10 + Reasons To Choose Custom Software Development Rather Than Prebuilt Solution

What is custom software?

Custom software or bespoke software is conceptualised, designed, and developed to automate the particular workflow of a business to bridge the efficient gaps. Specially developed for a particular business, bespoke software addresses the identified performance gaps of a business. Bespoke or custom software development is started only after deciding customisation level that identifies the particular customer’s requirements. Custom software development can be segregated into three categories –

1. The bespoke software development is started from scratch using conventional methods.

2. Semi-customised software development doesn’t change the code of existing software and uses

the same framework to tweak the code the add new functionalities.

3. Copied software development uses the same source code that your competitors might be using

but some tweaks to code alter certain features and functionalities under a limit.

What is Prebuilt Software or Off-The-Shelf Software?

Off-the-shelf software or prebuilt software is made available as a package for a range of audience and business processing. These are developed keeping in mind the requirements of multiple users. However, off-the-shelf software often fails to fulfill the specific needs of process automation of a particular business. In addition, the opportunity to have a competitive advantage can be lost since all your competitors use the same software. Some examples of off-the-shelf software are SAP, Quickbooks, Zoho CRM, Salesforce, BMC, etc.

Difference Between Custom Software Development & Prebuilt Software Solution

Custom software or bespoke software is developed for a particular company in line with the particular business processing. Off-the-shelf software or prebuilt software solution is readily available in a standard format; it allows some of its features and functionalities according to particular business processing.

Prebuilt software solutions often fall short of meeting the specific needs of a business leaving a number of features unused. Custom software is adapted to automate the intended processes of a business, whereas off-the-shelf or prebuilt software puts compulsion to adapt its capabilities.

Ten Reasons Why Businesses Need Custom Software for Workflow Automation

According to Statista’s report, the software development market in the UK is expected to grow @ 6.42% CAGR up to 2028. It shows the strengthening trust of businesses in automation software solutions. An increasing number of businesses are hiring dedicated custom software developers from reputed business software development companies to bridge the efficiency gaps.

Any leading business software development company in the UK offers both – bespoke software development and off-the-shelf software development. Here I list ten reasons that support the choice of hiring custom software developers for bespoke software development, integration, and deployment-

1. Custom Software Solutions are Economical: Compared to off-the-shelf business processing software solutions, custom software solutions may seem a little pricier at the start but they prove an economical choice with time. You don’t need to pay periodic license fees or for 3rd party apps.

2. Personalised Features: Custom-to-need features and functionalities streamline and automate business tasks in a better way as you wish while creating a manageable database for getting data-driven insights to make informative decisions.

3. Reliability and Efficiency: A prebuilt software package comes with numerous features; many of which you don’t need. Custom software development company builds a tailored-to-need software program to address all the fundamental requirements with utmost perfection. As bespoke software is designed just for your business operations, reliability and efficiency are better than a prebuilt software solution.

4. Seamless Automation of Daily Tasks: Every business performs differently; therefore, it needs different software to automate its daily tasks for high accuracy and increased productivity. The bespoke software is developed in a way a business functions; it understands the tasks better to deliver the expected results and maximum ROI.

5. Security: When you hire a leading business software development company for custom software development by dedicated custom software developers, you can be sure of getting robust security features. Custom software is more secure because you can choose and update the security layers as you wish.

6. Customised Reporting: Objective-oriented real-time reporting is a crucial aspect of business automation software; bespoke business automation software are better tuned to create task and objective-oriented reports with enhanced flexibility to generate a report for particular insights.

7. One Solution for Multiple Tasks: The custom software developers analyze your business workflow in different verticals that you want to automate; and, they develop a single bespoke software solution to automate all the concerned tasks in a seamless fashion.

8. Easy Maintenance: It is easy to maintain a custom software solution without being dependent on a third-party company. When you hire the best custom software development company, you get additional support for maintenance and upgrades. The bespoke software solution has better flexibility for upgrading as per changing requirements at a lower cost in comparison to off-the- shelf software.

9. Faster Adoption: Custom software solutions are designed for the particular user segment according to their skills and capabilities; therefore, users need less training to use the integrated software up to its full potential. In addition, the bespoke business software development company provides personalised training also to ensure the maximum usage of embedded features and functionalities.

10. Scalability: Customised software solutions are considered more stable and flexible than prebuilt software solutions. Custom software accommodates the changing requirements as your business grows over the time.

11. Simple & Streamlined Integration: You don’t need to make changes in the existing system to accommodate new bespoke software because it is developed only after the audit of existing system. The custom software integration is simple; it is deployed without disturbing the ongoing business activities.

12. Ownership: When you hire a custom software development company for bespoke software development, the deployed software becomes your asset. You own the software rights and you are free to make changes to respond promptly to changing requirements and market dynamics.

When You Should Opt for Custom Software to Automate Business Operations

The choice between custom software and prebuilt software solutions depends on the specific business needs, timeline, and budget. According to the Grand View Research report, the global market size of bespoke software development is expected to expand at a CAGR of 19.4% up to 2030. Trusting a custom software development company for bespoke software solution development is a smart choice if-

• You are running a specific business that needs unique software with specifically tailored functionalities
• You want to advance tech capabilities by integrating multiple pieces of software to automate a range of processes seamlessly
• You want to reduce the increasing overhead expenses of using off-the-shelf software like 3 rd party subscription costs and license fee
• You want easy-to-use business software that can be used easily up to its full potential by all the intended users with the least training
• If your business workflow changes frequently
• You want to replace legacy software system and IT infrastructure at a minimum cost with an advanced cutting-edge software system
• You want to have a scalable software solution that could identify changing requirements of business on time
• You want unique software to enhance the customer experience with a banded and personalised touch

Seven Types of Custom Software Solutions You May Ask to a Bespoke Business Software Development Company

The seven common types of custom software solutions that will boost the performance of your business are-

1. Custom Desktop Software 2. Custom Web Application Software

3. Custom Real-time Big Data processing software

4. Custom Content Management System

5. Custom Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software

6. Custom Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software

7. Custom e-Commerce Software

How Web Alliance Can Help You Have Custom Software Solution

Over the decades, Web Alliance has become the top agency providing affordable bespoke software solutions to a range of business sectors. The customer-centric approach to developing and deploying custom software to meet the identified needs makes a difference to your satisfaction. The leading custom software development company in the UK, Web Alliance has the best custom software developers having certified skills and years of experience in bespoke software development from scratch. When you choose Northampton-based Web Alliance for bespoke software development, you can be sure of getting the best worth of your investment in terms of optimised features/functionalities, justified prices, tech stack, transparency, on-time delivery, and dependable support services.