So you are looking for a website and you’re faced with multiple options. First, you could go for a pre-built solution like WordPress or Magento. When you look into WordPress there are a few plugins that may cover some needs, but many times you still need something more than a blogging platform. You look at Magento and again there are modules that will cover some of what you need, but your business needs more than an eCommerce store.
You end up finding yourself wasting time and money trying to make these tools work because you are using a hammer when you really need a screwdriver.
Unlike off-the-shelf software applications, custom software has the remarkable ability to run exactly the way you want it to. Since every business has different requirements, it’s difficult for one product to accommodate multiple needs simultaneously.
Here is where custom code comes in.
Custom coding comes in a lot a different flavors as well. If WordPress or Magento fits most of your needs, but you just need a small piece to go along with it, someone could build upon that platform and write that extra piece to suite your specifications.
Most times your business has unique needs that these pre-built solutions just don’t fit. Having someone code a tool that fits your exact needs is more effective and saves considerable time in the long run than making something work just because it may be more affordable. Often times you just need a way to extend the functionality of your current software without trying to rewrite everything from scratch.
Sometimes it may be necessary to have someone write an entire application to fit your needs. Currently we are working with a company that does the the Close Captioning for television programs, you know the text you see on a muted TV at the bar. The hearing impaired would be lost without this service. The company we work with has people all over the country watching these shows and typing the dialog while the show airs. They have Clients that need this service for specific shows and they have to match them up with Captioners. So you can imagine they need a pretty hefty scheduling system to keep track of all this. On top of this they need reporting and invoicing.
None of the aforementioned solutions would work for this company. This is a full blown application that needed to be built online so all their Captioners can see their schedules, view and approve their invoices. With custom software development this is all possible and they can easily view reports based on all the data they need and when they need it.
