Q&A: Switching Software

Q: Can you tell us about your search for a software solution, before ROM?

A: Like many companies in the recycling industry, we began in October of 2008 using off the shelf products to help track our business activities when we started our business. There were options available to our organization, but in our opinion almost all catered to one industry-specific commodity (such as metal or paper) or industry service (buy-back/peddler or brokerage). As our company is commodity and service diversified, we needed something much more comprehensive and robust. Unfortunately, in 2019 we succumbed to our initial software decision to purchase a very externally polished, web-based national software platform. Quickly we realized the developers were in over their heads when they couldn't resolve the simplest of issues. We immediately made a call to 21st Century Programming and asked them how soon they could get ROM Enterprise installed.

Q: What happened after you contacted 21st Century Programming about ROM?

A: Within 60 days we had a fully functional system in place with on-site training, online training (ROM University), network coordination with our IT staff and all the required hardware. In retrospect, we should have chosen ROM from the start. ROM software simply had the benefit of having invested the time and money to provide a mature, robust platform with predictable outcomes.

The slick, web-based software we initially chose was still in Beta development and had we known it was not ready for real-world use we would have passed. Only after the transition to ROM, we realized the best-kept secret in the industry is that many of our respected peers use the ROM software and have been doing so for years.

Q: What advice do you have for a company looking for software?

A: While we don’t claim to have all the answers, what we can say is every recycling organization should understand the true weighted cost of software ownership. As a fellow scrapper, we too understand the need to manage our capital intense business operations while maintaining profitability. Many scrap organizations have succumbed to the perceived ease of implementation and low-cost entry points of web-based platforms (like we did!) only to find out it ended up costing many multiples more than a ROM implementation. The commitment of the 21st Century Programming ROM support both during and after the installation is what sets this software company apart from others. So do your due diligence and talk to ROM’s greatest sales team...their raving customers!