5 ways bespoke software can increase efficiency
Operating more efficiently than your market competitors can provide you with a significant competitive advantage. What’s more, even a small increase in efficiency can compound over time, cutting costs and boosting productivity. When it comes to running a successful business, efficiency is not something anyone can afford to overlook.
What are your current bottlenecks to greater efficiency? Are your existing software systems dragging you down? If you’re using off-the-shelf software that was designed to do a “good enough job” for a mass market user base, chances are you’re not operating as efficiently as you could be.
If you and your team have been wasting valuable time and effort battling cumbersome software that doesn’t fit your workflows, you’ve been sacrificing efficiency. If you’ve had to adapt your business processes to fit within the constraints of technological tools, it might be time to consider a better alternative. It might be time to build your own custom software.
There are a number of ways bespoke software can increase efficiency in a business. Here are some of the top advantages to consider when assessing the impact you could achieve for your own company.
Better software-business fit
When you design and build your own software, you can tailor it to your exact business requirements. This has a number of benefits as compared to using an out-of-the-box solution that forces you to adjust your business processes to fit the software.
When your software is built to support your workflows in an ideal manner - and does exactly what you need it to do - processes become faster and simpler to manage. You can achieve greater precision and control, and it’s easier to comply with policies and regulations. Workforce productivity increases and costs are likely reduced, as there’s no need to pay for unused extra features or per-user subscription fees.
Seamless systems integration
If you’re like most people, you know the pain of having to access multiple disparate software applications throughout the workday in order to locate or extract the exact information you need at any given time. Multiple open browser windows on your monitor, toggling between apps on your phone… it can all add up to a major waste of time.
When you’re using pre-packaged applications, there is limited ability to integrate systems without hiring a developer. With bespoke software, you decide which systems should be connected via means like APIs (application programming interfaces), minimizing app logins and time spent importing, exporting, and compiling data.
Advanced custom reporting
Another benefit of having better systems integration is gaining improved data reporting and analysis capabilities. Having more information accessible through a single dashboard means less cobbling together of information from multiple sources, and less time spent sorting out any inconsistencies or discrepancies.
Building your own software also means having the opportunity to build your own reporting tools to pull and evaluate the data you need most - in the exact formats you need it to be in. You can design data systems that facilitate more accessible, accurate, organized, and reliable data. And better data means better decision making for your business.
Repetitive task automation
A variety of time-consuming manual tasks can be automated by custom software. Form input boxes can be appropriately auto-filled, emails can be instantly triggered, notification pop-ups can provide users with pertinent information at the right times, and more.
Automation reduces the opportunity for human error and increases productivity. It allows your workforce to focus on what they do best and to spend more time and effort on key activities and initiatives that can’t be automated.
Improved user experience
With off-the-shelf software, there’s no control over user experience (UX). You can submit requests for UX improvements and feature enhancements, but there’s no guarantee if or when they’ll be added by the engineering team.
When you build your own bespoke software, you have the opportunity to orchestrate your own ideal user experience. Your product will not only be built specifically for your business, but also for you, your team, and your customers. This means that customers can be served better and faster, and everyone can enjoy a delightful experience with your application.
Are you looking for greater efficiency?
Basecode’s software experts can help you design and build a custom software product that ideally fits the needs of your business, your team, and your customers. Contact us today to learn more about how bespoke software can increase efficiency for your business.