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Building custom software is no easy feat. Sure, it comes with a vast number of benefits from streamlined workloads to data analysis automation. In other words, implementing custom software into your business makes you poised for success. However, knowing where to start is tricky.
With so many types of custom software available, determining which system is best for your business can be challenging. A good way to overcome this is by immersing yourself in some examples of effective custom software. In this article, we guide you through ten excellent examples of custom software, helping you to get started.
Keep reading to learn more.
What Is Custom Software?
Custom software refers to applications that are purpose-built for individual businesses. Unlike off-the-shelf or pre-made applications, this type of software is made to order by a professional custom software development agency, usually with one primary use in mind. This means that custom software is developed to solve problems that existing applications cannot – either because of a gap in the market or due to unique business needs.
10 Best Examples of Custom Software
From streamlining operations to enhancing the customer experience, customer software ensures a variety of benefits that wouldn’t be possible with off-the-shelf products. It’s also crucial for businesses looking to get ahead of the competition. So, to help you determine what type of solution best suits your business needs, let’s take a look at some of the top examples of custom software.
Content Management System (CMS)
A content management system (CMS) is an online portal that allows users to easily manage, edit, and modify website content without significant technical knowledge. Popular content management systems include WordPress and Webflow. They are similar to website builders like Weebly and Wix, but allow for more customization and control over websites.
When you build a custom CMS, you’re afforded control over whatever you need. For example, if you simply want a CMS to edit your website’s text and image content, then a basic custom CMS can be developed. However, if you want greater customization options, such as plugin integration and access to the HTML code, CMS platforms that make modifying these elements easy can also be built.
ERP Systems (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are used to manage the daily operations of businesses. From project management to invoicing and accounting, ERP systems can offer specific or broad functionality, depending on business requirements, but typically provide companies with a central hub in which they can manage all major operations.
Though there are off-the-shelf ERP options, it’s particularly important that your business uses a custom-developed ERP system. This is because every business is unique and, when implementing a holistic piece of software, it needs to cater to your individual requirements to ensure a seamless integration.
Healthcare Management Systems
Healthcare management systems are a popular type of custom software due to the niche needs of hospitals, patients, and medical practices, especially in terms of accessing information. Custom healthcare software can also be built for integration with existing healthcare hardware, allowing data to be shared seamlessly and streamlining administrative tasks.
While there are many standardized healthcare management applications available, it’s hard to find ones that match the unique needs of each medical practice. With a custom healthcare management system, however, practitioners can rest assured that their software is built for the sole purpose of serving their patients’ needs.
eCommerce Platforms
Custom eCommerce platforms allow your business to enjoy the benefits of a user-friendly interface, advanced inventory management options, and smart third-party integrations. These solutions focus on marrying brand and functionality to create an exceptional user experience that helps generate sales and sets you up for long-term success.
With a custom eCommerce platform tailored to your business needs, you can ultimately ensure a seamless shopping experience optimized for your customers. By integrating your brand identity and preferred features into the site design and functionality, you can also boost conversion rates and customer loyalty over time through a unified online presence.
Educational Software and LMS (Learning Management Systems)
Educational software and learning management systems (LMSs) are essential tools for online educational institutions, as well as employee training programs. Building a custom LMS means you can offer students everything they can effectively learn rather than relying on pre-built functionality that may not fit the profile. For example, if you’re teaching a niche subject like AI software development, you might want to include built-in model testing environments.
A custom learning management system also allows educational institutions to provide tailored training experiences that align with their specialized curriculums. By developing features that specifically support niche subjects, such as hands-on AI model testing capabilities, schools can empower students with the precise tools and environments needed to effectively learn and apply skills in emerging fields.
Real Estate Management Software
Effectively managing your portfolio of properties is vital to the success of your real estate business. Custom real estate management software is perfect for this, as it enables robust tracking and oversight of niche properties. Essentially, with specialized software, you get the functionality needed to handle your unique real estate portfolio.
For agencies catering to celebrity clients and California properties, for instance, custom systems can incorporate tailored functionality around high-profile tenant relations, regional compliance reporting, and streamlined maintenance workflows across luxury estates to meet the demands of this exclusive market segment.
Supply Chain Management Systems
Custom supply chain platforms enable deep optimization around a company’s unique operational workflows, network of suppliers, logistics providers, distribution channels, and industry-specific challenges. With tailored inventory tracking features, transparent order management tools, and analytics dashboards tuned to specialized data, businesses can leverage these systems to improve overall efficiency, sustainability, and cost savings across the end-to-end value chain.
By seamlessly integrating with existing legacy business systems and configuring robust functionality around specialized supply chain requirements, purpose-built solutions enable smooth data sharing and synchronization across departments, along with coordinated, scalable processes. This level of customization is critical for global enterprises with complex supply networks, and cannot be accomplished with off-the-shelf products.
Mobile Applications
Purpose-built mobile applications enable tighter alignment with an organization’s brand experience, aesthetics, workflows, and focus on offering differentiated value to users. They offer custom UX/UI design aspects and access to core functionality from a mobile modality, allowing employees and customers to smoothly interact via mobile when offline solutions will not suffice.
Specialized B2B/B2C mobile apps can also incorporate an enterprise’s proprietary back ends, business processes, and data repositories to empower a distributed workforce or provide expanded self-service capabilities. Turning mission-critical routines into streamlined touchpoints for end users through specialized mobile apps ultimately drives productivity, boosts engagement, and delivers unique value.
AI and Machine Learning Solutions
Custom AI and ML systems allow companies to realize strategic goals for automating specialized processes that may be difficult to codify, but lie at the heart of their value proposition. These systems ensure cross-departmental datasets are holistically processed and guardrail accurate sequential actions central to their scale.
By tailoring model development cycles, data pipelines, MLOps and functionality to address unique challenges, businesses can incrementally integrate intelligent automation capabilities instead of taking a generic, off-the-shelf approach. As a result, custom machine learning solutions unlock subtleties within data, uncover efficiencies across workflows, and uplift employee output in ways not otherwise possible.
Banking and Finance Software
Highly configurable custom finance platforms enable personalized product definitions for banks to carry out and manage new lending programs, investment vehicles, and financial services tailored to each organization’s specific commercial, retail, or institutional customer needs. This delivers an organization agility that would be impossible to achieve if relying solely on generic solutions.
For example, by specializing core banking and investments capabilities, financial services institutions can remain compliant with regulations, connect special workflows between departments, and respond quicker to changing economic and competitive environments.
Custom Software From Idea Maker
If you’re looking to implement custom software into your business, then you’ve come to the right place. At Idea Maker, we have a team of custom software development experts ready to build an application suited to your unique business needs. Schedule a free consultation with us today to learn more about how our custom development services can set you up for long-term success.
