Across all industries, businesses are adopting digital tools to enable growth. As a result, leaders are spoilt for choice when it comes to off-the-shelf software solutions, promising easy implementation and organisational consistency.
But what is the true cost?
Off-the-shelf software is designed for the mass market, meaning it’s made to suit the “average business.” This standard formula will work for some processes in most companies; however, it’s not a good choice if your business has uniqueness that gives you a competitive advantage and differentiates you from the opposition.
When you use off-the-shelf software, your business and people must change to fit the software, and it can sometimes be like fitting a square peg into a round hole. This forced conformity can diminish your company’s agility, stifle innovation and diminish competitive advantage.
Deloitte,1 reported that technology leaders are “expected to invest in tech that creates demonstrable business value by delivering growth and innovation.” Inferring that employing new software shouldn’t be about supplying a standard or makeshift solution but instead providing a framework that will capitalise on the company’s strengths and encourage continued innovation.
Your business’s unique way of doing things is fundamental to its competitiveness. So, it’s unsurprising that companies increasingly choose to implement custom solutions rather than conforming their processes to an off-the-shelf option. In fact, nearly 70%2 of the top economic performers are using their own software applications to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Thankfully, low-code custom solutions are more accessible than ever, enabling you to bottle your proprietary processes, ensure scalability and stay agile in the market.
With an efficient low-code solution, your business’s competitive advantage becomes a digital advantage — and in the digital transformation era, that’s never been more critical.
References
1DI_CIO_CIO-insider-maximizing-the-impact-of-tech-investments-in-the-new-normal.pdf (deloitte)
2 Every company is a software company: Six ‘must dos’ to succeed | McKinsey
