How Bespoke Software Can Add Real Value to Business
In a post-pandemic world, most businesses started digitally transforming themselves even more to meet the demands of the new normal. In this scenario, both established companies and small firms invested in bespoke solutions to enhance workflows, optimise processes, and more.
Once perceived as a viable solution for corporate giants, bespoke software and mobile applications have become a business imperative for almost everyone.
This is because turn-key solutions can only get you so far. At some point, you’ll find yourself juggling multiple tools or changing the way you work to accommodate off-the-shelf software.
Bespoke application development helps you customise tools to your specific needs. This approach allows companies to improve in-house operations, cut waste, increase productivity, and boost revenue streams.
What Is a Bespoke Software Solution?
Companies invest in bespoke software to fulfil their specific needs. So, for example, when you develop enterprise applications to improve the way you work, you’re already on your way to boosting productivity.
Simply put, bespoke software development includes designing, developing, implementing, and managing a business-specific application. Then, it’s used only by an exclusive set of users, functions, or organizations.
The process starts when you have your first discussion with a custom software development provider. In this case, your development partner will first analyse your business, software requirements and propose a bespoke dynamic, cost-effective, and scalable solution. These tailor-made technologies can focus on your staff, customers, or the organization at large.
However, before you pick up the phone and make that call, ask yourself the following questions:
If you answered “yes” to most of the questions above, you need bespoke software!
Build Something Special
If you take a step back and think about it, bespoke software is something really special. It’s not the same as installing Microsoft Office and working with Word. Instead, you develop custom software for your specific organisation and the way you have always worked (or want to adapt and work in the future).
In a way, custom applications are like a work of art. All the technical parts come together creatively and help get the job done while delivering enhanced user experiences. You also get to use a one-of-a-kind technology that no one else has access to.
Simple and Streamlined Integration
Larger enterprises use multiple bespoke solutions at different stages of their existence. This makes it important to develop new technologies that perfectly fit into your present infrastructure.
With a turn-key solution, it’s almost guaranteed to create integration and compatibility issues. However, you won’t have the same problem with bespoke development. It also negates the need to spend more on microservices.
What’s more, you can extend and enhance the performance of current tools and technologies used by the company.
More Secure Than Turn-Key Solutions
One point that fails to attract much attention is the fact that bespoke applications are more secure. Bad actors always target commercial solutions because they already know all the ins and outs of that solution.
With custom enterprise software, it’s a whole new ball game. They must find a way to breach it and understand how it works, making their job more difficult. As tailor-made solutions are often built from scratch, it’s also a lot harder to infiltrate.
Competitive Advantage
Custom software can also help businesses gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. After all, no one has your software, and they can’t just purchase a license online to replicate what you’re doing.
Furthermore, having your own branded software gives your company a true mark of distinction. It can also help boost brand value internally and promote your business while you engage customers.
Scale Your Business
Whenever the technologies at your disposal don’t make it easier for you to work, it’s best to change them. Bespoke software developers are excellent problem solvers. They will set you up to keep progressing and grow your business.
Most software systems are an extension of other business systems. This makes it critical not to look at each one of them in isolation. Instead, good bespoke applications scale seamlessly and are integral to growth.
So, whenever your current tools fall short, you might have to reimagine them. For example, Seddon reached out to evolve when Microsoft SharePoint simply didn’t fit the bill.
Seddon was using SharePoint to create a company-wide content management platform called The Hub. But it simply wouldn’t help them realise their plans for The Hub. In this case, SharePoint was unstable, inconsistent, and significantly impacted performance.
Evolve helped Seddon by building a more robust architecture for content migration and management. We applied governance protocols, and policies and procedures were separated and protected. This bespoke approach helped greatly improve performance and efficiency.
When all internal operations and communication are working like a well-oiled machine, you’re well placed to scale and grow your business.
Highly Cost-Effective
While it’s natural to think that a mass-produced commercial tool would be cheaper, the reality is often the opposite. While a significant initial investment is required, you’ll access considerable savings over the long term.
You won’t need to juggle multiple applications to complete a task. You won’t have to pay a yearly license fee for all these different technologies. You would also have enabled enhanced efficiency and productivity, which impacts your bottom line.
For example, we helped Hope Cement reimagine their existing Proof of Delivery (POD) process that started to cause some serious issues. The system they had was laborious and required two full-time staff members to locate and get the papers in order. It also led to approximately 1,000 calls a month to credit control. This was both cost and resource-intensive.
To solve this problem, our software engineers, and designers at Evolve turned the tables and allowed the customer to complete the POD by themselves. We helped Hope Cement achieve this by building a hosted self-service portal and integrated it with a third-party scanning partner. We also added an additional reporting function to allow customers to report issues.
The bespoke solution helped boost customer experiences and significantly reduced the pressure on credit control staff. Moreover, as the 1,000 calls became zero calls, they were also able to save a significant chunk of money.
Finally, each function and each feature in bespoke software development is tested extensively and improved with feedback. This means that you are better placed to avoid potential conflicts and problems down the road.
Share: