Using web applications for your business has several advantages. For example, these make both real-time collaboration and hassle-free data recovery possible. There are hundreds of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software you can integrate into your workflows, from automating data entry to enhancing team collaboration. These are readily available, but may need some fine-tuning to fit perfectly into your day-to-day business processes. After all, COTS software are one-size-fits-all solutions that may or may not be effective for your enterprise.
To guarantee that a web application is the one you’re looking for, you can custom build it. The resulting app will not only meet the specific needs of your business, but will also be exclusively yours, meaning, no other business in the market will have access to it. Here are other benefits of choosing a custom web app for your business:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have the solution right at your fingertips?”
The perfect fit
Since COTS software are run-of-the-mill, they do not provide specific solutions to specific concerns. Instead, they’re like bandage solutions that are able to address one or two issues. You’ll probably find yourself dissatisfied with the features you use, and burdened with a handful of features and functions you have no use for.
In contrast, a custom web app is designed to specifically solve your problems. Your goals and your existing business technologies will be taken into consideration during the building process to make sure that the final product will not only address your concerns, but will also have cross-platform capabilities that will allow it to fit seamlessly into your workflows.
Sometimes, it can even be the missing piece that connects your processes together. For example, a custom web application developed for a healthcare company can automate the population of existing internal data into a secure web-based application for collaborating with healthcare providers, eliminating the need for manual data input and removing the possibility of human error.
“There’s no better feeling than when pieces fit together.”
Further cost savings
Commercial software may initially be less expensive than custom web applications, but you should assess how either option would fare in the long run. Commercial software often needs to be tweaked or adjusted so it can work for your unique business set up, and may require you to shell out additional dollars. These software packages force companies to use the processes built into the software - often to the company’s detriment. The end result is purchasing more software to handle new workflow problems created by the originally purchased COTS software. Software should work for you, instead of you working for the software!
Moreover, compare the cost of maintaining a COTS and a custom application. With the former, you’ll have to shoulder all the purchasing costs for updating and troubleshooting the software. You will also have to hire and train people to maintain them, accruing more costs. However, with the latter, the company that developed your app will typically ensure that your app is up to date and secured for a fixed monthly fee. No hidden charges, no surprise expenses.
Better software maintenance and support
With a customized solution, maintenance is streamlined and business impacts are minimized because the firm that built your app from the ground up is also maintaining it. They know the ins and outs of how your business interacts with the application and thus can provide the very best maintenance. Apart from technical knowledge, they also provide a dedicated support team to their clients, accessible 24x7x365. Should there be any malfunction or error in your software, you will have a direct line to the developer. They can fix your system remotely, and in no time.
In addition, your chosen development partner will support you from the app’s conception to deployment to maintenance. This is in stark contrast to the support provided by developers of COTS software, who will stop rolling out updates after some time. When this happens, you’ll have no choice but to upgrade to the latest supported version or to look for alternative software.
You can use a custom web app to leverage your business. It will be your unique business asset that your competitors won’t have. MXOtech builds customized web applications for businesses in the Greater Chicago Area. Give us a call today, and let’s work together in creating software that fits your special business needs.