SMB Guide’s Evaluation Criteria

Welcome to SMB Guide’s Evaluation Criteria page, your go-to resource unveiling essential parameters we use to assess diverse software and services. 

While certain criteria are universally applicable across software types, specific evaluation aspects cater to unique service offerings. We cover all of them here so you know the parameters we’re considering in our site reviews and comparison pieces.

Click below to skip ahead to the specific software criteria:

General Criteria

The following criteria are covered across all our reviews.

Pricing & Plans

The pricing structure and available plans are crucial determinants for any software or service. This factor assesses the affordability and flexibility of different pricing tiers. 

We evaluate whether the offered features align with the given price points, if there are any hidden costs, and how competitive the pricing is compared to similar solutions in the market.

UI and UX

User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are pivotal aspects influencing user satisfaction and productivity. An intuitive, user-friendly interface enhances ease of navigation and encourages efficient usage. 

This criterion evaluates the design aesthetics, ease of use, responsiveness, customization options, and overall user experience offered by the software or service.

Integrations, Compatibility, & Supported Platforms

The capability of software to integrate with other systems and platforms is crucial for seamless workflow and data consistency.

This criterion assesses the compatibility, interoperability, and availability of APIs or pre-built integrations. 

We also evaluate how well the software adapts to different environments and supports various operating systems.

Customer Support

Effective customer support ensures users receive timely assistance and resolution to queries or issues. This factor examines the responsiveness, accessibility, and quality of customer service channels (such as email, live chat, or phone). 

We also evaluate the availability of self-help resources, documentation, community forums, and the overall satisfaction of users with the support provided.

Scalability

Scalability is a crucial factor when assessing software or services, especially in a business context. As a business expands or experiences increased demand, scalable software accommodates higher data volumes, increased user activity, or expanded functionalities without sacrificing efficiency or incurring excessive costs. 

We evaluate factors such as the ability to handle increased data loads, performance under heavier user traffic, options for upgrading or expanding features, and adaptability to changing business needs.

Niche-Based Criteria

As SMB Guide covers a wide range of software types, we also evaluate each software based on the niche it belongs to.

Here are the different criteria we go into for each type.

Ad Tracking Software

Ad campaign tracking

This feature’s importance lies in analyzing the performance of individual ad campaigns across multiple channels.

Evaluation involves checking if the software accurately tracks impressions, clicks, conversions, and engagement metrics for each campaign. 

Additionally, we assess the software’s ability to provide detailed analytics, allowing marketers to optimize and allocate budgets effectively based on campaign performance.

Conversion tracking

Crucial for measuring the effectiveness of ad campaigns, conversion tracking monitors user actions post-click. Evaluating this aspect involves assessing if the software accurately attributes conversions to specific ad campaigns, landing pages, or keywords. 

It should provide insights into the entire customer journey, tracking events or goals to ensure proper attribution and optimization.

Audience and traffic source analysis 

Understanding audience demographics and traffic sources aids in targeted ad placement and optimization. Evaluation checks if the software provides comprehensive insights into user behavior, such as demographics, interests, device usage, and traffic sources (organic, paid, referral). 

We examine if it facilitates segmenting and targeting specific audience segments for better ad personalization.

Attribution modeling

An essential aspect to determine the impact of each touchpoint in the customer journey. Evaluation involves assessing the software’s ability to offer different attribution models (first-click, last-click, linear, etc.) and their accuracy in attributing conversions across channels. 

It should also provide insights into the influence of various marketing efforts and channels on customer acquisition and conversion.

A/B testing

A/B testing is a must-have for optimizing ad elements and landing pages. Evaluation includes checking the software’s usability in setting up A/B tests, running them simultaneously, and analyzing results accurately. 

The software should facilitate easy comparison between different versions of ads or landing pages to determine the most effective variations.

Ad fraud detection

Preventing fraudulent activities ensures the accuracy of ad campaign metrics. Evaluation involves assessing the software’s ability to detect various forms of ad fraud, such as click fraud, bot traffic, or impression fraud. 

It should employ sophisticated algorithms and AI-driven techniques to identify and mitigate fraudulent activities effectively.

Real-time reporting and dashboards

Quick access to real-time data is vital for making timely decisions. Evaluation involves checking if the software offers user-friendly dashboards and generates reports in real-time. 

The software should present customizable dashboards with key metrics, enabling marketers to monitor ad performance instantly and make data-driven decisions promptly.

Data privacy and security

Ensuring user data protection and compliance with data privacy laws is a no-brainer. Evaluation involves reviewing the software’s security measures, data encryption protocols, compliance with regulations like GDPR or CCPA, and the protection of sensitive user information from unauthorized access or breaches.

Customizable metrics and KPIs

Businesses have varying needs in terms of metrics and KPIs. Evaluation includes assessing the software’s flexibility in setting custom metrics and KPIs tailored to specific business goals. 

It should allow users to define and track metrics that align with their unique advertising objectives and strategies.

Appointment Scheduling Software

Appointment workflow automation

This factor streamlines the scheduling process, making it crucial for saving time and ensuring efficient appointment management.

Evaluating this involves checking if the software automates scheduling tasks, assigns appointments based on availability, and facilitates easy rescheduling. 

The software should simplify the booking process for both administrators and clients, reducing manual efforts and errors.

Customization options

Customization empowers businesses to tailor the scheduling system to their unique needs. Evaluating this includes assessing the ability to offer customizable booking pages, branding options, and the flexibility to set different appointment types, durations, and availability rules. 

It should also allow for personalization to match the business’s brand and scheduling preferences.

Calendar management features

This is crucial for managing multiple staff members’ schedules and resources in a shared calendar. Evaluation involves checking if the software integrates various calendars, displays schedules across different time zones, and manages appointments seamlessly. 

It should enable easy coordination of team schedules, preventing conflicts and double bookings.

Automated reminders and notifications

Automated reminders/notifications ensure effective communication and reduce no-shows. Evaluation involves assessing if the software sends automated reminders to clients before appointments and provides notifications to both clients and administrators for new bookings or changes. 

Client management and communication

All calendars should come with a database for maintaining important client information. Evaluating this involves checking if the software includes a client/contact database, tracks appointment history, and allows notes. 

This also includes checking for in-app messaging, email notifications, or SMS reminders, enabling efficient client interaction.

Automatic rules

This feature allows setting rules and preferences to automate specific actions or behaviors. Evaluation includes assessing if the software allows the creation of automatic rules for scheduling, notifications, or appointment assignments based on predefined criteria. 

In-meeting tools

These are valuable for enhancing the meeting experience and productivity. Evaluation involves checking if the software provides tools for co-hosting meetings, screen sharing, document collaboration, or video conferencing integrations within the scheduling platform. 

Meeting templates

Templates simplify the creation of standard or recurring meetings. Evaluating this involves assessing if the software offers customizable templates for different types of appointments or recurring meetings. 

It should also enable users to create, save, and reuse meeting templates to streamline scheduling processes.

Meeting analytics

Insights into meeting performance and engagement. Evaluation includes checking if the software provides analytics on meeting metrics like attendance rates, duration, no-show rates, or client feedback. 

Reporting and analytics features to measure meeting effectiveness and optimize scheduling strategies based on data-driven insights is an added bonus.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Job posting & candidate sourcing

This is a critical feature for reaching a wide pool of candidates. Evaluation involves assessing if the ATS allows for easy job postings across multiple platforms and effectively sources candidates through job boards, social media, or career sites. 

Universal search & candidate database

Universal search aids in efficient candidate management. Evaluating this involves checking if the system provides a comprehensive database and intuitive search functionality to access candidate profiles, resumes, and application details easily. 

All in all, it should facilitate quick retrieval of candidate information to match job requirements.

Resume management and screening

This is central to the hiring process for shortlisting qualified candidates. Evaluation includes assessing if the ATS offers resume parsing, keyword matching, and screening capabilities to filter applications. 

Applicant tracking

Applicant tracking is a core functionality for managing the entire application lifecycle. Evaluating this involves checking if the system provides a structured process for tracking candidate progress through various stages of recruitment. 

This also includes features to monitor application statuses, schedule interviews, and manage communications seamlessly.

Workflow automation

Automation is important for streamlining repetitive tasks and improving productivity. Evaluation includes assessing if the ATS automates workflows, such as interview scheduling, sending notifications, or moving candidates through stages. 

It should optimize the hiring process by reducing manual efforts and improving efficiency.

Collaboration & communication

Team collaboration is required during candidate engagement. Evaluating this involves checking if the ATS facilitates communication among hiring team members, candidates, and external stakeholders. 

This could include collaboration tools such as feedback sharing or interview scheduling, to enhance communication.

Customization & personalization 

This involves tailoring the system to suit specific recruitment needs. Evaluation includes assessing if the ATS allows customization of workflows, templates, or branding elements. It should offer personalization options to match the organization’s unique hiring process and employer brand.

Candidate evaluation & assessment

This is important for evaluating candidate skills and suitability. Evaluation involves checking if the system provides tools for candidate assessments, scorecards, or evaluations.

It should aim to facilitate standardized candidate evaluation methods to make informed hiring decisions.

Reporting & analytics

Analytics is key for measuring recruitment performance and optimizing strategies. Evaluation includes assessing if the ATS offers reporting tools to track recruitment metrics, such as time-to-hire, applicant sources, or candidate pipeline analytics.

Bookkeeping Software

General ledger and chart of accounts

These two books of accounts are fundamental for organizing your financial data. Evaluating involves checking if the bookkeeping software provides a comprehensive and customizable general ledger system with the flexibility to create and manage a chart of accounts tailored to specific business needs.

Bank integration and reconciliation 

Our evaluation includes assessing if the software seamlessly integrates with banks for automatic transaction imports and supports reconciliation features to match recorded transactions with bank statements for data accuracy.

Financial reporting

This feature helps gain insights into financial performance. Evaluation involves checking if the software offers robust financial reporting capabilities, including generating various reports such as balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, allowing businesses to analyze their financial health.

AP and AR management

Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable management makes sure you pay out and receive payments on time. Evaluating involves checking if the software includes modules for accounts payable and accounts receivable, enabling easy tracking, management, and payment processing for vendors and customers.

Payroll processing

Evaluation includes assessing if the software provides payroll functionalities, such as calculating salaries, managing employee deductions, and facilitating tax compliance to streamline payroll processing.

Tax management

Adhering to tax regulations is a critical part of any business’s operations. Evaluation involves checking if the software offers tax management features, such as tax calculations, reporting, and ensuring compliance with tax laws to support accurate tax filings.

Inventory management

Inventory management is important for businesses that handle products and inventory such as raw materials and work-in-progress.

Evaluation includes assessing if the software provides inventory tracking and management functionalities to monitor stock levels, manage orders, and optimize inventory control processes.

Scheduling capabilities 

This feature helps manage financial deadlines and tasks. Evaluation includes checking if the software offers scheduling tools to set reminders and notifications for financial tasks, deadlines, and reporting periods, helping in efficient task management.

Customization options

Customization is vital for tailoring the software to your specific accounting requirements. Evaluation involves assessing if the software allows customization of workflows, reports, templates, or settings to adapt to unique bookkeeping processes and requirements.

Incorporation & Business Formation Services

Business formation services

These services assist in legally establishing a business entity. Evaluating includes checking the range of services offered, such as LLC formation, corporation formation, or sole proprietorship, and determining their suitability for the business’s needs.

Processing time

Timely incorporation is essential. Evaluating involves assessing the typical processing duration provided by the service, ensuring it aligns with the urgency of the business’s needs for legal formation, including if there are any expedited options available. 

Registered agent services and costs

A registered agent is necessary for legal compliance. Evaluating involves checking if the service offers registered agent services, their costs, and if they provide a reliable and responsive agent to handle legal documents and correspondence.

Name availability search

Ensuring the chosen business name is available is critical. Evaluation includes checking if the service performs thorough name availability searches and assists in securing a business name that complies with state regulations.

Online document access

Easy access to legal documents is essential for business management. Evaluating involves checking if the service offers an online platform for easy access to and retrieval of important legal documents related to business formation.

Money-back guarantees

A money-back guarantee assures service quality and satisfaction. Evaluating involves checking if the service ensures a refund if the customer is unsatisfied with the service.

Customization options

Tailoring services to specific business needs is beneficial. Evaluating includes checking if the service offers customizable packages or additional features to meet unique business requirements.

Compliance assistance

Ensuring compliance with legal requirements is an absolute must. Evaluating involves checking if the service offers guidance, tools, or resources to aid in staying compliant with regulations post-incorporation.

Industry-specific expertise

Understanding unique industry needs is valuable, depending on the niche in which your business is setting up. Evaluating includes checking if the service specializes in or has experience with specific industries, how long it’s been established, and if it provides insights and services tailored to those industries.

Customer education and resources

Knowledge empowers business owners. Evaluating involves checking if the service provides educational resources, guides, or customer support to help business owners navigate the incorporation process and understand legal aspects.

Invoicing Software

General feature set & customization options

The evaluation involves assessing the breadth and depth of features offered by the software, such as invoice templates, recurring billing options, and customization capabilities to meet specific business needs and branding requirements.

Automated Invoicing

This criterion assesses the software’s ability to automate the invoicing process, including automatic generation, scheduling, and sending of invoices based on predefined rules or triggers, thereby streamlining operations and reducing manual effort.

Expense Tracking

How is the software’s capability to track expenses related to invoicing? This includes categorization, receipt scanning, and integration with bank accounts or accounting software for accurate financial reporting and reimbursement management.

Multi-Currency Support

This criterion checks whether the software supports invoicing and payment processing in multiple currencies, ensuring businesses can operate globally without currency conversion issues, and facilitating accurate financial records and international transactions.

Data Migration and Import/Export Capabilities

It involves evaluating the software’s ability to seamlessly migrate existing data from other platforms and the ease of importing/exporting invoice data to/from external sources or accounting software, ensuring continuity and data integrity during transitions.

Client Relationship Management (CRM) Functions

We look into whether the software includes CRM capabilities like client profiles, contact management, and communication tracking, enabling businesses to manage client interactions effectively and personalize invoicing processes.

Invoice Delivery and Communication

Focuses on how the software handles invoice delivery methods (email, online portal, etc.) and communication features (reminders, notifications) to ensure timely delivery and prompt responses from clients, enhancing cash flow management.

Payment Processing Integration

Check the software’s ability to integrate with various payment gateways and methods (credit cards, PayPal, etc.), facilitating secure and convenient payment processing directly from invoices, thereby improving cash flow and reducing payment delays.

Reporting Tools

We evaluate the software’s reporting capabilities, including generating financial reports (e.g., aging reports, revenue summaries), tracking invoice statuses, and providing insights into business performance to support strategic decision-making and financial planning.

Live Chat & Chatbot Software

Real-time messaging & canned responses

Testing the software’s real-time messaging speed and reliability, ensuring instantaneous chat delivery. We also assess the availability and user-friendliness of canned responses, checking for pre-defined templates or saved replies to streamline interactions. 

Live chat AI & Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Looking into the AI capabilities and NLP functionalities of chatbots, focusing on accurate understanding and response to user queries. This includes evaluating the handling of complex conversations, learning capabilities, and customization of bot responses to ensure optimal performance and user satisfaction.

Customizable chat widgets

We check the software’s provision of customizable chat widgets, evaluating options to modify appearance and functionality. This includes assessing customization features such as color, font, logo changes, and positioning within the chat window. Additionally, we review ability to configure automated greetings and prechat forms for efficient visitor information collection, ensuring alignment with branding and website design.

Visitor tracking and analytics

This includes providing insights into website visitor behavior. We assess the software’s capability to track metrics like pages visited, time spent on site, and referral sources, aiding in understanding user needs and identifying potential leads for proactive engagement.

Multichannel support

We test the software’s integration capabilities across various platforms, ensuring seamless multi channel interactions such as websites, apps, social media, and other communication tools.

Multilingual support

We evaluate the software’s effectiveness in supporting multiple languages, and testing accuracy and responsiveness in dealing with queries in different languages. Our assessment ensures minimal language barriers, maintaining the quality of interactions across diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Offline messaging and availability

Checking the software’s handling of offline messages and availability beyond working hours. We test functionality for leaving messages when agents are unavailable and assess notification mechanisms for response times or availability windows.

Handoff and escalation to human agents

Examining the capability to seamlessly transition conversations from chatbots to human agents, ensuring retention of context and conversation history. This factor focuses on the ease and effectiveness of human intervention in resolving complex queries.

Security and compliance

We assess security measures implemented by the software to protect sensitive information shared during chat interactions. Our evaluation includes compliance with industry standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), secure data encryption, end-to-end communication, and data retention policies, ensuring user privacy and data security.

Marketing Automation & Email Marketing Software

Marketing automation capabilities

This criterion assesses the software’s ability to automate marketing processes such as lead nurturing, customer segmentation, behavior-based workflows, and multi-channel campaign management, enabling businesses to scale their marketing efforts efficiently.

Email builder

Focuses on the software’s email design and editing tools, including drag-and-drop interfaces, responsive templates, and customization options (fonts, colors, images), ensuring marketers can create visually appealing and engaging email campaigns easily.

Personalization & customization

Checks the software’s capability to personalize email content based on recipient data (e.g., demographics, behavior), allowing marketers to create targeted messages that resonate with individual preferences and improve engagement and conversion rates.

Campaign performance tracking

We evaluate the software’s ability to track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI for email and marketing campaigns, providing insights into campaign effectiveness and identifying areas for optimization.

Email deliverability

Assesses the software’s reputation management, email authentication practices (SPF, DKIM), and inbox placement rates, ensuring that marketing emails reach recipients’ inboxes and avoid being flagged as spam, thereby maximizing campaign effectiveness.

List management

Evaluation here focuses on the software’s capabilities for managing subscriber lists, including segmentation, tagging, subscription preferences management, and compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations, ensuring targeted and compliant email communications.

A/B testing

This criterion checks whether the software allows marketers to conduct A/B tests on email subject lines, content variations, send times, and other elements to determine which strategies yield the best results, optimizing campaign performance and engagement rates.

Advanced reporting and insights

We evaluate the software’s analytics and reporting capabilities beyond basic metrics, including cohort analysis, funnel visualization, attribution modeling, and predictive analytics, providing deeper insights into customer behavior and campaign impact.

Compliance and security

We check whether the software complies with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), ensures data security (encryption, secure data storage), and provides features like consent management and unsubscribe options to maintain trust and legal compliance.

Password Managers

Multi-factor security and authentication

We assess the software’s support for multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods such as SMS codes, biometrics (fingerprint, face recognition), and authenticator apps, enhancing account security by requiring multiple forms of verification.

One-time passwords

Evaluation here focuses on whether the software can generate and manage one-time passwords (OTPs) for additional security during login or sensitive transactions, providing temporary codes that expire after a single use.

Password capture and generation

We check the software’s ability to capture and securely store existing passwords across different devices and browsers, as well as generate strong, randomized passwords for new accounts, promoting strong password practices and security.

Password sharing

This involves evaluating the software’s features for securely sharing passwords with trusted individuals or team members, including options for granting limited access, enforcing permissions, and tracking usage to maintain control and security.

Emergency access

This involves looking into whether the software provides mechanisms for designated emergency contacts to access stored passwords in critical situations (e.g., like failing health), ensuring continuity of access while maintaining security protocols.

Security dashboard

Evaluation here focuses on the software’s interface for monitoring password strength, identifying weak or reused passwords, detecting security breaches or suspicious activities, and prompting users to take proactive security measures.

Account recovery

This criterion checks whether the software offers secure account recovery options, such as backup codes, security questions, or email/SMS verification, enabling users to regain access to their accounts in case of forgotten master passwords or lost devices.

Browser extensions

This involves assessing whether the software offers browser extensions (e.g., Chrome, Firefox) for seamless integration with web browsers, enabling automatic password filling, secure form filling, and quick access to stored passwords across different sites.

Data privacy and compliance

We look into whether the software adheres to industry standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) regarding data privacy, encryption standards (AES-256), and secure storage practices, ensuring user data is protected and compliant with legal requirements.

Social Proof Software

Template variety and design options:

We evaluate the range and quality of pre-designed templates, assessing design flexibility, including color schemes, font options, and layout variations. We also determine if the software facilitates easy customization or the creation of unique designs.

Triggering and display rules

We assess the software’s capability to set specific triggering and display rules for social proof notifications. Evaluating if it enables targeting specific audience segments or displaying notifications based on user behavior, location, or other parameters.

Mobile responsiveness

Analyzing the responsiveness and adaptability of social proof notifications across various devices, especially mobile platforms. We also evaluate the optimization for different screen sizes while maintaining functionality and aesthetic appeal on mobile devices.

Notification customization

Assessing the extent of customization available for notifications, including design, content, and timing. Evaluating flexibility in creating various notification types (e.g., real-time purchase alerts, testimonials, social shares) and their appearance on the website.

Video Testimonial Software

Video quality and presentation

Evaluating the quality of videos generated by the software, including factors like resolution, clarity, sound quality, and overall presentation. We then determine if the software offers tools for editing, enhancing, or optimizing videos to improve their display on websites.

Ease of capture and uploading

Evaluating the software’s user-friendliness for capturing and uploading customer video testimonials. Testing the simplicity of recording videos using different devices (smartphones, webcams, etc.) and the ease of uploading them to the platform.

Considering if the software provides guidance or assistance during the recording process.

Performance analytics and tracking

Assess the software’s analytics and tracking features concerning video performance. We also evaluate the provided metrics, such as views, engagement, click-through rates, and conversion impact. Determining the comprehensiveness and usability of the analytics dashboard for monitoring video performance.

Accessibility and Responsiveness

Evaluating the accessibility and responsiveness of videos across various devices and browsers. Test how well the videos adapt to different screen sizes and ensure compatibility with various browsers and operating systems. Assess if the videos maintain quality and functionality on mobile devices.

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