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We live in a digital world. Nowadays, most customers want to be able to interact with your company online. As a result, more and more companies have been considering diversifying their offer with the addition of a software solution. Indeed, whether you’re running an online fashion retailer or a marketing agency, software tools enable businesses to provide personalized and tailored services. For retailers, it’s an opportunity to create a digital stylist who helps your customers to find their style and renew their wardrobe, for instance. As for the marketing agency, copywriters can use an online tool to keep track of their orders in real-time, for example. Ultimately, companies replace costly manual interactions with smart programs that can not only learn to handle their customers’ requirements but also save the team time and money in the long term.
However, only a small percentage of businesses specialize in software building. For most of them, the software comes as an afterthought. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for companies to face the tricky dilemma of outsourcing their software projects. What are the pros and cons for businesses?
Pro: You can relax while the experts do the hard work
Admittedly, it’s fair to say that as a business, you should only focus on your expert skills. It can be dangerous for an inexperienced company to tackle software build, let alone to hire the talent you need for the job. How do you best define the skills you require when you approach a completely unknown service area? That’s precisely why you’d be in safer hands with a dedicated software development company. While the choice of the most reliable software partner for your project can be delicate, the portfolio and technology at hand can help you to navigate proposals.
Con: You are not involved in the build
What’s the point of being involved in the build if you don’t know how to write code? The idea is that businesses understand their customers better than anyone else. Being involved in the testing phase could help to address potential usability issues that programmers and developers may not have spotted. Additionally, you may not be able to have any input about the use of deep learning workstation, aka a workstation that can separate and utilize different layers of data as part of its learning process. Deep learning, for instance, can be useful for facial or voice recognition system for your customers, as the workstation can establish a broad set of AI rules. As a result, your customers may not enjoy the full range of features intended.
Additionally, the app market is exploding
As much as the public wants digital solutions, the preferred device remains the smartphone. As a result, more and more companies are moving away from the extensive software feature to embrace the light and practica app format. With almost 5 million mobile apps available in the Google Play store and the Apple App store, it’s fair to say that you’ve got a lot of competition. Unfortunately, customers grow bored with an app rapidly – you have three days to delight.
With more and more software tools available, you can’t afford to ignore the customers’ demands for a digital solution. However, figuring out how to approach software development as a non-tech company can be tricky. Additionally, the boom of applications drives the focus on smartphones, where the life expectancy of your solution can be only three days. In a fast pace and cheap digital market, it’s time to ask the real question: Do customers still want computer-based software tools?
