If you’re a small business making ends meet, commercial software is a great way to get tech advantages on a budget. As your business grows, however, you may discover that those standard, off-the-shelf business software solutions are a liability rather than an advantage to your internal tech team’s performance.
Your business offers unique benefits to your clients. It’s a safe bet that your extraordinary offerings are the result of proprietary processes you’ve developed to get the job done efficiently. Making those processes fit within the limitations of standard business software offerings can be tricky and time-consuming, stifling your tech team’s efficiency.
A custom software solution can be tailored to precisely align with your business goals, practices and processes. Your workflow will be more fluid and adaptable in an environment built to accommodate it, and your team won’t lose time trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Speaking of losing time, managing and maintaining commercial software can be a time waster for your tech team. When it comes to out-of-the-box software solutions, your team has minimal control over software-related issues. A lot of time is spent on phone calls to third-party software support and troubleshooting. When the software is updated, abandoned, or hijacked by hackers, your tech team has little to no control over the outcome.
When you outsource custom software development to build a more tailored solution, your tech team can head off potential problems by providing the exact specs that will best suit your business model. They’ll be able to exercise greater control over changes, updates, and development of future iterations, which ensures more productive time.
Who hasn’t experienced the sudden crash of a system owing to an unexpected update? Standard business software solutions aren’t built for your convenience. They’re built for general convenience. It’s unlikely developers of a standard product are going to consult with your team before making updates, and those obligatory email notifications are too often lost in junk mail. Unanticipated updates and alterations can send your team scrambling for last minute solutions, leaving other daily business untended and your processes temporarily hobbled.
Custom software is developed specifically for you and your team. Updates are made based on your needs and schedule, giving your team time to prepare for transitions. Tailored solutions also allow you to plan ahead of necessary updates and schedule them advance, so your team isn’t at the mercy of a third-party’s whims.
Growing beyond your standard software can be a challenge. Too many times, we ask internal tech teams to nip and tuck standard software to fit a burgeoning business model. Or worse, we attempt to keep a business squeezed into the boundaries set by commercial software. Both are surefire ways to stay stuck in second (or third or fourth) place forever. If your software can’t grow with your company, you need better software.
For thirty years, businesses have outsourced their custom software development to Antares because they want solutions that grows with them. We’ve worked with clients in healthcare, insurance, finance, oil & gas, and commercial product development to create tailored software applications that suit their unique needs.
What about your team? Is productivity down and frustration at an all time high? Are surprise updates and modifications disrupting your business flow? Get in touch with us today to develop a solution that optimizes your business operations and gives your tech team the software assistance they need.
