A fair number of bhatta owners looking at eBrix are not starting from paper registers—they are already using some other software and weighing whether to move. That is a bigger decision than picking a first system, because there is existing data, a team that has learned one set of screens, and a season's worth of momentum to protect.
This is written to be useful regardless of which software is currently in use, or which one is being considered next. The questions below are ones any serious vendor should be able to answer clearly.
What to check about your existing data
- Can you export your current records—production, labour balances, customer ledgers—in a usable format, even if the new system does not import them directly?
- Are you planning to migrate years of history, or start the new system fresh from a chosen date? Most kiln software switches happen the second way, with old records kept as reference rather than re-entered.
- Who currently owes what, on both the labour and customer side, at the exact moment of the switch? This list needs to be correct and agreed before day one on the new system, regardless of which software either side uses.
What to check about daily workflow fit
- Does it support the language your munshi actually works in day to day, not just a translated menu here and there?
- Does it match how your labour is actually structured—groups, individuals within groups, or both—rather than forcing your team into a structure the software assumes?
- Does it reflect how your kiln actually tracks stock stages (raw, carried, kiln, exited), or a generic version of stock tracking that does not match brick production specifically?
- Can the owner see the numbers remotely, or does someone still need to be physically present at the kiln to check the position?
What to check about cost and lock-in
Pricing structure matters less than what happens if you decide to leave later. Ask directly, of any vendor, before signing anything:
- What is the actual annual or ongoing cost, including anything not obvious from the headline price?
- Is there a trial or demo period long enough to test a real week of kiln activity, not just a guided walkthrough?
- If you decide to leave this software in the future, can you take your own data with you in a usable form?
What to check about support and ongoing development
- How quickly can you reach support during the working day, and is that support available in a language your team can use?
- Is training included for staff who have never used the system before, or is that assumed?
- Has the software visibly changed or improved in the last year, or does it look and behave the same as it did several seasons ago? Active development is usually a sign the vendor is still investing in the product.
Being honest: switching mid-season is disruptive regardless of vendor
No switch is free of friction. Staff have to unlearn one set of screens and learn another, and a short overlap period where both systems are checked against each other is normal, not a sign something has gone wrong.
The lowest-disruption timing is usually between rounds or seasons, when there is a natural pause in daily entries, rather than mid-round when everyone is already tracking an in-progress cycle.