Development
4
min read

The 9 benefits of custom software development

Rich Atkinson
July 3, 2023
Two people collaborating on a piece of development work on a whiteboard.

Custom software development is a great solution for businesses looking to offer their users a bespoke experience. While this alone can be reason enough for many businesses to take the custom development route, there are several other key benefits of custom software development that are worth being aware of.

In this blog post, I'll explore some of the advantages of custom software development over off-the-shelf software solutions. I'll also highlight how custom software development can help you achieve your goals and stay ahead of the competition.

1. You maintain ownership

One of the key benefits of custom development is that the product belongs solely to your business. Your ownership and control over the software means you can modify and adapt it to suit your changing needs. 

This ownership removes your reliance on third-party software to meet your requirements and allows you to invest in updates that, unlike on off-the-shelf solutions, aren’t being shared with direct competitors. 

2. You create a unique product

When you have complete ownership, you have complete control. This leads me to the primary reason most people choose to go custom: the ability to create personalised software. Custom software development allows you to design a bespoke solution that fits your business needs. 

Off-the-shelf software may not always be able to meet your specific needs, and you may end up paying for features that you don't need or lacking ones you do. With custom software, you can have a tailor-made solution. Custom software lets you implement changes based on feedback from customers, create greater stickiness with your users, and modify your digital experience as your business changes.

3. You increase user satisfaction

Creating custom software can help you improve customer or client satisfaction by providing a solution that is designed to meet your users’ specific needs. By understanding their needs and developing software that addresses them, rather than providing the same experience as competitors, you can provide a better customer experience. This can lead to greater customer loyalty, a stronger brand reputation, and increased revenue.

4. You improve security

Security is a major concern for businesses today, and off-the-shelf software may not always offer the level of security that you need. Custom software development can help you build a solution with the security measures that your business requires. These security measures can include custom solutions to access controls, encryption, and data backup and recovery.

It’s important to choose a software development company with cybersecurity experience and awareness. Here at Airteam we pride ourselves on providing secure custom software and have therefore acquired both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 accreditations.

5. You can customise your integrations

Custom software can be integrated with your other business systems. Integrating with your CRM, ERP, inventory management, accounting software, or almost any other product makes it easy to provide a seamless experience both for your employees and your users.

With a custom software build you control what data passes where and how secure that data is. You will no longer need to double handle data or manually complete tasks which could be automated. By integrating your software with other business systems, you can streamline your business process and increase efficiency and ease of use at every touchpoint.

6. You gain flexibility and scalability

Custom software can be flexible and scalable, allowing it to grow and adapt to your business needs. As your business grows, your software can be updated and enhanced to meet your changing requirements. This can help you stay ahead of your competitors and adapt to market changes.

When flexibility and scalability come up early in the development process this is a strong indicator of success. Think about how much your business has changed in the past few years, chances are it’s a lot. You need software that can handle this type of change in the future too.

7. You get a reliable solution

Custom software is designed to be reliable and efficient, ensuring that your business runs smoothly. With custom software, you can minimise the risk of downtime, which can be costly. You also avoid many of the risks that come along with out-of-the-box solutions, like if the company goes bankrupt, sells the business, changes direction, or stops updating the product.

8. You get cost-effectiveness

Custom software development can be cost-effective, particularly in the long run. While initial development costs may be higher than off-the-shelf software, you can often save money by avoiding ongoing licensing and upgrade fees that penalise growth. Additionally, you only pay for the features that you need, which can help optimise costs and reduce the need to pay for multiple systems.

Many of the other unseen cost benefits come in the form of time efficiencies. Time isn’t wasted on logging into different platforms, double handling data, changing products, retraining the team, or manual tasks. Ideally, your custom product will be designed to increase productivity and reduce errors.

9. You create a targeted solution

Your custom solution can be designed to meet your specific problem or opportunity. No more and no less. By identifying the areas your business can innovate you can develop a bespoke software solution that addresses those exact issues. This helps ensure success and reduce costs by not paying for or doing more than you require.

Work with Australia’s trusted software development company

Custom software development can provide a range of benefits that off-the-shelf software cannot match. By developing a unique solution that belongs to your business only, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and gain a competitive edge in the market. 

With personalised solutions, improved customer satisfaction, enhanced security, and optimised costs, custom software development can help you achieve your business goals and drive growth. If you would like to get started on your custom solution, you can get in touch with us via our contact form here.

Share this post