The Business Case for Custom Software 

What is the business case for custom software

Businesses of all types and sizes depend on software for managing their activities. Whether it’s a simple Excel spreadsheet or a more complex application, the effectiveness of the chosen approach is fundamental to successfully innovating and growing the business whilst increasing profitability. So why use custom software?

A recent survey carried out by an independent body defined the following key requirements for a successful business moving forward:

• • Improving Customer experiences
  • Increasing online presence
  • Modernising IT to take advantage of emerging market trends.
  • Cyber Security
  • Digitising business processes. 

 So, does your current approach deliver these for you? In a recent study carried out by one of the top global IT consulting companies, more than 56% of respondents said that their current systems were causing them a challenge when implementing their growth strategy. 

Now, there are many off-the-shelf solutions covering every business function and department. For some companies, these solutions may be enough for meeting their needs. However almost everyone can benefit from the alternative, a powerful  a custom-built software solution.  

What is Custom Software? 

While off-the-shelf software is designed to support companies of different types, custom built software is unique to your organisation. Once created, it can be modified or amended to match the ever-changing demands of your unique business, at the time you need it to. It is unique to your company, and it doesn’t have to meet the demands of other clients, as is the case with off-the-shelf software. 

The Benefits of Custom-Built Software 

1. 1. Designed to your specific needs. The very purpose of custom-built software is that it is built to a businesses individual needs. Off-the-shelf solutions have limits and can’t be extensively modified to fit your unique business requirements, as they must appeal to many different types of companies. So, it is likely that it will not address all your requirements, resulting in you needing another piece of software to fill the holes left, then another for another need and so on. With a custom-built alternative, you can ensure that all the tools you require can be built in one application.
   2. Increased efficiency and productivity. As a custom-built software solution provides multiple tools and solutions in one place, the employees who need to use it won’t have to go hunting through various systems to find what they’re looking for. Plus, the software itself will often have the capacity to perform operations automatically and in a more streamlined manner. That translates to more time employees can spend on completing their work and, ultimately, greater efficiency and productivity.
   3. Compatibility with your current systems and software. Unlike ready-made software, custom-built software is designed with your current systems in mind. That means stronger compatibility and better integration which in turn, leads to cost reductions, you can design the new software to fit into your existing infrastructure. In fact, it can even make your existing tools and technologies more useful, augmenting their capabilities and functionalities. Indeed it also means that any new systems can be accommodated by the custom solution whilst other ready-made software may be incompatible.
   4. Scalability. Chances are you want and expect your business to grow. And, as it does, you’ll need tools that scale with you. Typically, off-the-shelf software can’t always do that and if they do it comes at an unexpectedly high cost. A custom solution is designed around your objectives and need for flexible solutions that can change with your business. Scalability is critical, especially for newer, start-ups and custom-built software developers will devise plans to make your software growth-friendly, even if you don’t specifically set this at the outset as a requirement. 
   5. Reliability and Support. One of the big advantages of a custom-built software solution over off the shelf solutions is that you get a team of dedicated support specialists along with it. While you can’t expect off-the-shelf software companies to provide you with tailored customer service, a development team will be focused on helping you with your specific, individual needs. That’s not to say that a company that builds non-customised products won’t offer customer service, rather that it will not be specific to you, given that they’re usually serving customers across the world, not just you.
   6. Security. Cybersecurity is a pivotal concern for every business handling sensitive client data. After all, if you suffer a cyberattack, such as a data breach, you could lose hundreds of thousands of pounds and irreparable damage to your reputation. When you build custom software or work with a provider to do it on your behalf, you’re often creating tools that are more secure than your typical, off-the-shelf products. For one, it’s impossible for hackers to attack software they aren’t aware of, off the shelf software is a better target for them.
   7. The Ability to Meet Your Budgetary Constraints. Custom-built software is often more cost-effective than out-of-the-box tools. Your development team will create something that not only meets and supports your needs but also fits into your budgetary constraints and continues to serve you well into the future. Remember, too, that while custom-built software solutions can sometimes seem more expensive at first, they will usually save you more money in the long run because you’ll retain the license and won’t have to pay to replace it as your needs change.
   8. Better Profits. Ultimately, you can simply do more with custom-built software and because your work and operations will function more smoothly and effectively, you’ll also improve your business and its profitability.  

So, what are you waiting for, let us help you.