Custom software development – eight key benefits

If you are considering whether to commission custom software development to support your operations, you’ve probably experienced some pain in terms of operational inefficiency and ‘simple’ tasks being almost impossible to achieve. For some, the specific needs of your business operations can’t be met by off the shelf products, a custom application is the only real solution.  

While embarking on a quest for a custom software development company it’s worth noting that there are a number of significant benefits that you can realise from using custom software. Let’s take a look. 

 

Eight reasons to build custom software

1. Increased return on investment (ROI)

At first glance, the cost of custom software development can seem expensive, as the cost is front-loaded.  You haven’t experienced the full financial benefits, the longer term ROI.

Although the ticket price of custom software is often greater than an off the shelf alternative, the long term costs are less: less hardware, fewer licences to buy and more efficient, streamlined operational processes. 

2. Scalability 

As your business grows, if you’re processes are cumbersome, with a number of touch points, then the problems you have are only going to intensify as you grow – there’s friction. 

By having an operation that is streamlined and systematic you reduce the friction: the touch points and opportunities for errors are reduced or eliminated. If you have a business that is seasonal, then having the option to scale up and down, as required, can also be extremely efficient.   

3. Flexibility

Custom software is, by design, adaptable. Should your processes change, you have the flexibility to update your software, avoiding the sunken cost of purchasing new off the shelf software, time and again. 

4.  Digital transformation

Should your custom software development create the opportunity to migrate manual and on premise operations to cloud computing, you will experience all the the benefits associated with cloud: scalability, high availability and geographic reach.  

In a world of flexible working and staff working remotely, digital transformation gives your business the benefit of retaining staff that want to work remotely, but also to recruit staff across a wide geography.  You can read this Forbes article that explains some of the business  benefits that are realised from remote working. 

5. System integration

In today’s digital world, organisations rely on a large number of applications and services.  Users want to be able to work with them seamlessly, with the convenience of single sign-on (SSO) and access to up to the minute information from across the business. IT Managers  and System Administrators want to spend less time responding to help requests associated with forgotten passwords and being locked out of one system or another. All of this relies on system integration.

Custom software can be developed to support the processes and infrastructure  that span your business. System integration should be a consideration for every software development project. 

6. User experience  (UX)

People like to feel in control, it makes them feel good about themselves. If your staff are following processes that are onerous and mundane then engagement levels will deteriorate.  Investing in software that does just what you need it to do, will improve UX and increase staff confidence.  It will also free up time to focus on value added tasks that support the retention, development and growth of your business and your staff.  

7. Competitive advantage 

By creating an innovative new way of doing things can give your business a real competitive advantage. In a mature, enterprise organisation if you can increase productivity and efficiency then your business becomes more profitable.

8. Technical support

 As soon as you commission a custom software development company for your project, you start a collaborative support network that understands your operations, your infrastructure and your goals.  Compared to off the shelf alternatives, where you may get some online FAQs, you have the assurance that support is at hand.  

Managed services packages that provide an agreed number of support hours per month can help your staff in the initial stages of production, but also provide an efficient way to maintain applications and handle challenges that enable business continuity into the future.