Custom Software Development: When and Why Does Your Company Need It?

Custom software development is a tool capable of adapting to the needs of all types of companies, whatever their size.

Each organization is unique and therefore, enjoying a software adapted to its particularities , will allow you to solve daily problems in an agile way, improve its operation, resource management and maximize its benefits.

What is custom software development?

Unlike what happens with standardized software, which does not vary between companies or sectors, custom software is the set of programs designed and developed to adapt to any type of business model.

Custom software development aims to solve a set of clearly defined needs that are specific to a particular sector or company.

These specific needs can range from a program for the maintenance of equipment in a factory or production line to the creation of an online banking application to meet the needs of the customers of a specific bank.

Custom software development encompasses both:

• The design
• Creation
• Implementation
• Maintenance of the program

And as we have mentioned, it adapts to all types of areas: (financial accounting, human resources management or even manufacturing process management...)

These customized programs manage to optimize resources, saving costs, optimizing production processes, improving asset maintenance or simply allowing a task to be carried out more quickly and efficiently.

As you might expect, custom software development is a complex process that requires specific knowledge. That is why companies often outsource software development providers who are experts in the field.

Custom software development process

These are the main stages in the custom software development process, until we get a program adapted to our company.

1. Define what is going to be done and what tools are going to be needed

Both the characteristics of the final product and the tools necessary to carry it out must be carefully selected. From the front-end tools (frameworks like CSS, HTML, etc.), to the back-end (Linux, PHP, Python, Apache, etc.)

2. Software development methodology

This step refers to the development, reporting and progress control model. The waterfall model and the agile model are the two most commonly adopted systems.

3. Budget calculation

Normally the custom software development budget is packaged according to the estimated time of the project and the developers' fee. However, it is recommended to add a margin of around 25% to be able to face any unforeseen costs.

4. Design of the action plan

It is essential to design a clear action plan. This avoids communication errors, contributes to meeting deadlines and objectives, which indirectly saves cost overruns due to project delays.

7 advantages of custom software development

It would be difficult to name all the advantages of custom software development, but we will name the most important ones below.

1. Flexibility and scalability

Custom software is much more efficient than default software.

Your applications are more operational, productive and flexible, which favors the scalability of the company.

2. Greater control over the project

You will have more control over the development of the program and you can ensure that it is carried out the way you want, introducing changes if necessary.

3. Maximum customization

Provides the opportunity to request designs and features that make a product unique on the market. This will make it more functional for the company and attractive to consumers.

4. Easy integration into the company

Because the software is specifically designed for a specific business , it easily integrates into existing IT infrastructure. There is no need to change the way the business operates to accommodate the software.

5. Security

It allows you to choose which protocols you prefer to protect your applications , based on the entire market offer. This allows you to achieve the level of security that your application needs, either for your company or for your customers.

6. Support and maintenance

The team of developers will also provide constant maintenance, solve technological problems, security gaps or other possible incidents related to the software.

7. You will be able to better manage your resources

Especially advantageous for SMEs and startups that work in the service sector, since custom software for ERP applications allows you to enjoy optimized planning to manage the production chain, human resources management or work time.

What types of custom software development services are available?

Below, we list the main custom software development services:

Mobile apps

Custom software development is very important in Apps, since it allows us to adapt to the target audience we want to reach, guarantee a personalized and satisfactory user experience , and create unique features that differentiate us from other applications.

Web/Ecommerce

Capturing the customer's attention and satisfying their needs is crucial, and to achieve this the key is personalization, through the incorporation of unique business processes , creating a personalized business web page or integrating the purchase with other management systems such as ERP , marketing platforms and CRM.

Saas

Within SaaS, we have customer relationship management (CRM) software, which helps organize business processes, remove bottlenecks, and improve time management.

We also have ERP software for business resource planning and management , by collecting, storing, analyzing, and interpreting data.

Cloud

Also known as web applications, cloud software allows you to store data , serves as an analytical tool, and is easy to maintain and improve based on the resources we need at any given time.

Heinsohn provides custom software development services for businesses

In our article we have seen what custom software development is and some of the main reasons why companies decide to opt for custom software instead of standard software. Some of the clues that indicate that your company needs custom software are:

• Existing solutions do not adapt 100% to the daily tasks or operations that you carry out in your company.
• You need a program that allows you to optimize resources, improve the products and services you offer or improve the experience of your customers.
• You have very clear procedures, but you are aware that they can be improved through custom software.

Due to its great versatility , in recent years the number of companies that have implemented their own custom software has increased. This has given them a competitive advantage and functional benefits, as well as an improvement in development times and costs.

If you are evaluating the possibility of implementing custom software for your company , we invite you to contact us.

In Heinsohn they have at your disposal a team of development experts who will be able to guide you and advise you on which is the best option in your case.