How to grow your business with custom software

Sure, out-of-the-box solutions are the most comfortable options. But they no longer work in today’s market. Now, users need personalization. The product, any product, should cater to customer needs and fulfill their requirements. This is one of the ways to succeed in the market. That’s why more and more often, entrepreneurs decide to invest in custom software development services. Because your software is your competitive advantage.

This article will answer the following questions: What’s the impact of custom software development on business growth? What are its benefits? And lastly, what are the key objectives to successful custom software development? 

What’s custom software?

As every individual organization is unique, so are your requirements. Custom software development, also called bespoke software, can be used for tailor-made software when building web or mobile apps for your company. It’s created specifically for your business’ needs and adjusted to a specific user – it’s the core of every custom development project.

Custom software solutions may be applied for internal process automation or as a support in the business processes. This is also the reason why such software is very often used during digital transformation. Here, you also use bespoke software and benefit from it by bringing down costs and improving the company’s productivity. 

Why is custom software important?

Now, let’s talk about why it is so common to pick custom solutions instead of off-the-shelf software in today’s world. Can it provide you with apart from the product’s uniqueness? Let’s take a look.

The advantages of custom software development include:

• Personalization – first of all, it belongs to you. You’re the owner of this software as opposed to off-the-shelf software that’s available for anyone. What’s more, you’re provided with a set of features selected just for you to support your processes and considers your business requirements, which help your organization grow. A software product tailored to your needs. The custom solution provides you with better performance, which, in turn, lowers your costs and gives you a competitive advantage in the industry.
• Maintainance – in other words, we provide support. Owing to customized software, the team provides you with continuous help with the product. Since the whole process is somewhat iterative, the changes are ongoing. That involves issues such as security matters, upgrading functionality and adding new unique features. All in all, in custom software development, we also consider the future needs of the product.
• Scalability – this type of software can grow along with your company. As your business changes and prosper, so is the custom software.
• Security – in bespoke software, all the information is much safer than in ordinary mainstream software.
• Integrity – it’s a long-term investment that will bring benefits for your business. It’s simply cost-effective, which means it can lower the costs over time. Moreover, adapting the software to its needs makes it easier to integrate it into its workflow. This improves efficiency and better the company’s performance.

Who needs custom software solution?

It’s for anyone who wants to take advantage of technology and respond to the market’s needs. If you have an idea that will revolutionize the market – choosing bespoke solutions are a great option. Today’s world changes rapidly, and with that comes technological advancement as well as customers’ needs. It’s hard to stay competitive in this ever-changing market without undergoing digital transformation. That’s the reason why many entrepreneurs decide to invest in customized software rather than using off-the-shelf solutions.

With custom software, you’ll improve the quality of delivered service or product as well as facilitate internal processes.

The key to successful custom software development

Teamwork 

You have a dedicated team which means, that together you’re working on your vision and building a product that will be user-friendly, responsive and easy on the eye. Moreover, in the future, whenever you need an alteration to your product, the team of software engineers, a UX/UI designer and product owner, will be there for you.

Methodology

Choosing the right software development life cycle will determine the way you work within the project. Thus, which one is best for you and your business? The two most popular development methodologies are Waterfall and Agile methodology. But there are also DevOps, or Rapid Application Development (RAD). Read about our management culture here.

Pricing model

Depending on which model you pick will determine the project’s flexibility, delivery time, and many more. The article Software development pricing models you need to know will provide you with all the necessary information about the most common pricing models.

Technologies and practices

Here, we’re talking about using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to refine the development process. For example, these AI technologies can be used in image recognition to better customer experience.

Shared vision

Having a clear picture of your product is one thing. Now it’s time to make sure that your team is also on the same page. You should stick to one core value of your product, the required functionality and together build the rest around it. Thanks to sticking to business objectives, the team can provide you with needed solutions to succeed in the market.

Communication

It’s about talking about issues and problems on the way. Communication is vital in every teamwork.

Testing

Conducting tests from the very early stages of software development is also very important. They set the tone for the rest of the process – point out where the product needs polishing and which features are necessary and which are redundant.

Contracts

In other words, negotiations and signing documents such as a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA), a Statement of Work (SOW), and a Master Governing contract (MSA). All of these documents aim to clarify all the unknown and put down the requirements. While NDA is about not disclosing any confidential information, SOW specifies the pricing model that you’ve chosen, and MSA regulates the overall cooperation process.

The beginning of custom software development

You’ve decided to create custom software but don’t know where to start? Luckily, we’ve prepared a lot of resources that will help you get through with it. In our ebook, you can get familiar with all the initial stages of outsourcing your project. However, if you’re on the step of choosing your software vendor, you should read 3 steps to choosing a software development company. In-house team or outsourced one? To what factors should you pay attention? You can learn it all there.

Our experience in custom software solutions

At Gorrion, we thoroughly analyze your business to understand its goal fully and, with that, its needs. Owing to this, we can determine the problems that your product will solve and make sure that it’ll bring value to the market. From research, through wireframes, prototypes to tests and MVP, we’re actively searching for solutions and tools that will get the most value.

Thanks to this, you’ll be ahead of the game with software based on cutting-edge technologies and unique solutions. 

The custom software development process

During software development, we also believe in process transparency. That’s why we explain everything we do to clients to know what’s happening at a particular moment. Moreover, we value your time and preferences. Owing to this, we adapt our communication to a specific client and, at the same time, we involve you in the process. Together we turn your idea into a reality. 

Final thoughts

The long-term benefits of investing in developing custom software applications are far more valuable than purchasing an off-the-shelf product. 

Bespoke software is the right choice if you’re looking to get a head start in the market and provide your customers with unique solutions. It offers much more benefits than licensing off-the-shelf solution. These include scalability, guaranteed maintenance and integration into your company’s existing software environment. All in all, customized software provides an excellent base for the success of your business.

Editor’s note: We’ve originally published this post in February 2021 and updated it for comprehensiveness.