Ready-Made Apps VS Custom Apps: How to Make the Right Choice?

Mobile applications are a godsend for sales agents who are in constant motion: they negotiate with customers, organize and conduct meetings, and close deals. Nowadays, there are a lot of ready-made solutions for sales support on the market. With each update, their quality increases, which is largely facilitated by high competition for the user. At the same time, business continues to show increased interest in the development of mobile applications. In this article, we will consider the reasonability of custom software development for companies.

Key Features of Applications

Both ready-made and customized solutions are equally useful to sales managers and perform the following functions:

• quick navigation through the company’s content;
• the ability to share various presentation information with clients – from simple pictures and price lists to full-fledged interactive booklets and 3D animations;
• integration with the company’s CRM system;
• scheduling meetings and holding online conferences;
• collection and recording of client data directly during negotiations;
• processing transactions at the scene;
• generation and efficient transmission of reports to the office.

A logical question arises: if the functions are identical, does it make sense to develop an application from scratch when you can buy a ready-made one?

The Difference Between Ready-Made Apps and Custom Solutions

The choice between developing a mobile solution or buying a ready-made application will be easier if you compare both options on the key factors that determine the success of an application. Let’s do it.

• Price.

It’s no secret that the cost of a ready-made mobile solution can be very attractive. The financial costs of a ready-made solution are reduced by the purchase of an application and built-in functions by subscription. Therefore, if you plan to use new tools in your projects or campaigns on an occasional basis, turn to boxed solutions.

On the other hand, the one-time costs for a customized application will be more tangible, since it supposes the involvement of a whole team of specialists: project managers, mobile and backend developers, testers, and designers. However, the investment will pay off many times over if you are interested in long-term investments in mobile solutions.

• Time.

The time from an order for the development of a custom mobile application to its launch can be several months. For comparison, you can buy and set up a ready-made mobile solution in less than a week.

Focusing only on the time factor, any entrepreneur would prefer to receive an application here and now, and not in a month or six months. But this does not mean that the purchased application will solve all the tasks that are important to you. On the contrary, you will have to adapt to its features and take into account the existing limitations.

If you plan to use the application in the long term, then the development time (as well as money) is well worth it.

• Business specifics.

There may be a million ready-made applications for sales agents on the market, and at the same time, there will not be one among them that will suit your company. There are cases, when customers purchase an application and, having installed it, they understand that the application contains only basic functions that are clearly not enough for the team. As a result, the application is used inefficiently or not used at all.

In this regard, customized applications are more attractive – they can be developed to meet the business requirements of a particular company, taking into account its field of activity and organizational structure.

• Integration with software products.

In some cases, it is especially important for customers of mobile applications that the solution can be easily integrated with the company’s software. This option is provided in many boxed applications. But, unfortunately, no one can guarantee 100% integration of finished products. If errors occur while working with the application, this will inevitably affect the productivity of sales managers.

The development of an individual solution helps to avoid such problems since it initially assumes full compatibility with software products used by the customer company.

• Scalability.

The more sales, the more successful the business is. This, in turn, affects the growth of the company and the size of the sales force. In such a situation, the application must be scaled to be used by a large number of accounts. With a customized solution, everything is simple: you increase the number of users of the application, add new ones whenever you need it, or refine the mobile product under a signed agreement with the development company.

With ready-made solutions, this can be problematic. Either you will need to purchase an additional subscription package of applications, or you will not be able to scale the application to the size of a large business.

• Maintenance and updating.

Any application periodically needs maintenance and updating. Both require investment. When ordering a customized application, it is important to take into account that you will regularly pay for new versions of the application, support in case of bugs, and additional services. On the contrary, ready-made applications can be updated automatically, sometimes even for free, and service support is included in the monthly payment.

It would seem that customized solutions lose to their boxed competitors in this. However, a company can find value in developing a solution from scratch: since mobile developers are usually employed on a contract basis, they can always refine the solution. For example, expand the functionality if necessary, and add more options when the size of the company has grown and the number of tasks has increased.

Why you Should Order a Custom App

An application developed from scratch will pay off in the long run if your sales team is not interested in immediate results, but in convenient and effective tools for working for a long period. Let’s look at the advantages of custom solutions:

• long-term investments;
• ability to take into account the specifics of the business;
• full customization of parameters to the requirements of the sales team;
• ease of integration with corporate software;
• convenient application scalability;
• ability to add additional options.

Final Thoughts

When making a decision concerning the type of an application, weigh the pros and cons. It is important to answer some questions. Is it important to consider the specifics of your business in a mobile solution? Are you ready to make a long-term investment in tools for your salespeople? And finally, are you ready to devote enough time to develop a mobile project? The answers will help you make your final choice. If your business is ready to develop a unique and effective app, then do not hesitate to contact the Intellectsoft company to order this service, as it has experienced specialists to bring your vision into reality.