What springs to mind when someone says custom-made to you? Do you think extra-expensive with unnecessary frills? On the contrary, do you think that you’ll get something that works for you and you alone? Depending on the product, custom-made can be the best way forward. This is in fact the case when it comes to software and working with a custom software development company.  

Benefits of Working with a Custom Software Development Company

One of the greatest advantages of working with a custom software development company is the level of guidance and advice that you’ll get. Essentially, you’ll have a business partner working alongside you such as to ensure the success of your company.

• Strategic Advice
• Flexibility and Scalability
• Integration and Modernization
• Cyber Security

Strategic Advice

A custom software development company will analyze your business to understand your current challenges and bottlenecks. From this, they’ll design and develop solutions to work with your specific strategy. You’ll benefit from an outsider’s view and they’ll also provide insight from a lot of experience gained from across many industries and companies. Many also offer customer data gathering, including customer journey experience mapping and go-to-market development planning.

Flexibility and Scalability

As you might expect, the main advantage of custom-made solutions is that you can make your product as flexible as you want. Your custom software development company can tailor their solution to make it scalable for your future growth. Furthermore, they’ll propose features that you might never have thought of otherwise.

Integration and Modernization

Most businesses already have some form of software that is most probably off-the-shelf. The key to a successful solution implementation though is to have everything integrated so that operations flow smoothly. A custom software development company can do that for you and remove bugs that might exist in any of the handover points. Furthermore, they’ll make sure that you have some modern solutions that can be as state-of-the-art as you wish it to be. Your final solution will be a fully integrated system that is both efficient and reliable.

Cyber Security

Off-the-shelf products tend to be more targeted by hackers. This is because it makes more sense to spend time and effort hacking into something that is used by a larger volume of people. In addition, a custom software development company can advise you on extra security should you feel that your business and industry demands it.

Custom Solutions compared to Off-the-Shelf Products

At this point, it’s worth noting some key differences that custom solutions have compared to off-the-shelf products, as listed below:

• Long-term solution versus quick-fix
• Greater value for money
• More differentiation
• Less frequent upgrades

Long-Term Solution versus Quick-Fix

Of course, off-the-shelf products serve a purpose and can be a very useful quick-fix when you have a major problem. They’re readily available and most come at reasonable prices. However, they don’t tend to set your business up for the future as they are really designed for immediate problems. You’ll therefore find that they become outdated very quickly. On the other hand, custom solutions are designed for the long-term and to support your future growth.

Greater Value for Money

Working with a custom software development company offers you greater value for money because you’re buying a project rather than a one-off product. If you work out the cost over the length of time of your project then you’ll find that custom solutions have greater value for money. Also, due to the short-term focus of off-the-shelf products, you’ll most likely find yourself having to constantly buy newer models.

More Differentiation

Naturally, custom solutions are unique and you can have as much differentiation as you want. Your custom software development company can advise you as to what that might look like though. It’s worth remembering that you probably also want to keep things simple and easy to use.

Less Frequent Upgrades

Off-the-shelf products come with very regular upgrades which can be frustrating as it can slow things down. On the flip side, a custom software development company will define a maintenance plan with you once your solution has been implemented. This plan works with your newly installed system and with your business’s schedule and needs. Any potential downtime can be planned according to your business cycle and therefore disrupt things as little as possible. Again, a custom software development company is here to support your business as much as possible.

Concluding thoughts on How a Custom Software Development Company Can make a Difference to Businesses

When it comes to growing a business, you shouldn’t try to save a few bucks for the short-term fix. On the contrary, you should focus on the long-term and be as strategic as you can. Working with a custom software development company allows you just this whilst also giving you the benefits of a trusted guide and adviser.