The sweeping radical digitization wave has taken all business areas by storm and has really revolutionized the way companies market their products and services, how they work, and how they manage internal processes. In fact, a leading cause for a company’s success, while others are staying behind is exactly the digitalisation of workflow.
From my experience working in a bespoke software development company with partners in essential services such as banking, healthcare and transportation, I see the major impact custom software solutions have on business growth. By developing custom software, you invest in the future of your business and its development.
Tailor-Made To Your Business Needs
This argument is one of the most exploited ones out there. As I was doing my research, there was hardly an article out there on the subject without mentioning this reason in the top three advantages of custom software. However, if you really think about it, the logic is quite simple. No two businesses are alike. Even if they operate in the same industry, they might be on different business stages, apply different business models and target different end clients.
The mixture of all these various circumstances produces something better known as unique business challenges. You probably know that unique challenges call for unique solutions. That’s why custom software solutions are precisely tailored to solve the problem a company is facing and to meet their needs in the most efficient way.
Easier Integration with Existing Systems
Because everything in a bespoke software solution is highly customisable, this allows for the uncomplicated integration with your legacy system. As the software is adapted to the processes you already employ, the risk of worrying about potential integration issues, e.g. exchange of existing data between IT systems or architectural differences is practically eliminated.
Purchasing a standard solution just to find out that the tech systems don’t match will only end up in additional modification and implementation costs. Plus, the complete replacement of old software is often not necessary. In most cases, old systems can be expanded and optimized by integrating individually programmed software.
Securing Compliance with the Highest Standards
Even the best digital solution from world-class suppliers can have problems complying with the standard rules and processes adopted in a business. The makers of this software may come up with industry-recognized standard recommendations, but most of the time a company has to think outside the box in the course of its day-to-day business.
Any technological implementation must be closely related to business objectives, and companies must have a clear idea of the use cases that a certain technology could solve. Let’s say that you operate in a particular industry such as logistics. Then, it would be optimal to invest in a custom software solution that automatically handles invoices, customs declarations, labelling and package tracking. Doing this helps maximize the value of human potential by automating previously manual processes.
The Scalability Factor under the Radar
Everyone who is in business wants to grow. The question is that there are factors facilitating business growth and others that pose challenges. Off-the-shelf software solutions are often advertised as scalable for large tasks. But when your unique requirements require flexibility outside the scope defined by the software development company, then you are left with expensive software that can’t be tailored to your application.
This is another area where custom software development can change the game in the technological landscape. The components of such software can be built taking into account the objectives specific to your field of activity and not just a standard requirement in the industry. Therefore, when new scalability requirements arise, custom software will be able to adapt and process workflows.
The Power of Innovation
The road to becoming an industry leader inevitably goes through innovation and a custom software solution can play a pivotal role in your journey. How exactly? If you think about it, customer demands are always rising and this puts businesses on the hotspot of innovation.
Chances are that the more you innovate, the greater your chances are of satisfying various consumer interests. Digital transformation is also seen as a necessary growth milestone in making sense of all available data and utilising it in your favour.
When companies buy expensive and ready-to-implement software from different suppliers, they limit their own dimensions of innovation. With your own custom software, you can experiment with innovative concepts faster, without depending on other technology providers. This can help increase market competence and helps you position your brand as a forerunner, rather than a late adopter for the innovations desired by consumers.
Also Read: How Live Chat Software Can Help Grow Your Business
Your Solution is Ready, Now What?
Once your custom software solution is deployed, your business can immediately start utilizing its features and optimize processes, while increasing productivity. However, as soon as your business software is ready, it will need technical support and maintenance to function properly and execute all its features uninterrupted. Essentially, software maintenance services help companies improve their product’s technical performance and go through mandatory updates.
This ultimately makes the software more modern and robust so that it can withstand any current market demands within your industry. Ultimately, there are four types of software maintenance you can go for:
- Preventive Maintenance – helps in checking the system for foreseeable vulnerabilities to maximize virtual storage capacities and assist fast code execution.
- Adaptive Maintenance – focuses on the software infrastructure part such as adding new UI features, security updates or policies (e.g. GDPR).
- Corrective Maintenance – helps identify and fix errors that are occurring in the software, boosting code quality and reaching enhanced problem resolution.
- Perfective Maintenance – focuses on coordinating all elements, functions, system processes, functionalities, increasing overall speed and performance.