Software demos are carefully choreographed. The vendor shows the best features in the best light with perfect demo data. After 90 minutes, every platform looks capable. These five questions cut through the demo polish and reveal whether the vendor actually understands steel distribution.
Question 1: How Do You Handle Dimensional Inventory?
Ask the vendor to show you how they store and search for a piece of steel. Not a SKU. A specific piece defined by grade (A36), gauge (14), width (48 inches), length (120 inches), coating (bare), weight (estimated 1,234 pounds), and heat number (H82541).
Then ask: "If I search for 14-gauge HRC in 48 inches, will this piece show up? What about if I search for A36 plate under 1,300 pounds?" The search should work across any dimension, not just SKU or product name.
If the vendor shows you a system where each item is a SKU with a description field that someone manually typed "14GA 48x120 HRC A36 BARE H82541," the system does not understand dimensional inventory. It is a text field wearing a steel costume. When you have 10,000 items, searching through text descriptions is useless.
A system built for steel stores each dimension as a discrete, searchable field. That is the difference between software that works and software that pretends to work.
Question 2: What Happens When a Master Coil Is Slit?
This question reveals whether the system understands processing. Ask the vendor to demonstrate a slitting job: a 60-inch master coil slit into three 18-inch mults with 3 inches of edge trim on each side.
Watch for three things. Does the system automatically create new inventory records for the three output coils, inheriting the grade, gauge, coating, and heat number from the master coil? Does it create a remnant record for the edge trim (if it is usable) or log it as scrap (if it is not)? Does it calculate the yield (output weight divided by input weight)?
If the operator has to manually create new inventory items for each output coil and manually enter the dimensions, heat number, and grade for each one, the system does not understand processing. It understands data entry. Every manual entry is a chance for error, and in a busy processing environment, errors accumulate fast.
Question 3: Show Me the System on a Phone
Hand the vendor your phone and ask them to log in and show you the inventory lookup. Then ask them to generate a simple quote.
If the mobile experience is a shrunken version of the desktop with tiny buttons and horizontal scrolling, the system was not designed for mobile use. It was designed for desktop and someone checked the "works on mobile" box in the marketing materials.
If the system does not work on mobile at all ("our mobile app is in development" or "most of our users access the system from their desktop"), the vendor is behind the curve. Sales reps need inventory at customer sites. Warehouse managers need pick lists on the floor. Owners need dashboards on Saturday morning. Mobile is not optional in 2025.
Question 4: How Long Does It Take to Find an MTR From Six Months Ago?
Ask the vendor to find the Mill Test Report for a specific heat number that was shipped six months ago. Start a stopwatch.
In a well-integrated system, the answer takes less than 15 seconds. Search by heat number, see the inventory record, see which orders the material shipped on, and open the MTR. The MTR is linked to the inventory item by heat number at the time of receiving. It travels with the material through processing and shipment. It is always findable.
If the vendor navigates to a document management module, searches through a folder structure, and takes more than a minute to find the MTR, their document management is not integrated with their inventory management. Those are two separate systems sharing a login screen, not a unified platform.
MTR retrieval speed matters because customers ask for MTRs regularly (sometimes years after the shipment), auditors require them during compliance reviews, and quality investigations depend on them. A system that makes MTR retrieval easy earns trust from your quality team, your customers, and your auditors.
Question 5: What Happens to My Data if I Leave?
This is the question that makes vendors uncomfortable. Ask it anyway.
The answer should be clear and specific: "You can export all of your data in standard formats (CSV, JSON, or similar) at any time. Customer records, inventory records, order history, financial data, documents, and all other data you have entered into the system belongs to you and can be exported without restriction."
Watch for hedging: "We can work with you on a data transition plan" (which might mean a custom export at additional cost). "Your data is stored securely in our cloud" (which does not answer the question). "We do not typically have customers leave, but we would accommodate any request" (which is not a policy, it is a hope).
Your data is the single most valuable digital asset your business owns. Customer relationships, pricing history, order patterns, quality records, and financial data accumulated over years. Any vendor who makes it difficult to leave with your data does not deserve to have it in the first place.
Bonus: The Demo Follow-Up Test
After the demo, send the vendor a real-world scenario from your business. An actual quote request with specific materials, quantities, and processing requirements. Ask them to show you how their system handles it, using your data, not demo data.
The vendors who can do this quickly and accurately are the ones who understand your business. The ones who need "a few weeks to configure that scenario" are telling you how long implementation will take to get the basics right. Listen to what the timeline tells you.