The term “custom software” is very common in the business environment, mainly among small and medium-sized companies; Especially for how useful one of these can be for the management of the company, but also for the price it can reach. This raises questions about the cost of custom software.
And it is usual to hear owners of small businesses who want to acquire a program or software that covers all their needs, but some feel intimidated by believing that it can be very expensive.
Mass or custom software, which is more expensive?
Answering the question directly, yes, the cost of custom software can be higher than that of a standard one. But it is not as simple as saying that a custom software is more expensive and that’s it; There are reasons for this and they are very justified. In addition, in time it may turn out to be even less expensive, we will see why.
When talking about a standard or generic software, it is a program with a diversity of functions, oriented to the most common needs of the industry for which it was designed. So, due to its generic design, it contains many functions that you will never use. Simply put, even if you’re paying for 100% of features, you’ll never use them all, paying for something you won’t take full advantage of.
On the other hand, a custom software is a program oriented to your needs, with more specific functions than if you took advantage of 100%. This is because custom software is designed to a customer’s specifications and for your company’s unique use.
It may seem counterintuitive that a program with fewer functions is more expensive than another program with a large number of applications; But it really stands to reason that this should be the case. Well, when designing a custom software, specific studies must be carried out according to the needs of the client and situations and problems of high complexity must be analyzed.
On the other hand, we must bear in mind that generic or mass software can result:
- Complex, causing a much greater investment in training
- Inefficient, since they can consume many computer resources in the installed equipment.
- Expensive in terms of support, and is that many times you have to pay additional money to acquire a new update or configuration.
What advantages do you get when paying the cost of custom software?
When buying a product of this type, you logically expect it to facilitate the work and management of your company; Therefore, it should give you certain benefits to acquire a custom software, of the many that it has we can mention:
1.- High efficiency: this type of programs are light since they only contain the necessary tasks for the company, being able to be used in most office equipment.
2.- Adaptive: Being customizable, the parameters of the software can be adapted as the company evolves. This is ultimately cheaper than paying for a new package of software in bulk.
3.- Lower learning curve: You will be able to train your team much faster since the program’s interface will be designed with them in mind. In addition, the functions of the program will be familiar to the problems present in the work environment.
4.- Technical support: Technical support can be much faster and more effective due to how efficient the computer program itself is.
Having said all this, you will realize that, although in the first instance, a custom software may seem more expensive than a generic one. The reality is that it can bring you many more benefits, resulting then more valuable as an asset for your company.
