Sober house software evaluation
The features matter only if the workflow holds together.
A sober house can buy a long feature list and still end up running the real operation through spreadsheets, texts, and memory. Use these six demonstrations to test whether the system will actually replace that patchwork.
Resident record
Can staff find the current room, contacts, documents, passes, balances, and recent activity without searching several systems?
Money trail
Can the system explain every charge, payment, partial payment, adjustment, receipt, and remaining balance?
Accountability
Can authorized staff record tests, meetings, passes, chores, incidents, and follow-up consistently?
House operations
Can a maintenance request or staff task move from report to owner to completion with a visible history?
Permissions
Can the organization limit each role to the information and actions it actually needs?
Migration and training
Will the vendor help move existing records, configure the organization, train staff, and verify go-live?
Ask vendors to show, not promise
Bring a fictional but realistic resident scenario to each demonstration. Ask the vendor to complete the same sequence from admission through payment, accountability, staff follow-up, and reporting. Record what was native, what required configuration, and what was not available.
Include the first 30 days in the decision
The cost of software includes the transition. Confirm who prepares the account, imports data, trains house managers, answers questions, and verifies that staff can complete the critical workflows after launch.