Ideas

Businesses in today’s world heavily depend on software tools and very much rely on these to get their work done in an efficient manner. When you’re looking for a new software to empower your business processes, you’re presented with two major options to consider: you can either purchase off-the-shelf software solutions or you can get custom software developed for the business.

If you’re looking to invest in an off-the-shelf software solution, you should also understand the problems and drawbacks that are associated with them. This will help you to stay away from the hassle associated with these applications in future.

Inability to get your specific requirements achieved

No two businesses are the same- your business differs a lot from the other businesses that can be found in the industry. If you use off-the-shelf software, you would not be able to get those specific business requirements achieved. That’s because off-the-shelf software developers follow a one size fits all approach. These software tools are not flexible and you might have to change your business processes in order to adapt according to the software. Additionally, you would get a lot of features that you don’t want to use. This would undeniably impact on your business.

Inability to use in the long run

Using off-the-shelf software can be seen as a quick-and-easy method to get your business off the ground. However, you cannot expect to use it in the long run. The time consuming and expensive upgrades mean that you would get stuck using the software. Your business would grow along with time and you will not be able to adapt accordingly to the change with off-the-shelf software you have.

High monthly subscriptions

Off-the-shelf software tools are not cheap as you think. You have to spend a considerable amount of money on a monthly basis to continue your subscription. While off-the-shelf, pre-packaged software seems appealing to small business owners, the monthly subscription can easily become a big burden. You would also be spending your money unnecessarily for the features that you don’t want to use.

Systems are inefficient

You will not be able to get the expected level of efficiency from off-the-shelf software applications. That’s mainly because you will find it a difficult task to integrate off-the-shelf software with your existing applications. This can create a negative impact on the productivity of your business as well. When you fail to provide an efficient service to your customers, you would not be able to deliver a smooth customer experience as well.

Lack of ownership

You cannot become the owner of an off-the-shelf software. All you can do is to obtain a subscription for a specified fee. As a result, the future updates of the software would not come out as per the way you prefer. This can make you look for another software in the future.

Given these drawbacks of off-the-shelf solutions, it may be more cost-effective and efficient to build your system from the ground up. Custom software solutions help you find the perfect integration between your business and technology.