Key Signs That Indicate Your Business Is Ripe For Custom Software

It’s not uncommon for several small businesses to invest in commercial off-the-shelf software when they are starting off.  And sure, this tactic may prove successful when it comes to certain common business processes, yet you will begin to recognize its flaws when you find that your employees are being forced to perform workarounds or manual interventions to support the commercial-off-the-shelf software (COTS). That said, what exactly are the criteria you should consider when establishing whether an off-the-shelf or Custom software development services are the ideal solution for your small business?

Here are some of the red flags that you’d need to keep an eye out for before reaching a ‘buy’ versus ‘build’ software decision.

Manual workarounds

If you’ve found that your employees are unhappy with and constantly complaining about the off-the-shelf system and are forced to employ manual workarounds to manage daily tasks, you’d be wise to switch to custom software, as it has the capacity to readily fix this challenge.

Your employees steer clear of it

If your employees avoid using the software, this is ample proof that it isn’t compatible with your business. In this case, you may notice that your staff will even carry out their tasks manually if they find it quicker and more efficient, or they may choose to revert to the old way of performing tasks rather than use the software.

Resorting to a patchwork of software to achieve tasks

If despite having COTS you still have to resort to using a mishmash of software solutions for each department or team, it’ll lead to a great deal of inefficiency. Departments are interdependent and data needs to flow smoothly between them to create management reports or process customer orders and so on.

Facing restrictions to perform various tasks with your sales leads

For instance, with readymade software your CRM (customer relationship management) system may not be completely optimized to handle your sales process- like offer pricing, or a specific workflow etc., and as a result not allowing you to do what you need to do with sales leads.

Incurring costs for unnecessary features

If you opt for ready-made software, it’s highly likely that you’d inadvertently be paying for features that are of no use or irrelevant to your business operations.  In the long run this would be an unnecessary expense that you’d rather have avoided.

Contrarily, with custom software you’d have complete control to develop features that are relevant and those that serve to optimize the flow of your business. As with any great asset you may need to put down an initial investment, yet ultimately the returns you’d receive far outweigh the upfront costs- a small price to pay for rapid business growth and increased efficiencies.

Efficiency gone out the window due to lack of automation

A successful small business will typically have a jam-packed order book. With a view toward efficiency you’d necessarily need to integrate several different sales processes, and this could easily be remedied with recourse to automation. Custom software leverages the power of automation to reduce your workloads and increase your profits.

Among other things, automation takes a leading role in streamlining accounting, purchasing, inventory, payroll, timesheets, forecasting, supply chain management and so on.

Business expansion is encountering roadblocks

Quite a few well established businesses had their roots in humble beginnings, often working out of cafes or their garage. In the initial phase, it’s fairly usual to find off-the-shelf software that performs suitably well.  But as your business begins to gain momentum, it simultaneously starts functioning at a more complex level. It’s often found that off-the-shelf products lack the scalability and flexibility to keep up with your business’s growth. In case your existing software is tending to hamstring your growth, you should start looking out for custom solutions that empower you to add user groups and functionalities gradually over time.

Data migration to new system

In a scenario where your business needs have transitioned and you are looking to migrate to a new system, don’t overlook the fact that transferring data from one system to another is a meticulous task, of the kind best handled by a skilled developer.  That being the case, you’d be wise to consider more ways in which to leverage the developer’s skills- for instance, to craft a custom solution, tailor-made to your business.

Branding becomes a priority

A critical strategy to ensure the success of your small business is custom branding. You’d need to focus on personalization particularly if you have an app to interface with your customers.  While ready-made solutions may fit the bill when it’s only used internally, software that is seen by consumers- for instance, an online ordering system- can be set apart from rival businesses with custom branding or design, in terms of brand colors, logo and what have you. If you are considering an app for your business, ensure that it’s fitted out with a tailored look.

Licensing fees keep mounting

Ready-made solutions are in effect rented, not purchased- particular with the current scenario where software is being provided through the cloud. Licensing fees could cost you an arm and a leg, so comparatively custom software is likely to be much more cost-effective in the long-term. If in the long run you expect to expand the software system to include several networks or workstations, the fact that you own a customized solution and have the power to use it without limits according to your own discretion will make all the difference.

Data is more vulnerable to cyber attacks

Off-the-shelf software is more open to external threats and gets easily infiltrated by hackers. Hackers seek to steal intellectual property, personal data, credit card passwords, and the like. This is because off-the-shelf solutions are developed for generalized usage. Essentially the source program code of ready-made software is easier to hack in contrast to its customized counterpart.

So, even before you finalize on which route you should take, you’d need to estimate your ROI (return on investment) to ascertain that you reap considerably more than you’ve invested, in terms  of greater economies of scale or improved efficiencies. Bear in mind, a one-time down payment may be all you require to have your very own custom software solution, and conversely the expenses of a typical ready-made solution would be a recurring cost spanning the life of the product.