There’s no two ways about it. Bespoke software is a significant investment for your business. There’s the financial costs of employing a bespoke development partner, and the time you need to spend on making sure the project runs smoothly.
It might sound strange coming from a bespoke development company such as Transition to say, but bespoke isn’t for everyone. If you’re going to invest the time, the money and the effort that’s needed to run a project like this, you need to be absolutely certain you’ve made the right decision.
If you spot one or more of these four signs, then that’s an indicator that a bespoke project may be worth your investment.
Four signs you should invest in bespoke software
1: There isn’t an off-the-shelf option
Very few companies invest in bespoke word processing software or a custom email system. Why? Because Microsoft Office or Google Docs and Gmail do everything they need at a far lower cost. And many business tasks have a reliable off-the-shelf or SaaS option for you to choose.
But what if there’s not? What if you can’t customise an existing tool to meet your precise requirements for a certain business-critical operation? Or what if you’ve seen an opportunity to create a tool because nothing currently exists in that space?
If there’s no off-the-shelf option, then you need to start looking at a bespoke alternative.
2: The current options just don’t provide a good enough user experience
SaaS products are designed to be broad-stroke tools - to be just about good enough for as many users as possible. To please most of the people, most of the time. But that means they’re packed with functions and features you’ll never use. Features that clutter up user interfaces to make finding the functions you do need that little bit more difficult.
A bespoke system isn’t built to please most people. It’s built for some people. Your people. And it’s built to please them all of the time. You decide what features are important, and how you’ll use those features, so it’s custom built to suit your workflows.
If you’re losing valuable time because the user experience of your existing application is so poor, or it is cumbersome to use, it’s time to consider bespoke.
3: Your third-party software is out-of-date or unsupported
Sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find an off-the-shelf piece of software that works perfectly. It supports your business-critical operations, provides a great user experience, and isn’t cluttered with superfluous features.
And then it changes. It works differently, or it’s abandoned entirely by the developer, leaving you with service outages, degrading performance and - most worryingly - security flaws.
Bespoke software built by an expert who understands either the legacy system or the thought processes that led you to choose that system in the first place (and why it’s no longer fit for purpose) is the best - often the only - way to eliminate this risk entirely.
4: Your SaaS platform doesn’t let you make the right decisions
The success of your business relies on making the right decisions. And frequently, the right decisions are the most well-informed ones. Decisions backed by data, by analytics, by a steady stream of reliable information.
If your current software doesn’t let you control what data you collect, how it’s stored and how it’s used, then that’s a sure sign that you need to invest in bespoke software that does. Access to advanced analytics, data sharing across teams, and unbeatable security will let you make better decisions.
Smart decisions that are well worth the investment in bespoke software development.
Deciding to go bespoke is just the first step
Once you’ve made that decision, you need to find the right bespoke developer, and successfully manage that project.
Make sure you’re picking the best possible partner and know exactly what to expect, by requesting our ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Bespoke Software Company.
We cover everything from no-code vs bespoke development, to managing your project to completion.
You’ll find an additional sign that you should choose a bespoke project, along with a sample development timeline and much, much more. And the ebook is absolutely free.
If you’ve already read our ultimate guide and you want to be sure you’re making a truly informed decision, discover more about what Transition can offer as your bespoke software company by getting in touch today.
