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Signs You Should Invest In Custom Software
In today’s rapidly changing and developing world, staying ahead of the curve becomes increasingly difficult and ever important. Software has revolutionised the way business is done across the globe by increasing efficiency and decreasing time spent on menial tasks that can be easily automated through custom software. Many businesses however, remain trapped in their archaic systems of doing work. This entrapment becomes increasingly dangerous when competitors start entering the new age of powerful software including automated data analytics and CRM systems that provide your business with high level functionality and flexibility.
So how do you tell that you are being left behind and that it is time to breathe new life into your business through the introduction of the latest cutting-edge software? If you can relate to any of the below mentioned signs, it’s time to act!
Whilst excel is a fantastic tool for business, if it is common practice in your business to make use of excel to store all your data, to be processed at a later stage, it’s time to start thinking about doing things a little bit differently. Manually inputting data can be an extremely time intensive exercise – time that could be spent far more effectively elsewhere. Manual reporting often means that staying up to date is impossible as reports are often delivered a month after the data has been captured. As a result, trends are picked up late, making the prediction of important business events impossible.
Whilst a few off the shelf data reporting and analytics packages are available; your business is unique – and so should your software be. The purchasing of off the shelf packages, usually involves downloading your data into the package. This again often requires the use of excel – that which we are trying to avoid. Further, these packages usually include a whole host of features that your business won’t require and are thus a wasted expense. Investing in custom software means investing in a solution that tracks and monitors aspects of your business that are important to you. Through custom software, the reports that are produced are in fact meaningful to your business. This creates a positive impact on the daily operations of your business as early detection becomes possible.
Without having software that keeps your sales team up to date and on track, the performance of the team is hindered whether you are aware of it or not. Sales is the life line of any organisation. For sales employees to operate at their most effective level, they require up to date and accurate customer information such as contact details, position within the company and any previous sales information relating to the customer; a well-managed sales pipe line including current leads, opportunities and projects; documented sales best practices and most importantly; they need access to this information at all times be it in the field or within the office. If this doesn’t describe your sales set up, investing in custom CRM software will revolutionise sales within your business.
Many businesses, old and new, suffer from limitations imposed by their current software. Software shortfalls can result in business’s molding their business models to fit the capabilities of what their software can do. This is a sign that your software is strangling your business. Opportunities for growth and development are being missed as your software prevents you from seizing these moments, thus hindering organic growth. If you know of a business that is held back by their inefficient software, it’s time to let them know that their software should be supporting their services to help them realise their competitive advantage. By choosing to invest in a custom software, you are enabling software to be developed that suits your current business model allowing for rapid growth, reduced costs and differentiation from competitors.
Business is about remaining flexible. Flexibility allows for faster reaction to opportunity. Thus, your business needs a software solution that can grow and adapt with the business. Rigidity means your business is focused on survival and not growth. Survival mode causes businesses to be reactive rather than proactive thus forgoing opportunities that could take the business into a period of sustained growth. Investing in custom software will free your business from the rigidity of survival and transport it into a new dimension of opportunity, growth and control.
Realising that it’s time to update the software in your business or purchase software for the first time for your business can be a daunting process. Whilst it may be tempting to begin with an off the shelf package, the benefits attached to purchasing custom software are immense. Software is tailored to meet your exact requirements, a direct and personal relationship is established, your business model is enhanced, maintenance and support is provided and across the board integration is possible allowing for multiple processes to occur in the same place at the same time.
