When it comes to software for managing your business, there are a daunting amount of options. Do you go completely bespoke and design something that fits your business perfectly? Do you get something cheaper and more generalized that covers your essential functions but maybe doesn’t quite do the job for industry-specific tasks? Or do you use industry-specific software?
There are pros and cons to all of these options. Using specialist software is generally a good choice in terms of minimizing risk and maximizing cost efficiency for a few reasons. For fixing specific performing issues, data center consulting services will come in handy. Keep reading to find out more about it.
You are equipped for industry changes
If you are using a piece of software that has been specifically designed for your industry by a conscientious provider, they will be working with people within your industry to ensure that they are keeping their product updated to account for changes to the industry and new regulations as they are introduced. The development and testing of these updates will be carried out by your software provider and included within the cost of your licensing agreement.
If you are using bespoke software or you have to modify non-industry specific software to take account of these changes, you have to make this work on as a development project. This kind of work can take a long time and cost you a great deal, no matter how talented your software team is.
Everything you need is already built-in
Industry-specific software has everything you need already built-in, including the things that you haven’t thought of yet. A great example of industry-specific software done well is the conveyancing case management solution by redbricksolutions.co.uk. They have built-in every function that a conveyancing firm could possibly need, including functions to make the lives of both customers and users simpler. They have designed the software with conveyancers in mind. This is illustrated in the customer testimonials, where customers talk about how much time they have been able to save because the software is designed around the intricacies of their industry.
Expert advice
When you buy specialist software, you aren’t just buying the software, you are buying all of the expertise of the designers and developers. If you are having a problem with your software, those experts will be on hand to help you to solve it, and because they know both the software and the industry well, you can be assured that resolutions will be timely. Software providers will also usually include SLA’s in their contract with you, meaning that you have an agreed turnaround time. This is something that can be more difficult to implement with in house development.
Fewer bugs
Specialist products have been deployed in multiple businesses, all running the same processes. This means that if there are any software bugs or issues (as anyone who has ever worked in the software will tell you, there’s always a bug), it’s highly likely that you won’t be the only one experiencing it. This means that your software provider will be able to provide you more quickly with a solution because the chances are, they will be working on the problem already. It also aids in speedy bug resolution to have information on the nature of the problem coming from multiple places. Software companies will proactively resolve bugs before you even become aware of them, which they will release fixes for you in their updates.
Software bugs are costly, and if you are using software that wasn’t designed for the purpose you are using it for, you will have to fix those bugs yourself. For fewer bugs and an easier life, specialist software is the way to go.