TMS offers security in an uncertain worldNews & Events 2003-05-21 Recent events such as the demise of Plymbridge, which was directly attributed to implementation problems of a new computer system, and the cancellation of high-profile implementations in international publishers have highlighted the risks of changing publishing software. Until now this has left many UK publishers that are unhappy with their aging publishing systems trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea – dissatisfied with their existing vendor but wary of changing.
Now TMS, developer of Bookmaster, plans to minimise the risk of moving to a new publishing and distribution system and is challenging other vendors to match them. “We believe software vendors should share the risk of implementing a new system and we’re leading the way,” said Paul Napier, TMS UK Sales Manager.
Detailed workshops
Part of the Bookmaster’s implementation involves two to four week workshops using a publisher’s own business rules and data. Key personnel test their own normal work in Bookmaster to make sure it does what’s needed and to identify any gaps in functionality.
TMS is offering to provide these workshops before contracts are exchanged.
“Too often publishers discover too late that the system they have chosen won’t work without huge additional expense,” said Mr Napier. “When they can test their own transactions they can make certain Bookmaster will do what they expect.
“If they are completely satisfied then they are already well down the road to going live and can exchange contracts with confidence. If they’re not 100% satisfied they have the option to walk away with no penalties and without having made any contractual commitments.”
Modification guarantees
TMS’ philosophy is to minimise modifications and to develop any that are unavoidable within standard Bookmaster. This means that most Bookmaster customers in 16 countries use the same system and can easily take advantage of new releases.
If modifications are needed TMS provides a fixed price and adds a clause in the license agreement giving publishers the option to terminate and receive a full refund of license fees if the modifications aren’t delivered to specification at the agreed price.
“Too many systems need modifications that take much longer and cost much more than expected. Publishers deserve more certainty. More than 90% of our implementations go live on schedule and on budget and we are committed to maintaining this track record in theUK,” Mr Napier added.
Customer references
Mr Napier believes no-one should buy any software unless they have talked to at least four existing customers. “Publishers should look for reference accounts similar to themselves and shouldn’t be restricted to the ones provided by the vendor. We publish our entire customer list and publishers can speak to any of our customers worldwide.
“They should also ask detailed questions so they know what they are in for. We publish a list of questions we recommend publishers ask to get the full story.”
Bookmaster is the most widely used publishing system in the world and TMS is positioning it as the only real alternative for publishers in the UK
“We want to prove that Bookmaster works for UK publishers. We are prepared to share the risk because we’re committed to having satisfied customers. We’ve never had a failed implementation in 20 years and we intend to keep it that way” concluded Mr Napier.
For a more detailed version of this article, the list of questions to ask vendors or for information on Bookmaster call Paul Napier on (44) 01249 811 003 or visit www.tms.ws
| 
