How bespoke software can benefit your business

From corporate accounts to data integration, all business software should have one aim: to make your business processes more efficient.

Every organisation is different in terms of its culture, preferred ways of working, priorities, and compliance requirements. Packaged (‘off-the-shelf’) software might help you solve a lot of these challenges. However, doing so can sometimes require you to make changes you didn’t want to make. For instance, a payment solution might make it easier for you to track invoices, but also requires you to alter your sales workflow. There may be other quirks that are either irrelevant to your business, or that even cause additional inefficiencies that your employees must work around.

The beauty of bespoke software is that you control precisely what’s included. You can target it to your specific inefficiencies, to give you everything you need – and nothing you don’t.

Bespoke software doesn’t have to be a replacement for your existing systems and software solutions. In fact, the opposite is true: particularly when it comes to data integration, one of the most valuable uses for custom programs is in helping you achieve maximum ROI and longevity from existing systems.

Say for instance, your sales, fulfilment, and finance departments all have their own tools and data repositories in place. Bespoke software can be designed and deployed to connect these systems and processes, enabling the free flow of information across the business, and reducing the need for repetitive manual entry.

The last few years has seen many businesses transform how, when and where they work. Hybrid working practices are a big part of this, with employees splitting their time between multiple locations. Bespoke software can be configured to match your preferred working model, making applications responsive across all devices, but with access controls that reflect your security requirements. In this way, custom-developed software can help you adapt your existing architecture, ensuring that your entire team, tools, and data can remain connected – wherever they are based.

A typical growth strategy involves maximising the lifetime value of existing customer relationships, while also attracting new customers. Bespoke software can support both aims, helping you create something unique.

For processes such as payment, fulfilment and customer service, off-the-shelf software can sometimes leave you confined to generic operating models. In other words, the user experience you can offer is pretty much the same as everyone else’s. But let’s say you have an idea for a unique subscription model, or a customer service interface: tailor-made software could be just what’s needed to help you stand out from your competitors.

Off-the-shelf software can often involve a steep learning curve for ordinary business users; in some cases, even requires businesses to bring onboard additional expertise. Substantial reconfiguration may also be required to ensure it can support your organisation’s specific needs.

With bespoke software however, you have much greater control not just of the functionality, but also in shaping the wider user experience. At a development level, you can tailor the program’s workflows, navigation, and input fields so they are fully aligned with your own procedures. You can also consider the characteristics of your workforce (e.g., their level of technical ability) to design your user interface.

If your bought-in finance solution includes a reconciliation feature that’s perfect for your needs, you don’t necessarily want it to be tweaked, overhauled, or ditched altogether by the vendor! The beauty of bespoke is that you can determine what changes, improvements or additions are made – and when.

When a vulnerability emerges in a software product that has hundreds of thousands of users, threat actors will try to exploit it before it’s patched. You could find yourself in that unlucky group of customers who are targeted.

Bespoke software does not make you immune to security threats. However, it’s generally a lot harder for hackers to find the weak points in an unfamiliar, one-off system. They prefer easier pickings, which makes a breach less likely. That said, it’s still vital to ensure bugs and source code vulnerabilities are addressed promptly, which is why it’s crucial to choose a reputable development partner to stay on top of this for you.

Need to add extra users, or install your software on a brand-new batch of devices? Want to add a new feature to match some recent changes to your operating model?

Another big advantage of bespoke software is that you can do all of this, without having to haggle with the vendors over subscription extensions or functionality tiers. It becomes much easier to scale and evolve your solution over time, ensuring it is future-proofed in line with what your organisation wants to achieve.