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If you are a business owner, you may be on the lookout for the very best software options for your company. Many choose the standard 'off the shelf' software out of ease and convenience. But unfortunately, this won't always fulfil what you're looking to achieve.
Why? Because your business is unique. This is the reason your products and services stand out from the crowd. An off-the-shelf solution that is mass-produced for everyone is not always the answer on its own. Bespoke software comes in many forms and can help you meet the exclusive objectives of your business or industry.
There are many ways that bespoke software can transform your processes to meet the rising expectations of your customers. For example, bespoke integration into content management system (CMS), customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and eCommerce sales systems can give your off the shelf software a whole new lease of life.
Bespoke software enables businesses to think differently and stand out in a crowded market by being a leader rather than a follower. Delivering new features that your customers will love will also give you an advantage over others in your industry. The software can be the glue between your systems or can be your systems.
From financial management to task sharing, there are many different commercial off the shelf software types to purchase. While 'off the shelf' can fulfil the vast majority of your needs, there will still be some that will be missed out. Often that missing part is the part that makes your business special in your market.
For most businesses, this means you'll still need to spend time manually completing tasks, which could be better spent elsewhere. In comparison, bespoke software will take into consideration every one of your needs, so manual tasks are minimised.
McDonald's, Amazon, Uber, Netflix, Google are all perfect examples of companies that lead their industry with custom-made software. But these same game-changing abilities are now affordable to businesses outside of Silicon Valley too. With the right support partner in place, bespoke software can make or save you money, depending on your unique goals.
A key feature of bespoke application software is that it can quickly adapt to changes within the business. You will have full control of managing any upcoming improvements and updates and modify certain aspects as and when you need them.
By retiring time-consuming and repetitive tasks, your teams can concentrate on other aspects of your business and providing value. Bespoke software also unlocks the ability to embrace a culture of continuous improvement. Modifying and adapting the software with the changing digital landscape is a competitive advantage on its own.
Similarly, deliverables and schedules can be adapted along the way to make the experience better for you and your clients. An off the shelf product can feel like you are trying to put a round peg in a square hole. By contrast, bespoke software evolves to improve the future of the business, as well as the present.
When you purchase off the shelf software, you typically embark on a journey of discovery. Often there is usually little or no on-hand assistance from the developer. You're more likely to find a generic FAQ page and template responses than dedicated assistance, or advice or a hefty professional services bill on top of the cost of the software. Learning that your new shiny off the shelf solution can’t manage essential tasks or critical processes can be time-consuming and embarrassing.
Your business development strategy is at the heart of everything you do. This is where your journey should begin, and your success will be affected by the support partners that you take with you.
Bespoke software providers such as Full Fat Things have professionals on hand to give honest and open advice at the very start of the project. They'll give you solutions you haven't yet thought about which are essential in the early stages of the set-up process, rather than having to make crucial adjustments along the way.
Data silos and inconsistent processes are the reason why so many organisations have low business information and analytics maturity. Businesses of all sizes will understand the challenges of managing different data streams and silos. But bespoke integration can turn your biggest headache into an opportunity.
The beauty of bespoke software is the transformative qualities that it can bring into your existing CRM, ERP, and CMS. In our experience, the integration between off the shelf and bespoke software gives businesses the special sauce required to meet their unique requirements.
With the right technical expertise, you can finally eradicate data silos. At Full Fat Things, we enable teams to unlock valuable insights from tools such as Salesforce, Infor, and SAP. We see our role as the final piece of the jigsaw that finally brings every aspect of your business together.
By uniting all aspects of your systems, you can improve efficiency, streamline processes, and create a unique customer experience.
Your products and services are no longer enough to guarantee the loyalty of your customers. An incredible 89% of companies now compete on the basis of customer experience, which was only 36% in 2010. How will your company adapt to these changes?
Before even thinking about technology or software, we understand that you need to unlock new capabilities, audiences, and opportunities with your customers at the heart of everything.
Your evolving business goals and vision can be brought to life by implementing a bespoke solution that seamlessly connects everything together. With the right approach, the end result is a friction-free business for both you and your customers.
Custom, bespoke, and tailor-made software allows companies of all sizes to define its own functionality and user experience. In a digital age of disruption, it also allows you to move away from conventional software that was built for yesterday's customer rather than a mobile-first world.
The support partner of choice will often determine the success of leveraging technology to bring your vision to life that you choose. From concept to completion, you will need a team by your side to deliver a solution tailored to the requirements of your organisation.
The days where a traditional software company walks off into the sunset never to be seen again after go-live are thankfully disappearing. In a digital world of continuous change, businesses need a long-term partner for success that they can trust.
Whereas traditional software serves a purpose, it seldom helps you react quickly to competitor product innovations or changes in customer behaviour. Innovation is a journey, not a destination, and one of the main reasons that our customers continue to innovate for their customers with our teams every month, not just for one project.
In a digital age where the speed of exponential change continues to move at breakneck speed, customer expectations will continue to rise. The actionable insights required to delight your audience can be unlocked by building bridges to your disparate data sources.
You already have the right software and a mountain of data. All you need is a support partner with the required technical expertise to bring it all together. Does this sound familiar?
Let's talk bespoke software: https://www.fullfatthings.com/contact-us
