Why Businesses Need Custom Software Development
Shahzaib Munawar
- March 17th, 2020
Custom software development or Off the Shelf Software? This is a dilemma that has been an argument for quite a long time. Let me be honest it is quite confusing. For new businesses starting out especially more difficult to decide.
Custom software development has come a long way since a decade ago. Nowadays, businesses favor custom software development over market made solutions. The demand for business software solutions is not new. It has been in discussion long enough for businesses to know it is essential for growth over time.
Running a business is today age has many challenges. Major aspects of any business include analysis, supply chain operations, customer service, employee management, etc. All these tasks with the absence of software to manage it all will result in mismanagement, losses and missed opportunities over time.
Many ready-made solutions are available online so why choose custom software development? We have curated for 5 reasons why your business needs custom software development.
Automation of manual processes causing a significant increase in efficiency
Manual processes are a time taking task and firms more than one hire individuals to manage them. Let’s be real, we all have used Excel for years to manage businesses. Starting out, businesses practically run on Excel to manage. This is just one software that is on mainstream use. Many other software separately used combine to form the manual entry process.
Employees spend countless hours entering data with a risk of human error. Productivity is decreased when hours of repetitive tasks are assigned to employees over days.
Custom software will combine this multiple software solution into one, thus enhancing efficiency. It greatly reduces the time taken up by this operation. Workflow management becomes easier ensuring reliability and efficiency are enhanced in the process.
Additionally, as you grow you can add analysis add-ons to your software so you can monitor how you are growing and analyze your business any way you want.
Easier to Scale
Every business owner has in mind that the business will grow exponentially over time. Without software or just with the use of OTS software becomes a problem as the business grows. With market software as the business grows to license becomes very expensive.
While it may seem suitable to buy software when you start out but the initial investment you make in a custom solution will pay overtime. Custom software will grow according to your requirements and your pace.
No one knows better than you how your business is going to grow. Custom software typically comes with contracts for updating and management after its release. You can make your software more productive according to the growth of your business.
Ease of Management as Customer Base Grows
Initially, any business has three to four clients that are managed personally. Over time the business grows and so do the needs. Customer relationships are essential for every business. The clientele is a necessary asset that needs to be managed seamlessly. While at initial level management might seem easy, it will result in poor customer satisfaction over time. You will be caught up in a dilemma trying to manage customers on all the different platforms they reach out to you on.
A custom-made solution will combine all these operations into one solution. All the customer information, current, and past project workflow, underlaying contracts, teams assigned and customer service in one software. Thus, enabling continuous customer and team management at once to make it easier and understandable.
Nowadays, social media engagement and email responsiveness is a growing need because well customers have more knowledge and are not complete noobs. If you choose so you can also have add-ons for email management and social media engagement tools.
Reduction of Hardware Costs
Working all these years in the development industry we all understand that when businesses start out the budget, to be honest, is limited. Even though the market made solutions might seem pocket-friendly but there is a hidden disadvantage. And trust me this is a big one.
Hardware costs. They are no joke. With already made solutions you will have to cater to their requirements. So, you might have to buy new hardware to ensure maximized efficiency. What good is the money you saved from buying the software if you have to spend even more money on buying hardware to make it work the way it is supposed to?
With custom software solutions you will have software catering to your hardware. The software will be developed to adapt to your systems rather than forcing you to adapt to the software itself. Your custom software will consider your needs and ensure seamless operation over your existing hardware. This software can be further scaled should you so choose to upgrade your hardware as your business grows.
Independence from the Software Company
Buying commercial off the shelf software makes you dependent on the software company. Each time they update their payment plans, each time they update or when they decide to kill their product. You’ll have to start from scratch. Investment in both your time and money will be wasted. Let’s be honest it doesn’t happen very often but why take the risk?
You might still have a question in your mind. Isn’t custom software dependent on the company too?
Short answer: No.
Long Answer: It’s up to you.
The involvement of the company is totally up to you. You decide how you want your software to be developed. Each phase will have already been decided initially in terms of price and time constraints. You decide when you need an update. You decide how you need your software to be managed and fixed up after each potential growth in your business. It’s up to you whether you choose to stop the company’s involvement after the software has been developed, so, you see this is the liberty you only enjoy with custom-developed software solutions.
The Final Verdict
The dilemma of Custom vs. Off the Shelf Software will forever be a debate. The software you choose for your company may it be Off the Shelf or Custom, it is a very big decision. A decision big enough to impact your company’s growth as it will integrate your company’s major aspects. The successful functioning of these aspects will ensure day to day operations and success in the longer run. Custom software offers a competitive edge over other businesses and enhances productivity to boost revenue.
Gather up your requirements, outline your objectives and hire a professional team to design your custom solution. In the longer run, your one-time investment will offer you various benefits including time-saving, cost-effectiveness and risk reduction.
To see some of these Software Development Companies
Here are a few directories to view different software development companies
