The problem with off the shelf software

The problem with off the shelf software...

Actually 4 problems! 2 big ones. 2 smaller ones.

And look this isn't just a big moan.

I do want to highlight some legitimate concerns and downsides. Some of which you may have come across before.

Problem #1: One size fits none

Firstly, it's built to cover a range of use cases and customers. And I get it, that's the deal, that's how it works. This contrasts with our custom business systems approach which is tailored to specific needs.

But it has some negative side effects (that you might have found as well).

For one, due to the need to support a range of people with different needs, it probably has a TON of features.

And great... right? More is better? Or is it?

What good is 100 things if you only need 5?

And what if there's still not the 1 or 2 things that would really make your life easier. This is where our approach to focusing on the vital 20% can make a huge difference.

Once more, because it's made for everyone, you have to fit it with it.

That means you need to spend time learning. Training your team. Heck even sometimes even training your customers!

I was looking at project management tools with client portals the other day.

The ones I were looking had SO MANY BUTTONS on the client view.

I thought - there's no way I can send people to this.

Anyway, yes compromises.

Problem #2: The cost

But that leads onto a big part 2 of my issue.

The cost!

For all the compromise there's still a huge monthly/annual license fee sometimes.

Like 10s of thousands of pounds for some products.

I've been writing software for a long time but only when starting the business did I become aware just how much people were paying.

And it can be a lot of money for something that you still need to work around.

Problem #3: Feature gating

If you haven't seen this one, you might spot it next time you look at a software products software page.

We said before about there being 100s of features but you only need 1 or 2… What's the bet that they aren't in the "starter" plan.

What's the bet it's actually in their most expensive plan?

Or in their "Enterprise book a sales call" with no price because it's bloody expensive plan?

And don't be mistaken in thinking this is just by accident.

This is a planned pricing tactic.

Problem #4: Lack of ownership

If you run a significant proportion of your business on a software product then that is in ways a risk.

Your data, the features, updates, backups everything is controlled by a third party.

It's up to them if they change things around, remove things, make things more complicated etc.

And they might go bust.

Or double the price next year.

Or remove a key feature.

Of course this might not happen but it's a risk.

It's like a leasehold flat in ways. You've built on someone else's land.

You don't have the freehold.

You don't have the IP.

When off the shelf makes sense

That's not to say off the shelf doesn't have its place.

A lot of the time, especially for small things it makes sense, the compromise is fine and the cost not so bad.

Like Mailchimp. Ain't no way we're building that from scratch to save to £20 per month.

And maybe for managing your workflow, something like monday.com is just fine.

And there's no point in trying to re-write a version of QuickBooks just because you don't like the invoice layout (though I could rant about QuickBooks for a good while, don't get me started).

So for standard stuff, use standard tools.

The case for bespoke

But if it's bigger software to manage your projects and clients. There's probably a load of things you do that "make you, you" and differentiated.

Of course I'm biased but it's from a place of passion over salesy stuff that I say - bespoke, as in, made around you and how you work and what you want to do, starts to become a more attractive opportunity.

You have control and ownership.

You pick how it works, how it looks and what it does.

ESPECIALLY if you're spending over £10k a year on a license fee.

That's a really strong indicator that bespoke might be an option worth exploring.

Another is if you and your team are still doing things on spreadsheets or some other manual way. Our article on replacing spreadsheets with business systems explores this in depth.

You've probably looked and there just isn't anything out there that quite fits the bill.

The downside with bespoke is that it's not a trivial upfront investment and it is a commitment. Our guide on how much bespoke software costs provides more details on the investment required.

The upsides and ROI though can be HUGE! See some examples in our charity app case study and recruitment system case study.