3 Signs You Need Custom Business Software

3 Signs You Need Custom Business Software

It may seem like custom business software is only for the mega-corporations, but that’s wrong. Small and medium sized businesses can benefit from custom business software and gain efficiency, service their customers in new ways, and streamline processes.

Custom business software can run a wide range of solutions from taking an entire business and turning into a lean and mean software platform, to a small applet that automates a single task. The end result is always the same – increased business efficiency.

But how do you know it’s time to invest in your own development? Here are 3 signs.

1. Your Business Processes No Longer Fit

It’s hard to wake up one day and realize your software doesn’t fit your business processes. Companies grow, industries change, and the way you service your customer evolves. The last thing you want is to be shackled to your current software and have it slow your business down.

Your current software has served you well, but as your processes change, the software that handles that process will need to change as well. A custom application can be developed to serve your needs now, as well as grow with you in whichever direction you take your company. It’s more than solving the immediate problems, it’s making sure that your software can serve your business as it grows and evolves.

Larson Education went through a similar update when they migrated from running their software on an off-the-shelf solution and had a custom-developed one made. The difference between the old method and new one is night and day. Many tasks that took 5-6 hours on average were completely automated.

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2. Using multiple applications and databases in a work flow

You probably started in Excel and grew from there. Entire sections of your company are run from a manually-created and updated spreadsheet – but how much time is spent maintaining it? Does it really contain all the information you need?

A situation like this is perfect for a web app that takes a manual process and automates it. Key performance indicators of your business can be automatically pulled to the front in a custom developed dashboard. This allows you to have an at-a-glance method of checking the health of your business.

3. Doing manual tasks that can be automated

If there is a logic to a business process, it can probably be automated . A process that takes a human hours can be done in seconds when a computer is handling the heavy lifting. If you find that you or your employees spend their time doing manual tasks like data entry, transfer, or merging, they may be ready to be automated.

The benefits of process automation cannot be overstated. A custom app can be developed like a scalpel and handle tasks in seconds what could normally take hours. This frees your employees to work on more profitable and customer-focused tasks and ultimately improves the quality of work that your business produces.

Custom software can be the key that unlocks the next level of your business. Taking a hard look at your own business with these three points in mind can go a long way to seeing if your company can benefit from having your own custom-developed software.

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know by dropping us a note.