The essence of every successful business lies in generating profit, primarily achieved by addressing a problem. Solving a problem is not merely the end goal; much like an athlete who, after rigorous training, sets a new national record, there remains a WORLD record to surpass. Similarly, in business, once the capability to solve a problem is established, there is a need to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, maximize profits, streamline processes, and most importantly, survive in today's competitive market. For this reason, businesses of all sizes should adopt state-of-the-art technological solutions.
The opportunities technology offers businesses are indeed magical; many large corporations, including Amazon, Google, Apple, Walmart, and smaller companies like Shopify and Zendesk, can attest to this. They have successfully leveraged custom software to drive growth, attract and maintain customer relationships, optimize procedures, enhance security, and automate certain processes.
You might be pondering whether your business requires custom software. The reasons outlined here should aid your decision-making, unless you've already decided, but we believe that after reading this piece, you might reconsider.
What is Custom a Software?
According to "Wikipedia," custom software (also known as bespoke software or tailor-made software) is specifically created for an organization or any other user. The term "specific" highlights the uniqueness of the software to a particular organization. A company might conceive a creative idea to aid their operations or solve a unique challenge, necessitating the development of custom software to meet their specific requirements, thus bringing the idea to fruition. Before designing custom software, the company in need would search for ready-made software to satisfy their needs. If such a search proves futile, the company would either begin designing the software if they have access to developers internally or outsource to a third party. This third party could be a developer or a team of developers tasked with designing, creating, deploying, and maintaining the software.
Top 5 Reasons Why Every Business Needs Custom Software
As previously mentioned, the grandeur of tailor-made software cannot be overstated. Despite the availability of numerous prefabricated software in the market, nothing compares to breathing life into something new, something meant solely for your business. As an entrepreneur, the key to thriving in today's competitive market is uniqueness, achieved by standing out and being distinct from other businesses offering similar products or services.Being human, it is natural to question the worthiness of investing time and money in custom software. Therefore, we have highlighted a few reasons to help you understand why your business requires custom software to thrive in today's competitive market.
1. Custom Software Helps Businesses Keep Up with Ever-Growing Demands
Newton's first law of motion states that a static body will only move if an external force acts upon it. This can be interpreted to mean that the application of a force is expected to have an effect, typically in terms of motion, and it is unlikely to be negative. This is similar in business and company management; with significant investment in the business, there are high expectations regarding growth and expansion. With growth comes increased demands, and in many cases, businesses struggle to keep up. What happens when they can't? It's detrimental! With more customers, increased size, and expansion across all sectors of a business, scalable solutions become essential, and custom software can easily adapt to this growth without necessitating a complete system overhaul. They are built to allow for easy updates and the addition of new features as the business landscape shifts, without disrupting existing operations. In contrast, a business using off-the-shelf software would need to find another software capable of meeting their requirements, which could be a lengthy search. What if the business expands even more? Another change? To avoid this back-and-forth, custom-made software is recommended. A striking feature of custom software is its ability to grow and evolve alongside the business, enabling it to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities as they arise.
Additionally, custom software can automate certain processes, especially repetitive tasks that may become more complex with growth. This reduces manual effort, saves the company money, enhances efficiency, and allows employees to focus on more important tasks.
2. Cost Effectiveness
Building custom software is akin to constructing a house; you pay the builder to develop it specifically for you, usually after consulting an architect or another specialist with a design in mind. You pay for their services, and you don't have to keep paying that fee every month. Similarly, custom software incurs a one-time fee, with no recurring costs for licenses and subscriptions.
The initial payment, which is the development cost, is often high, but in the long run, it is more appreciated than the money spent on off-the-shelf software. It's better to buy a high-quality phone that will last for years rather than a cheap one that requires frequent replacement. With custom-made software, you don't waste money on extra features that do not add value to your business. It is tailored to meet your specific requirements and adapt to evolving needs.
Do you walk into a boutique hoping to buy a suit that fits perfectly? Yes? You might be lucky! A tailored suit, however, doesn't require you to rely on luck. A man who buys a magical wand needs instructions on how to wield it, but a man who needs a specific wand gives the 'Maker' instructions on how to develop it. With custom-made software, the business owner writes the manual, eliminating extra training costs.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, there is an upgrade button with custom software—not literally—but with business expansion, there is no need for new software. It can be easily adjusted to meet growing demands, and new features can be integrated without the need for entirely different software. For these and many other reasons, businesses need custom software to thrive in today's market.
3. Enhanced Security
Off-the-shelf software is an 'easy-pick' software; it is readily available to everyone willing to pay. Hence, the security embedded for all businesses using it is similar. Imagine a multimillionaire interested in real estate construction and sales; he has several methods at his disposal to ensure safe building and prevent collapse or hazards in the long run. After considering various factors, he embarks on the project using the method he chooses. Upon completion, he sells to someone who must accept it with the design he had in mind. This is similar to off-the-shelf software; the business must accept the security systems put in place by the developers, which may be limited based on their subscribed plan. Custom software, however, offers better security. Just like a custom-built safe can be designed to fit your specific needs, custom-made software can include security features tailored to your business. New security features can be incorporated without disrupting your business; as mentioned earlier, generic software will not offer this.Custom-made software is also less targeted; a thief is more likely to steal gold than an unknown, more valuable precious stone. Off-the-shelf software is usually targeted by hackers because many businesses use it. There are also various security advantages, such as full control over updates, protection of sensitive data through encryption (even if accessed, it cannot be understood), user access management, and more.
Finally, custom-made software can be designed to meet certain standards and comply with all regulations, reducing the risk of future problems.
4. Customer Experience and Reliability
Most businesses using off-the-shelf software and wanting to migrate to tailor-made solutions often distribute questionnaires to gather customer feedback. Custom-made software isn't just tailored to meet business needs; it is designed to cater to customer preferences, embodying features that directly address and satisfy customer needs. TikTok, for example, is a platform used by millions worldwide. Most videos you watch on the platform are monitored, and subsequently, as you visit the platform, you are presented with similar content. That's exactly how custom-made software is built; it's developed like a personal shopper who remembers your preferences and makes recommendations, making you feel valued and appreciated. Custom-made software can streamline processes to respond to customer inquiries, track their experiences, and offer a more personalized experience.
If negative feedback arises or a problem occurs, custom-made software is designed to help the employer resolve issues efficiently and update the software based on feedback to enhance the personalized experience.
Furthermore, custom-made software is reliable; the business owner ensures it is of high quality and that everything necessary is in place. This ensures that the services rendered by the business are delivered consistently and reliably.
5. Easy Maintenance
Understanding how a system works aids maintenance; imagine trying to use complicated software without a user manual. A user manual is more than just a guide; it serves as a roadmap explaining features, functions, and troubleshooting steps.
All businesses seek to expand, and with expansion comes growth in all sectors, especially the workforce. Hence, employers and employees would have access to the software used by the business. It can be likened to a house with different rooms, each with a function, and each inhabitant, despite occupying a room, could say they live in the house. With such a number, it is crucial that when an error in a section needs fixing, or a particular section needs updating, it does not affect the house as a whole. This is exactly what custom-made software offers; regular updates can occur, and the software can be improved based on customer feedback and various factors without disrupting the business.
If you intend to change something, like adding a new tool, section, or anything at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. This means less downtime and fewer headaches for everyone using the software. In short, custom software is easier to maintain compared to off-the-shelf software, as allowances are made during its development for future problems peculiar to similar software that might arise.
Conclusion
Having custom-made software is essential for any business today. As markets change, humans evolve, and human needs continue to grow, it is crucial for companies to keep up; hence the need to step up and level the playing field. Custom software helps businesses adapt quickly to these demands, making operations smoother and more efficient. While it may seem like a significant initial investment in terms of cost, it often leads to significant savings in the long run by automating tasks and reducing operational costs.
