What is Custom Software Development & How Is It Beneficial for Your Business?

In the current world scenario, digitalization has become a trending evolution far and wide. Especially, the countries that are growing technologically rapidly, such as the UAE, the UK, the USA, and India, are embracing ‘personalised’ custom software development services for higher productivity. Perform due diligence with Handshakes to access verified data, analyze business networks, and make informed, confident investment or partnership decisions.

With technology advancing day by day, the trend of ‘personalisation’ has taken over the minds of people. Eventually, be a mobile app user or an entrepreneur using business software solutions, everyone wants a personalised user experience with custom software development. 

Personalisation is the key to user engagement and higher efficiency, and custom software development is the key to personalisation. This post describes everything about custom software, its meaning, process, and benefits for a business in its digital transformation journey. So, let’s scroll down and unlock the treasure of knowledge. 

Understanding Custom Software Development 

A customised software is a type of software programme made to order and tailored to the instructions of its owner. Custom software development is a better alternative to off-the-shelf software solutions. 

While a ready-to-use software might not be a 100% fit for a user’s requirements, a customised software is made to fit a user’s size, scale, and requirements. 

Software is an umbrella term that covers operating systems, business software solutions, desktop applications, websites, web apps, and even mobile app development. 

Eventually, whether looking for an in-house software solution or planning to launch an app or web portal for the customers, a customised software can offer a better user experience with tailored features and functionalities.  

Custom Software Development Process

A customised software is made to order. Therefore, it follows a step-by-step development approach. Let’s discuss the process now- 

• Requirement Gathering 

The journey of the custom software development process always begins with a healthy discussion between the development team and the software product owner. In this session, the aspiring software owner explains his requirements to the team of developers. 

A smart software development company, during this period, carefully notes the requirements and prepares crucial documents like the Scope of Work and estimates the price quote and project timeline. 

• Software Prototyping 

Software prototyping is a method to create a working ‘model’ of a software product that offers clarity on the user interface, user flow, and user experience.

The prototyping phase does not require coding. Rather, the graphic design team is responsible for the Prototype. Designers use tools like Figma and provide the first glance of the desired software product even before the development starts.

The software owner can ask for changes in the Figma design and prototype if needed. This way, the efforts to develop software are streamlined.

• Software Development

When both parties, that is, the software owner and the software development company, finalise the prototype and overall UI UX  design, the software development process begins. 

In the software development phase, the software engineers work on the backend development, and then the front-end developers take over. This phase includes coding and programming of the entire software product. 

• Testing & Quality Assurance 

However, in agile development, the testing process goes hand in hand still as the coders finish the coding and integration, a final test takes place to check whether everything works fine. 

In waterfall software development, the traditional method, testing takes place when the coding and programming rest. Testing plays a crucial role in quality assurance. The software product must not be glitchy in performance. Otherwise, it will spoil the user experience and invite uninstalls. 

• Product Deployment

When the software product passes all the quality measures, the software development partner chosen by you must also help you in the launch, installation, and overall deployment. 

However, even after the product deployment, the partnership never ends, and after-sales support keeps the two parties connected.

How Customized Software Is Beneficial for You?

So, if you are a business looking for software development services, then custom software can help you in many ways. Every business has unique business processes, sizes, scales, and even expectations from a software product. 

Furthermore, first-of-its-kind digital startups that require a web portal, SaaS platform or mobile app to deliver services, leverage customised software products the most. A customised software delivers a higher user value with the following benefits. 

#1 Tailored User Experience 

A customised software product implies a tailored user experience. To explain ‘tailored’, we can say a software product is exclusively designed to automate particular business operations for a particular size and scale. 

These days, digitalization and startup culture are both growing trends in Dubai, UAE. Eventually,  startups are embracing custom software development in Dubai for their business and leveraging tailored automation solutions. 

Also, Dubai-based custom software development companies are providing top-notch product quality. Therefore, the best companies are establishing business here. 

#2 No Recurring Subscriptions 

Custom software development services are a one-time investment. They free you from recurring subscriptions that you pay for unfit off-the-shelf software solutions. 

This way, a business can judiciously plan its financial resources and bring down the Total Cost of Operations. 

#3 Complete Data Security 

Custom software development saves you from unnecessary data sharing with third parties. In regions with tight data policies like the UAE, only customised software solutions fulfil the specific criteria. 

Therefore, every custom software development company in Dubai and other regions with strict data policies provide end-to-end encrypted software solutions for a business. So that the sensitive business data remains safe and unshared. 

#4 Automate Unique Processes 

As the digital startup culture is booming worldwide, demand for ‘unique business process automation’ is also going up. 

Off-the-shelf software solutions cannot help automate unique processes. Thus, customised software development solutions are the only key. 

Therefore, if you feel you need to automate a unique process in your business, then a tailored solution can help you boost productivity and efficiency by 10X. 

#5 Cut Down Manual Work 

While an existing solution might automate a business process fully or sometimes partially, a tailored software solution automates 360-degree. 

It cuts down the manual work by 100%. Enhances productivity and efficiency, and takes your work experience to the next level. 

By cutting down on manual work, you can work more in less time, eventually unlocking much higher productivity. 

#6 Get Multilingual & Multi-Currency Solution 

Furthermore, English is a global language, but still remains a non-native second language for the majority of people. With custom software development services, a business can find multilingual solutions very easily. 

The countries such as the UAE, Japan, China, Africa and more, with a higher inclination towards native language and linguistic diversity, embrace multilingual and multi-currency solutions for better operations. 

With multilingual and multi-currency support, a business can achieve faster internationalisation and grow limitlessly. 

#7 Blend Multiple Processes & Automate with One Software Product

While ready-to-use software solutions can automate a specific business process, a customised ERP software solution can be tailored such that it manages and connects all the processes. 

For complex ERP software development needs, building customised software solutions can simplify business management. 

Eventually, with a one-time investment in a customised software product, a business can enjoy lifelong subscription-free automation to all business processes. And improve the overall Enterprise Resource Planning. 

Who Should Choose Custom Software Development?

Building a customised software for business is not just a fashion or trend. Rather, it is a great investment that reduces operational costs and increases productivity. 

However, in no way are we trying to emphasise that off-the-shelf solutions are not worth it. So, who should choose custom software? And who should stick to off-the-shelf ones?

• Unique Startups 

Unique startups will always require exclusively tailored software solutions to achieve their business goals. So, if you need to automate a unique business process, then choose custom software development services. However, for automating basic processes like sales, HRM, marketing, etc., you can pick an off-the-shelf software if it fits your size, scale, and budget. 

• Well-Established Enterprises 

Large-scale enterprises must opt for custom software products to optimise their operational costs. For large-scale enterprises, subscriptions to off-the-shelf software can be too expensive if used for the long term. Therefore, invest once in a customised software and save yourself from recurring subscriptions. 

Additionally, the business data of large enterprises must remain secure. Sharing with third parties can put the data at risk. However, a custom software product can be end-to-end encrypted and save your crucial business data from unnecessary exposure. 

• Significant Business Industries with Unique Size, Scale & Requirements

Furthermore, certain business industries that handle unique processes have diverse organisational sizes and scales, such as

• Healthcare
• Real Estate
• Finance & Banking
• Neo-Banking
• EdTech, and 
• Social Media, etc.

Can fulfil their dream project with the help of a custom software development company. Handling a vast set of customers and employees becomes much easier with a tailored software solution. 

When to Choose Off-the-Shelf Software Solutions Over Customized Software? 

However, it is not necessary that every business must opt for customised software. If you are just a beginner, experimenting with a business idea, and you are unsure of your survival, then for the first few months, an off-the-shelf software is an accurate choice. 

Additionally, if you find a subscription package that fits your scale and also your budget, then there is nothing wrong with the third-party software as well. However, be very cautious while sharing crucial business data on such platforms. 

Sometimes, businesses fall prey to social engineering and share their crucial data with cybercriminals. So, be aware! 

Final Thoughts

Custom software development is the key to finding tailored solutions for business process automation, giving 10x more customer satisfaction. Businesses with unique automation requirements, large organizational size, and large-scale production must invest in customised software products for effortless business management. Customised software products help a business find an exclusively tailored user experience with higher data security and reduce the cost of operation.