Custom software development is not cheap. But it can boost your business’s efficiency and productivity. A streamlined, efficient, highly productive business naturally has an edge over the competition.
If you’ve been thinking about getting software customized to the particular needs of your business, schedule a custom software consultation now. It might surprise you how easy the process is, and you’ll be very happy with the robust ROI.
Unlike off-the-shelf business software, custom software is designed specifically for an individual business’ needs. But custom software can take several months to develop. While off-the-shelf is ready to go right away, it doesn’t always meet a business’ needs. It might be fine for the short term, but ultimately, your business might need a custom software solution.
The Advantages Of Custom Software
Sometimes, an inexpensive, commercially available piece of software is just fine. For example, commercial word processing software or accounting software is fine for nearly every business. But many businesses need custom software tailored to their unique needs and processes. Custom software offers many more benefits than commercially available software, according to Pranjal Bora from Digital Authority Partners. Keep reading, to see if the benefits of custom software are a good investment for your business.
Software Tailored to Your Business Needs
No two businesses are exactly alike. So it only makes sense for a company to get a custom software solution. Custom software has all of the features and functions that an individual business needs to run more efficiently.
Custom software developers create software tailored to how your business functions. Developers also build into the software ways to grow with the business. Custom software can align with a business model far better than commercially available software because it’s been designed specifically for that business.
Software That Grows with Your Business
Your business isn’t static; you want it to grow. Choosing the right custom software developer means that your software can be updated and scaled to meet the changing needs of your company. This can include updating the software to comply with new standards, as well as adapting to changing business needs and scaled-up results.
Often, commercial software is not designed to grow with a business, and there is no way to modify it. Over time, this can result in the software losing functionality. As this occurs, your business can lose productivity.
That is the biggest advantage of custom software–your custom software developer can update your software as you need it updated. This means that your company can keep updating and using the software, rather than buying new software that’s commercially available. Also, some commercial software requires a yearly license renewal, and this cost can be significant. Worse, if you forget to update the license, your software will stop working, potentially shutting down your operation.
Improved Efficiency and Productivity
Relying on commercial software that doesn’t have all of the features a business needs can create downtime. Even a few minutes every day lost to slow, buggy software can add up over time. In contrast, a custom software solution is scaled to meet the needs of a business. This allows your employees to work much more efficiently.
Your employees will be happier if they don’t have to deal with slow, inefficient software. Custom software that performs flawlessly means your workers will be happier and more efficient. For the company, that means a more productive workforce.
Lower Costs over the Long Term
Some business owners are leery of the cost of custom software development. Custom software can cost more upfront compared to commercially available software. But over the long haul, you get a much better return on your software investment. As mentioned earlier, some commercially available software requires a yearly software licensing fee. Then there is the potential for downtime and lost efficiency.
Custom software has no licensing fees, and you can have all of the features you need to be built right in. You can also have your custom business software updated as your company changes and grows. In the end, custom software is a smart investment for any company.
Integrate with Existing Software
Your custom business software can be developed to work seamlessly with the existing software your company uses. This is a big advantage to custom software development.
Also, it can help your business shift its operations to the cloud or to go mobile. Making these changes can help give your business a competitive edge, as well as improve efficiency in the workplace.
Ongoing Technical Support
Every piece of software will eventually need to be updated or can develop bugs. Unfortunately, commercially available software often has minimal or no support at all. This can make it nearly impossible to troubleshoot an issue when it arises.
With custom software development, you’ll have access to the team that built it. They’ll be ready to update and maintain your software. Readily available technical support minimizes both downtime and frustration. This helps your business operations to run without a hitch.
Scheduling a Custom Software Development Consultation
More and more businesses are transitioning from commercial software to custom software. Custom business software helps these companies be more productive and efficient.
During a consultation with a software developer, you’ll work together to work out what you want to achieve. These initial planning sessions map out what your custom software will do.
Next, the software team builds a framework for the software, as well as goes through several development cycles. This ensures that the software is working as it should. Once the team has a working prototype, they’ll build the final code. Throughout the process, they’ll also continuously test it at all stages of development.
When the software is complete, it’s installed on your company’s computer system. You’ll stay in touch with your development team for updates. And they can modify the code as needed.
Technology is constantly moving forward, and your business needs to evolve with these changes. With custom software, you’ll never be left behind the curve. Your workplace will operate smoothly and efficiently, despite the ever-changing digital landscape.
