- The ability to scale and grow with your company
One of the most important aspects of having software designed specifically for your business is it’s ability to scale and grow as your company does. One of the downsides of most off-the-shelf pieces of software is the fact that it very much appears to be a one-size-fits-all approach and isn’t necessarily designed to grow as your company does. The biggest problem with this is that you are then potentially paying a large outlay on a piece of software that will just need to be replaced with a bigger, more powerful version if your company grows. And one thing that people are likely to forget is that this software usually comes in lengthy contractual periods; meaning you are tied into this software which could then limit you as your company grows until you can cancel and go for something more suited to your business.
- Cheaper bespoke software for your business in the long run
And this brings us onto the next point – the overall outlay of the cost. Up-front development costs for software that has been created especially for your business may seem a little higher on the face of it but this is completely then offset by the fact that the overall lifetime costs of that software. When you have bespoke software, it is then yours and owned by you – no subscription costs or upgrades. This means that you save in the long run, especially since the software that you will have will ensure that you will be able to grow with it, without worrying about being tied into lengthy contracts.
Also not included when buying off the shelf products are the setup fees which can include a broad range of one off fees that take the costs higher than you originally thought. Are you aware of the setup costs? The one time license activation costs? Customisation, extra users and licenses, tech support etc? It all adds up.
- Your business’ custom software development is then entirely yours
The power really is in your hands here with a piece of software that has been built for you and your business. Deployment, implementation and integration with other parts of your business’ infrastructure are entirely down to you and you’re not having to wait to book time in for external stakeholders and engineers to come in and; with limited knowledge of the way your existing systems work; try to plug in a piece of software that has been built for a much wider audience. This control over the software that has been developed bespokely means that you can then have a head start on how to best utilise it to maximise efficiency
- Easily integrate bespoke software with your existing systems
Developing a piece of software that is directly compatible with your existing systems and workflows is extremely important, right? Of course – this is one of the major benefits of having bespoke software. How many times have you been looking into solutions for your credit control process, marketing automation or payments system and ended up saying to yourself “Oh, this would be perfect if it plugged into…”? There’s nothing more frustrating than finding the seemingly perfect fit for your requirements only to find out that it doesn’t quite work with your CRM or your process management software – this guesswork and disappointment is all eliminated with bespoke software.
- A much lower risk of cyber attacks and increased security for data protection
One aspect that can often be overlooked when picking software is the security aspects that are in play; especially in a world where data protection is an extremely hot topic and more and more businesses are falling foul of the new GDPR legislation. Hackers are able to exploit well-known issues and attack the vulnerabilities of the store-bought software available to businesses and access the; often valuable, data that is kept within them. The huge benefit of a bespoke developed piece of software is that you and your business are the only one using that particular system. This means that it is much less likely to be hacked and the data within it, leaked.
This means that you are then much less likely to experience a data breach, something that has seen businesses fined hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the GDPR that replaced the Data Protection Act in 2018.
- Your bespoke software is controlled solely by your business
When you have your business’ own bespoke software then you are able to fully control it’s use; with the ability to implement new changes and additional features as and when your business grows. You are then also able to rely on your internal resources to fix any potential issues with the software moving forward – eliminating expensive engineering call out fees and upgrade or servicing charges. With a greater control over what you do, you can then make the software yours to work exactly how you and your business wants it.
- It delivers a competitive advantage
Having a piece of software that is tailored perfectly to fit into your business has the main benefit of massively increasing your productivity and efficiency. This ultimately means that the same processes your competitors go through are taking you less time and effort, with reduced human error across the whole process. You’re then well placed to utilise this bespoke software development to enhance what your business does, differentiating yourself from competitors in your market. So just think, are you ready to boost yourself ahead of your competitor by having a piece of custom software developed to improve your business processes; or alternatively risk the fact that your competitors have already developed something before you…