Understanding the significance of having your own customized software can make a life or death difference in your business. Our world today demands everything to be better, faster, newer— and that includes whatever service or product you offer to your clients. So, knowing the benefits of custom application development will give you the bandwidth to make an informed decision on how to best approach innovations in your business.

Let’s start with the the most basic question:

What is Custom Application Development?

Custom application development refers to the process of creating a tailor-made application for certain end-users. This involves designing, coding, and releasing a software program created to make a process more convenient.

For example, if your doctor still uses phone calls to book appointments, a custom app could transform their system to make it easier for patients to not only book appointments virtually but to access their personal healthcare files, a history of visits, prescriptions, and automated reminders of upcoming consultations. This idea can be applied to almost any industry where there are processes between two parties— like a company and a customer, or a business and its employees.

Why Should I Want a Custom Application?

Whether you’re an entrepreneur of one or of five-thousand, the services you offer to your clients and employees can always be improved on. These days, people flock towards the businesses that use the latest technology for the sake of user convenience. Not only does it make their customer’s experience with that company better, it also builds a reputation for the name of the business.

To go back to the example of the doctor’s office, a medical practice that offers that level of convenience and transparency would be turning away clients, while the one that doesn’t may struggle to keep clients and earn good reviews.

To summarize, here are three benefits of custom application development:

1. Stand Out From the Competition

   A custom application can make a huge difference when customers or employees are comparing which company to go with. There’s a concept called the 2 millimetre shift that emphasizes how small degrees of improvement can create massive waves of success for a business. Those 2 millimetres can set you apart from the businesses that seem to be doing the bare minimum. Offer something just a little better (like a customized application) and all the eyeballs will be on you.

2. Get all the features you need

   The amazing part of custom application development is that you will end up with a product that is completely tailored-made for your business. From branding to functionality, the processes that used to take a lot of time and effort become seamless and intuitive, getting your business the results it needs faster than ever before— all while looking sleek.

3. Save your business UNNECESSARY expenses

   Velvetech outlines that using a ready-made app “might seem less expensive at first glance, [but] it often has recurring costs that make it less beneficial in the long run”. By getting all the functionalities you require from the get-go, you also avoid the headache of investing into a one-size-fits-all application only to find that it’s missing integral elements that are vital to making your business successful. Using custom application development from the beginning can save you the unforeseen expenses that other solutions don’t present right away. Create according to your needs, your timeline, and your budget from the start.

How Can I Create a Custom Application?

If you’re convinced that a custom application is the way to go, the next step would be to figure out how to actually make that happen. There are a few options if you have an idea for an app, with some better than others.

1. Create it yourself

   If you’re a coding and design genius with loads of spare time, you can take on a custom application as a DIY project. It’s completely possible for one person to create a custom app, and it’s pretty cheap since it’s just you labouring away. Whether you can or not depends on your level of skill and the degree of complexity your app idea entails. However, we don’t recommend that you make this a one-person show; custom apps that are beautiful, user-friendly, and functional usually take large teams of experienced engineers. That brings us to our next option;

2. Hire in-house

   If you own or are part of a business, you could always hire on people to be part of your company and create your app. If you have the time and money to hire the right talent, taking on a custom application may be viable given you have enough resources to spare. But beware: this can cause a detrimental drain on your business. If you don’t balance your work force right, you could find yourself thousands of dollars in the hole without ever seeing the final product. It’s a risk, but an option nonetheless. To avoid these setbacks, see our third option;

3. Outsource an IT team

   Outsourcing is when you hire a company specializing in software development that comes with their own teams of highly trained coders ready to build anything you’d like. This is great option since you don’t have to take on any risks when it comes to turnover (like when hiring in-house), and you are always going to have enough people working on your app as it’s up to the company you hire to staff appropriately to your project. It can be expensive, but it mitigates your risks and guarantees a ready product at the end of the estimated timeline. If you want to learn more about this option, read about the five benefits of outsourcing.

The Takeaway

Custom application development offers an extensive list of benefits to any given company, including:

• Attracting more customers and employees

• Boosting your business processes

• Saving time and money

The cost is worth the customization, and increases the capability for your business to scale. You can also own the code, and make changes to your app whenever there’s a need. It’s time to be at the cutting-edge of technology and stand out from the crowd. You and your customers will be glad you did.

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ISU Corp is an award winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.

Our unique owners mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.