How can your business benefit from bespoke software development?

Published on: 01 August 2018 Last Updated on: 08 August 2019

Many businesses rely on off-the-shelf applications and stock software to run their operations. As much as such software comes with different features, it might not provide all the functional requirements that come with running a business. You might also run into challenges as stock software also comes with other unnecessary functions that might not be relevant to your policies. One of the solutions to this challenge is to hire professionals for bespoke software development.

It comes with a number of benefits that could help your business as shown below.

Control over design and functionalities :

Bespoke software development helps a business to customize its applications to accommodate its requirements and needs. The developer uses tools to come up with designs that are useful to their clients. The advantage of bespoke software development is that the entire development process is monitored and your feedback helps in ensuring the developers include only features that your business needs.

Complete ownership :

As a business owner, you will have complete ownership of the software designed for your business. This might not be the case with third-party applications as there are terms that bar you from making any changes to the way the software operates. Working with a Bespoke Software Development Company that deals with web and software development gives you an asset that you can manage freely and you don’t have the compulsion to upgrade your software. You can only do this whenever you feel that your business needs an upgrade of operations but not because a third party has decided it’s a mandatory procedure.

Expansion of existing tools :

If the business owns tools for managing data and other processes, you can hire a bespoke software development agency to have these tools expanded to transform repetitive tasks through automation. Tailored multi-user tools can store data and use a central repository and this would help to save time for the business. It also enhances transparency, access and reporting, and data validation. Such a system brings together an array of operations together to transform how the business runs.

Integration :

Developers can make bespoke software to integrate with other applications installed to help the business. This is not to say previous integrations are rendered obsolete, but it’s a way to enhance the efficiency of systems by providing backing technology. Bespoke software should be introduced as a measure to improve operations.

Potential marketability :

In other cases, you might decide to sell software that was developed for your business. Although the application was originally developed for internal use in your business, a bespoke solution could be turned into an off-the-shelf application that can be used by other businesses. This creates room for your business to earn more money by leasing the software.

Software integrations can help a business to run more efficiently. Although many businesses use third-party applications, it is cheaper and more convenient to have bespoke applications developed with the needs of the business in mind. Such an application is the property of the business and you can make any upgrades or tweaks you want to suit your business.

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Delegating And Prioritizing: Tools For Managing Multiple Scheduling Demands

Leaders and managers have a lot on their plates. Between coordinating teams, project management, and task prioritization, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out. The two greatest abilities that a manager has are delegation and prioritization. Mastery of these skills is critical to achieving business goals as well as peace of mind. Delegation The shifting of authority responsibility for particular functions, tasks, or decisions from one person (usually a leader or manager) to another. A leader is nothing - literally, he’d have no job - without a team. A manager needs to know his team, inside and out, especially their strengths and weaknesses. He should have a good idea of their respective workloads and availability. This way, he knows precisely who to turn to and when. These are the key factors in the art of delegation. Prioritization Organization of tasks by relative importance. The most important and pressing work gets done first, within reason. The manager needs to have the competence and discretion to identify what areas need to be prioritized and what can be put off, using task and calendar management tools to stay on top of everybody’s schedule. How to Develop a Prioritization Matrix and Improve Productivity There are many schools of thought and paths to success regarding task management, but we’re going to hone in on just one that we find incredibly useful: the prioritization matrix. A prioritization matrix, sometimes called the Eisenhower matrix, is a simple way to organize tasks by priority and importance. President Eisenhower always stressed the difference between urgency and importance. Urgent tasks require immediate attention. If they’re not done now, there will be consequences. Important tasks do not necessarily require immediate attention, but they help you achieve your long-term goals. You’ll need to be diligent about allocating resources towards these tasks because they are critical to your overall mission, though the consequences of not completing them might not be as apparent. Create 4 boxes: Box 1 (DO) - Urgent, ImportantBox 2 (SCHEDULE) - Not urgent, ImportantBox 3 (DELEGATE) - Urgent, unimportantBox 4 (DELETE) - Not urgent, unimportant Use this grid to sort your tasks into different prioritization categories. 5 Tools for Managing Multiple Scheduling Demands: 1. Monday Monday is a project management software that helps you streamline your work for maximum productivity and stay on track to reach your goals through any workflow. With their building block system, you can easily build a visual representation of your unique workflow. With a whole suite of end-to-end products for all teams including sales, marketing, CRM, dev ops, and more, you can have all your project management needs synchronized and compatible through one provider. 2. ClickUp For an all-in-one solution that provides tools for project management, team chat, goal setting, and more all with a variety of dynamic and intuitive view options, look no further than ClickUp. View charts, whiteboards, priority lists, and team documents from desktop or mobile devices. It’s all very fluid and responsive if a bit visually busy. 3. Asana Much like other project management tools, Asana’s MO is helping teams manage and organize work. With Asana, you can create projects, assign tasks to team members, set due dates, track progress, and communicate with your team. Asana offers a broad range of project templates for common use cases like marketing campaigns, product launches, and event planning so you don’t have to start from square one. In terms of saving time, Asana offers a range of automation features such as automatic task assignments, reminders, and status updates, giving leaders more time to focus on the important, urgent tasks on their plate. 4. Calendly First and foremost, Calendly is a scheduling tool. Improve your speed to lead with smart availability calendars that allow clients to book meetings with just a click, saving everyone the hassle of back-and-forth emailing. Custom booking links for different types of appointments or meetings can be shared with clients/colleagues or embedded into a website. 5. Wrike Wrike is a simple project management tool that helps teams collaborate and track progress on all sorts of tasks. Break down tasks into subtasks and assign them to different team members. Track time, set deadlines, and communicate all with built-in time tracking, custom workflows, and reports to help you make data-driven decisions. Conclusion Keeping track of all the moving parts as a team leader is difficult. Deadlines accumulate and you only have the bandwidth to remember so much on your own. Productivity and project management tools allow you to easily view, organize, and triage your tasks so you can prioritize the most important and urgent items. If your startup or SME isn’t already using one, invest in software tools like appointment reminder apps to streamline and simplify your workflows. Read Also: The Benefits Of Custom Software Development Employee Monitoring Linked To Business Growth Top Ways Contract Management Software Helps to Mitigate Contract Risk

Use Structure-Style Tents to Expand Event Space

Do you rent out event space? Or are you a field manager for a company that is involved in a lot of exhibitions? Either way, a structure-style tent can provide you with a convenience that saves cost and makes your life a lot easier. You have lots of guests coming into the party, and when you need extra space to accommodate the influx, you shouldn't worry. You can make an addition by using Structure-Style Tents to Expand Event Space. These sturdy temporary structures can be customized, and you can even convert a parking lot or even a rooftop to an event space. There are many good reasons why you need to consider having a structured-style commercial canopy tent for your event space. Here are some suggestions below: Branding visibility Are you hosting an exhibition or a training workshop? Why not pitch a branded structured style canvas at the entrance. That is not only good PR but also good branding of the organizations. Most canvas manufacturers will have customized branding of your structured style canvas for companies that are keen on branding their merchandise and properties. Having a branded tent is not only free advertisement, but it also saves on the cost of requiring a banner every time you pitch one in a location. Its wall can have a well-printed brand message. Versatility (ideal for all events) A tent is not limited to a specific event only. From weddings to birthdays, reunions, and even barbeques, to name a few, a structured style tent will ideally expand your event space to make it comfortable as it can get. When planning for an event away from the office, one of the options that you should inquire about is the availability of tented spaces. Outdoors function is fun compared to when enclosed in a building. Also, the fee for gathering in a tented area is always affordable. Also, companies can have their own structured style canvas to be pitched in the garden or rooftop to hold group birthdays for their staff or event award parties. Ideal for any themed event Canvas is a blank canvas that gives you lots of room to play around with your creativity in terms of décor. It is more convenient to decorate a tent than it would be with a brick and mortar structure. With canvas, you have a blank slate, and you can customize the same from the ground up to realize your ideal theme. Tents have no solid walls or layouts compared to a building, which has its color, lighting, and floor design, among others. With a tent, you can quickly achieve your vision 100% without having to compromise to blend with the existing layouts as with events held indoors. Easy to manage spaces Tented spaces are easy to manage and organize. If you are a site manager using a structured style tent to expand the event's venue makes not only the area more significant, but it also makes your work even more relaxed. There is no floor space to clean. You only need to pick up the trash. If you instead rented out a ten, you can talk with the canvas company to clean the space as they pack the tent. It's that convenient. There is no wall, and moving furniture around to design a theme according to a client's needs is quite convenient. You can add or reduce event space by reducing the ground surface covered by the tent. Weatherproof The tent protects outdoor events guests from all sorts of climatic conditions. If it's cold, you can lower the canvas wall and let the guest have it warm inside the tent while feeling the ambiance of being outdoors. Same to when it rains. If it’s hot out, you can bring up the walls and let fresh air breeze through the crowd. Also, the tented rooftop is dome-shaped to reduce the heat from the scorching sun. What about the durability in all climatic conditions? You should know that anodized aluminum is used to make the skirtings and frames of the canvas to ensure they are corrosive resistant and durable. The structured style canvas nowadays is light but quite sturdy against strong wind and is not likely to tip over during an event. Read Also: How to Make Your Store Look More Put Together? Terrible mistakes you are likely to encounter in diamond painting and the way out

Benefits Of A Strong Governance Culture For Your Business

Governance focuses on a company's performance and accountability. It is one of the pillars of GRC. What is GRC? It stands for governance, risk management, and compliance. Since there are many things that companies have to comply with at any given time, some have opted for a GRC software that integrates all its aspects. The benefits of having an accountability culture are diverse. Here are just a few of them Promotes Stakeholders Confidence: Investors, shareholders, employees, and customers rely on the company to maintain certain standards only through such a culture can companies maintain the confidence of all stakeholders. Partners can rest assured that everything goes through set out processes. Nobody is cutting corners. Issues of fraud, corruption, and pilferage never arise. It Ensures a Culture of Compliance: Firms must comply with many state and federal regulations. Sometimes they also have to comply with international statutes and codes. A company that has a definite way of operating cannot worry about issues relating to procedure. Employees know what to do at all times. They also know how to do it. The outcome is a standardized service that everyone can count on. Anyone messing around with the set way of life is directly liable of his or her actions. An employee in a company that does not have the standard way of operating can claim ignorance. The staff cannot do that when there is deliberate effort to train them on how to do things. Minimizes Risks Thereby Improving Profitability: Issues of corruption and malpractice often lead to unmitigated disasters. Corruption scandals among company officials can tarnish the name of the company. Companies globally respond negatively to lousy leadership. On the other hand, companies rely on responsible leadership to grow. A company can minimize risks associated with noncompliance and corruption. Promotes Meritocracy and Fairness: A company ought to have certain standards that permeate throughout its ranks. That is what GRC is all about. If it is suppliers, they should meet a certain criterion before they can supply. To work for the organization, one must have certain minimum standards. In such an You either merit being part of the company or not. This practice promotes fairness and justice within the firm. An employee knows what to do to get a promotion. This process advances healthy relationships between managers and other stakeholders. Enhances Social Outlook of a Company: Society plays a significant role in the affairs of any company. Customers come from the community, so are suppliers and authorities. Stakeholders expect a company to have a clear moral code. Customers want a company that they can trust. They don't want a company that can decide to use substandard or unethically sourced raw materials. Society expects the company to stay away from public ills such as smuggling. Companies that meet such expectations have an excellent social reception and outlook. It Gives a Company a Competitive Edge: Ethical companies want to engage with their counterparts. If a company commits to GRC standards, it can find suppliers, customers, and partners who have similar aspirations. Conclusion: Standards start from the top. When the corporate board adheres to GRC, the whole company becomes part of the plan. Read Also: Building Your Business Profile Is Easier Than You Think How To Successfully Turn Around Struggling Companies

How can your business benefit from bespoke software development?