Why to Choose Custom Software over Off-the-Shelf Software?

Business needs continuous improvement of processes and techniques, and regular upgradation to keep up with the rest of the world. In today’s competitive world, accuracy of things and actions is the only path one needs to follow to emerge as a market leader.
Choosing the right software for the growth of the company is not an easy task. It should depend on the operating environment and the purpose. One question which often troubles businessmen is "which software to choose; custom or off-the shelf?"
Choosing one depends entirely on the type of your business. However custom software has lot of advantages over the off-the-shelf or COTS software.

With off-the-shelf software, you will have to start with the features the vendor offers you. You may request for an alteration which the vendor may or may not give. Sometimes the features may not work, and even if it does it may not fulfil the needs of your company. It may also happen that the features do not interact properly with each other but they work successfully in isolation. Custom software, in turn, will work perfectly with your requirements as they are specially developed to suit your needs. The features are made to interact with each other smoothly.

The COTS package virtually provides some level of support but in reality, the quality of the support is unknown. The vendor's highest level of support may not tally with your business scheme. Custom software gives you in-depth support from the creating and maintaining team. The team offers in-depth proficiency and they not only work with the problems but also enhance the software.
Business varies enormously. Off-the-shelf software might seem to work initially, but with expansion, its features may not fit in. You will have to opt for a forklift upgrade to let it work further. Custom packages, however, can be enhanced continuously to meet the needs, sparing you the pain of completely shifting to a new system. Therefore, even if, off-the-shelf software might seem cheaper initially, it wouldn’t be so in the long run. This means that after installation the costs for a package software will be considerably higher and increase over the years.

Custom software helps in creating a corporate asset. This in turn is hugely beneficial for your company. With custom packages you can show the clients or investors the unique operative capabilities your company holds. You can even ask for a higher price for this. Other than this, you can even sell your software in other industries.

Thus custom software is the right choice for you if you have a perfect idea of the designs and strategies of your business. You must consider all the factors before choosing it. If you are not sure about the strategies you should go for the other option. It will also be a wise decision to use different software for different areas of the business. In the areas where you want to implement your ideas you can hire a software programmer to design a software meeting your particular requirements.