You might think that you need bespoke software development only if you’re building software from scratch, but that’s not always the case. Depending on your company’s goals and needs, using off-the-shelf software might be more of a hindrance than a help. In fact, it can be one of the best indicators that you need to bring in an expert team of software developers to build something custom for you. To better understand what this means and how it can benefit your business, take a look at these seven signs that bespoke software development may be the way to go.
1) Do you want more than what off-the-shelf solutions offer?
If you want bespoke software development, but don’t have access to in-house developers, then a software development company might be your best bet. When you work with a software development company, you’ll typically get custom features and functionality on your existing software without having to overhaul it completely. And just like bespoke clothing means it is unique to your needs and specifications, bespoke software also meets those same requirements. This means that not only do off-the-shelf solutions lack customization options but they are also limited in what they can offer as well. The more specific you can be about your business goals, needs, and problems when working with a software development company or agency, will help them build an application that solves all of these issues.
By looking at these seven signs of whether or not you need bespoke software development services from a software development company, you should be able to figure out if off-the-shelf solutions are enough for your business or if it makes sense to move forward with hiring someone else for custom coding services. It’s important to note here that even if none of these seven signs apply directly to your situation, there could still be other reasons why hiring someone else for custom programming would make sense for your business too. After all—everyone has different business goals and objectives!
2) Does your company have an unusual business model?
Your business model is how you generate revenue. If you want to run an unconventional business, your model should reflect that. To determine whether or not bespoke software development is right for your needs, ask yourself these questions: 1) Is our company growing quickly? 2) Do we need custom-built software to keep up with our growth? 3) Does our company’s vision require a non-standard approach to web application development? 4) Do we have unique goals and specific needs? 5) Do we need web-based software that will benefit our employees more than it will help us manage them more efficiently?
3) Is your company growing very quickly and the solution needs to grow with it?
If your company is growing quickly and you’re looking for custom web portal development or mobile apps, your requirements will be different from those of other companies in your industry. This means you can’t take off-the-shelf software that’s been developed for other organizations and simply plug it into your business. And even if you can find software that offers some functionality similar to what you need, custom web portals or mobile app developers will have to be called in at some point. One example might be search engines: popular portals have hundreds of thousands of subscribers with unique search histories and preferences, which are what makes them so useful.
4) Is there something technically difficult about your project (machine learning, AI, etc.)?
If your project is technically difficult, you will most likely benefit from working with an expert software development company. These projects are almost always bespoke, meaning that they’re specific to your business model and business goals. At ScaleFactor, we pride ourselves on being able to help clients achieve their unique business goals. Our web application development team consists of engineers that have built everything from music streaming apps to mobile gaming platforms. We use technology such as Meteor for web application development and TypeScript for JavaScript applications in order to build fast and scalable websites that integrate into our existing back-end products. If your company has something highly technical in mind, then working with us is a great way to reach your business goals.
5) Does technology matter in your industry or business model (banking, mobile apps, etc.)?
If you’re in an industry or business model requiring specific technology—like mobile apps, cloud computing, etc.—you might need to outsource your software development. This could even mean hiring experts who can handle every aspect of developing bespoke software for your company, such as software quality assurance. In other words, if technology matters, then it will likely be important for your business model. And if technology is important to your business model and operations, then outsourcing it makes sense.
6) Are there different needs for different departments within your organization that existing solutions cannot meet (CRM only works well internally, sales force automation doesn’t meet marketing requirements)?
Do you have different requirements for sales, marketing, finance and customer service departments? Or maybe you want your CRM or sales automation solution to be white-labelled and resold in large numbers. A bespoke software development company will be able to meet all of these different needs. Most importantly, they can design your software around your business needs. This will help ensure it integrates seamlessly with existing systems, storing data securely stored and backup procedures in place – meaning IT won’t interrupt everyday business operations if an update or upgrade is needed. Most businesses spend less than 10% of their time focused on running their business.
7) Is your budget super large?
If your budget is large, it’s probably best to use custom software development to fit your needs because off-the-shelf solutions would be overkill. Off-the-shelf solutions might work for smaller businesses, but they can become costly and outdated if you have a large budget. If you’re looking for something highly customized, then you might want to consider custom software development. Custom software development provides enterprise-level solutions that are very specific to your industry and requirements without any limitations. This type of programming will also.