If it's one thing all business owners can agree on, it's that the goal is to always make business processes more efficient. Most of the time that means purchasing multiple types of software products to help track and report how the business is performing. The problem with having all these software is that they are all separate, which makes it more difficult to get the full grasp of how the company is doing as a whole. So how is this problem solved? The answer is custom software development. When your business chooses to have custom software developed, you have the flexibility to make it fit all of your business needs. When choosing a software development company to build your custom solution, it is best to pick an experienced agency such as TechArk Solutions in Norfolk Virginia. Let’s go over how your business can benefit from utilizing a custom software solution.
- Custom Software Solutions
As mentioned above, it is common practice for businesses to subscribe or purchase software to assist with daily operations. Having many different softwares for different departments of your business may become necessary, but this is not the most effective method. Most of the time these different software programs are not able to be linked together, making it difficult to share information. With a custom software solution, you can create one place that all departments of your company can use and share important information more easily. This custom software will be unique because it is designed to meet your business’s specific needs.
When your business decides to have a custom software solution built, your team will meet with a development agency. They will go over all the details of your business and propose how they can create a software solution that will improve the efficiency of your business to save you time and money. Next your team and the agency have narrowed down what functionality will be needed, if the software will be for internal use, external use or both and the design aesthetic you would like. Finally, their team of developers will get to work building your software. Throughout the development process your team and the developers will meet to ensure all expectations are met and all business needs are addressed. Now that you know what developing a custom software solution entails, let’s discuss how your business will be improved.
Benefits of Having Custom Software Developed
- Meet All Specific Business Needs
At risk of sounding like a broken record, custom software solutions are great for small businesses because they have the capability to meet all of your business’s needs. When looking for out-of-the-box solutions there will always be some features that are unavailable or out of your price range. With custom software, the sky's the limit. Developers will listen to your wants and needs and create a personalized solution that will streamline your business processes and improve efficiency.
- Reduce Costs
Many business owners believe that having a custom solution developed would actually be more expensive. While they are not wrong that the initial costs will be higher, your business will ultimately save money in the long run. This is due to the fact that most out-of-the-box solutions come with monthly and licensing fees. These fees add up the longer your business uses the service and will no doubt cost more than the initial cost of building a custom solution.
- Grows with Your Business
When your business is just starting out, you might not realize some of the tools your business will need as it grows. If your business utilizes ready made solutions, it might be harder to get all your business requires from these solutions. Some of the features your business will grow to need might not be available or may be out of your price range. With a custom software solution, updates can always be made so that your business always has all the tools it needs to succeed.
- Streamline Manual Business Processes
There are always some tasks required for a business that are necessary but are time consuming. Custom software solutions allow you to automate some of the manual processes. This allows you to allocate time and resources to other more pressing tasks while still getting all the information your business needs to make important decisions.
- Reliability and Security
Utilizing third party solutions may be a quicker option, but your business is at the mercy of others. This leaves the door open for scenarios such as the software not functioning properly when you need it most or worst, crucial and confidential information about your business and clients getting leaked due to a security breach. Having your own custom software solution for your business allows you to be in control and make sure it is always functioning and is always up to date on the latest security protocols.
- Support and Maintenance
While support and maintenance may not be a top priority for your business when considering whether to use a ready-made software or to build your own, it is very important to take into consideration. It can be hard to reach a support team when your out of the box software program goes down which can put you in a less than ideal situation. If your business utilizes a custom software solution, your business knows exactly who to call for help which can help solve the problem and get you back up and running more quickly.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that your small business can benefit from having a custom software solution developed instead of using multiple pre-made software programs. Custom software solutions will not only improve your business’s efficiency, it can also save you time and money. When partnering with a software development company, it is best to pick a team of experienced software developers, for example TechArk Solutions headquartered in Norfolk VA. Their team of experts have created multiple software solutions for clients to be used internally only, that are customer-facing or a combination of the two. If your business is in need of a custom software solution, contact TechArk today.
