Why investing in bespoke software is worth it

One of most puzzling situations that business owners have to face when investing in enterprise-grade software is choosing between out-of-the-box and custom-made solutions. Both sides have convincing arguments and the choice can be rather difficult, especially if the one making it is not particularly familiar with IT benchmarks and requirements. More often than not, business owners would rather stick to what they imagine is the safe choice, pre-made software, because they think it is faster and cheaper, but this is a myth. Out-of-the-box software has its benefits, but, in most cases, it is bespoke software creation that drives the biggest growth and helps your business thrive. Here are just a few reasons why you should be more sceptical towards templates and consider custom-made software.

Your business is unique – so should be your software

Businesses are not created equal. Each company has its specific plans, necessities, requirements and a one-product-fits-all type of software may not always be representative of them. Out-of-the-box software requires your team to adapt after it, whereas bespoke software is created around your unique goals and needs and the cost of development is much higher. And It is more creative, more flexible, you get exactly the features you ask for, implemented in a way that is intuitive for you and your staff. With pre-made software, you might get features that you don’t need and use and that does not contribute in any way to your growth.

It saves money in the long run

Clients tend to refuse bespoke software services for financial reasons and would rather pay an upfront fee for a pre-made package, but this only saves money on the short term. While it may be true that creating custom software or apps from scratch is more expensive, in the long run this pays for itself and you are actually cutting costs. Here’s how:

- Pre-made software is limited. Once your business outgrows it, you’ll need to spend more on new, more complex software and also pay for extra staff training.

- You pay for what you get and use each and every feature. With pre-made packages, you might pay for features that you do not use, and thus you are wasting money.

- Bespoke software does not involve license fees

- Exclusive, custom-made software costs less to configure

You enjoy bespoke customer support

Customer support should be at the heart of every client-developer relationship. The developer has to be there for you when you have questions, find bugs or need help with configuration. Unfortunately, makers of software templates make compromises when it comes to customer support, and you will most likely end up trying to figure out a general FAQ section or chatting to a robot. With custom-made software, you have a closer relationship with the developer, who already has a good understanding of your business and needs and can be more helpful. Needless to say, they are more flexible and open to suggestions, working in your best interest and simply being there when you need them.

As a final piece of advice, keep in mind that software of any type is a huge investment and you should have very high standards when hiring a developer. Tempting as they might be, low cost solutions can cost you greatly, so always choose professional, state-of-the-art solutions.