A product demonstration or demo enables vendors to present the value of their product or service to prospective buyers. So if you’re in the market for payroll technology, product demos are an essential part of the process.

Before you look for demos, you’ll need to identify your payroll pain points and the necessary solutions. Then you can begin your search for value-aligned product demos.

Tailored to fit your needs

Though all employers have the same basic payroll objective — namely processing payroll accurately and on time — their payroll technology needs often vary. It’s therefore important to choose product demos that reflect your business’s specific requirements.

Payroll technology vendor websites usually have landing pages for product demos. The landing page should provide a summary of what the demo entails. If you’re interested in the product, make sure there’s an option on the website for you to schedule a customized demo with a vendor representative. The representative should contact you before the demo to get a feel for your needs.

After discovering your needs, the representative can determine whether the product is likely to be appropriate for your business. If the odds are good, the representative should let you know what you can expect during the demo. Watch out for vendors who show little interest in learning about your needs before the demo.

Keep in mind that vendors are increasingly conducting product demos via videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom instead of in person. If you find that you have a short attention span during videoconferencing calls, you may want to suggest that longer demos are broken into smaller segments for these types of sessions.

Live, problem-solving demonstrations

You’re looking to invest in payroll technology because you believe it will help resolve your payroll issues and greatly benefit your business. The product demo should exhibit how the technology will deliver this value. At the end of the demonstration, you should be able to picture what life will be like with the technology.

Let’s say you’re switching from stand-alone payroll technology to a unified HR/payroll platform. The demo should prove that the system is indeed unified and operating out of a single, centralized database. In addition, it should reveal how your HR and payroll processes would function within the combined system.

The demonstration should be live so that you can see how the product works. Live demonstrations can uncover system weaknesses and potential obstacles to your business processes.

Take note of how the representative conducts the demo and responds to your questions. Do they welcome your inquiries? Or do they seem annoyed by your concerns? Also, how knowledgeable are they about the technology?

Beware of vendors that use screenshots and slideshow presentations as substitutes for live demonstrations. The technology may have flaws that the vendor would rather you not see upfront.

Depending on the situation, the vendor may need to show you several demos to make their case. In the end, you should have a solid idea of whether the technology is ideal for your business.