and advanced automation options. Using industry experts and actual data to create a quiz is the only way to nail down what we need to know and what can lead to tailored suggestions for every software category.
How does the Finder Tool work?
Our software finder tool is simple to use.
Here is how it works:
- Select a software category at the top of this page.
- Start the questionnaire and answer all the questions.
- Receive your result and see your inputs as a summary below.
You can retake the quiz anytime to change your answers to specific questions and see if your changes would affect the resulting recommendation.
Find the perfect software for your business
You've come to the right place if you need a software solution for your business but don’t know where to start, which features to look for, and how to fit it all within your priorities. The software finder tool will solve this riddle for you.
If you have several providers in mind and need more evidence to make the final decision, check out the Comparison Tool to see differences.
Or head to the Best Picks to get an overview from our perspective and see which providers perform the best overall.
FAQ
Can the Finder Tool always suggest the best software?
Whether the recommended software is the best for you also depends on you. Our finder tool will show you the best available option for people/businesses with your requirements based on various detailed data. With that, we cover the essential parts. Still, of course, you may be more comfortable with another tool from a combination of secondary criteria that we may not have considered as much as you have for yourself.
How long does it take to get my result?
It's instant. You will get the result from the software finder tool directly after you have answered all questions in the set. It usually takes a couple of seconds.
Do I have to register or pay anything for it?
No, our software finder tool is entirely free and does not require any registration or personal data from you. If you wonder how we fund ourselves, feel free to have a look here.
How can these short questionnaires give a precise software recommendation?
We love this question because it’s one of the most complex challenges we must solve when composing the finder tool for any software category. The background is, that most people don’t want to go through a 30 min survey while still desiring a precise recommendation. And we, on the other hand, don’t want to compromise the accuracy of the finder tool. To get both parties happy, we put extra effort into segmenting users and brainstorming the right questions. We carefully go through all these questions and seek opportunities where multiple questions form a bigger picture when answered, which leads to more answers to questions that we don’t have to ask you. Here is a simple example: if we ask you about your age and where you live, you may answer two simple questions with: "12 years” and “USA.” But you actually answer a lot more questions because, from that alone, we can conclude with high certainty that you won’t have a driver's license and will not have traveled to Mexico by car or any other country by yourself. Now imagine what is possible when we ask you 6 questions used for a specific business purpose. Correct, if combined, we get a super detailed picture that is even more precise on what we need to know. And to avoid making false conclusions, we support our algorithm with custom branches. So if all answers are all over the place, it stays accurate for that case as that also draws a picture, and the customization helps us tackle each path individually.
How many result possibilities are there?
The number of possibilities differs for each software category and can include all providers in our database. However, let’s supposed there is a software category where one provider rules all customer segments. In that rare case, you would always receive this software provider as the optimal recommendation because it’s the best for everyone. While the same provider can be recommended for several input combinations, it’s very unlikely to happen if your inputs are not going a similar way. Most of the time, the results will lead to one of our overall best picks and, in specific cases, to our criteria-specific best picks.
Why should I use the Finder tool?
Our Finder Tool picks up where our Best Picks leave off. While our Best Picks show you the overall best software in each category, our Finder Tool can give you a personalized recommendation based on your needs.
Example: Provider A is the winner in our overall ranking and, at the same time, number 1 in 3 out of 5 categories. Now, for you personally, these 3 categories may be less critical than others. With the Finder tool, we can identify exactly that and suggest provider B instead if it suits you better.