Small Business Software Blog
In-House versus Outsourced Software Development: Why Hire a Developer
Your business is ready to create your own, custom software. Out of the box solutions no longer cut it. Now, you’re considering building your own in-house team versus outsourced software development. Now, we’re biased, but we believe you’ll see why using an in-house team can get out of hand when it comes to costs and training. Let’s expand on that.
eCommerce: Launching Your Online Store
Whether you’re starting from the ground up or turning your existing brick-and-mortar business into an eCommerce store, you will need to build a solid foundation for your online store. Oh, and don’t forget that business plan!
Costs of Custom Software Development
Once you’ve figured out that your business is ready for some custom software, your planning is likely to turn to budget. How much will the development of custom software cost your business? First, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask the obvious question: how much will it cost your company NOT to build out a custom solution? Think of efficiencies, cost reductions, reporting, etc. Those need to figure into your overall cost analysis. So, let’s take a look at some other things you need to consider in calculating the costs of your software.
Accepting Online Payments
Adding the ability to accept online payments to your website can boost cash flows, create a better online experience for your customers, and even create entirely new revenue streams. So, what’s involved in adding an online payment system to your site? Let’s explore that.
Legislative Update: HB 2259 and User Portals
House Bills 2259 has been introduced in the Arizona State Legislature by Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff. The bill has not progressed at this point, but it’s important for anybody running a website to keep an eye on what our elected officials are thinking. HB 2259 would have the effect of requiring any website with 500 or more users to create a user portal where those users can manage their personal information.
Does Your Business Need Custom Software?
“If only our software did this one thing!” That’s a common frustration with business owners and their team when working with off-the-shelf software. Pre-built software serves a great need -- it’s ready to go and it’s cheap. However, as businesses grow, they quickly see the need to have a more customized solution. That’s where custom software comes in. What may seem like a significant expense at first quickly turns into an investment, as your software starts to make the whole operation run more efficiently. So, what are we talking about here with this ‘Custom Software’?
Online Registration & Accounts
Empower your users. Enabling your customers to create and manage their own accounts on your website or app creates new opportunities for your business. You’ll access new data and intelligence. You’ll save time. And best of all, you’ll create a customer experience that will keep your users around for a long time.
Software Development: What's Coming in 2019
Here’s the thing. Businesses need to learn, grow, adapt, and do their best to see what’s coming at them. Your customers change. Your market changes. The way developers like Sol Minion Development build applications changes. As we look forward to new opportunities in 2019, we see that the year and the expected changes are not in a vacuum. They’ve been in the works for years. Keeping an eye on these trends is part of how we deliver a great solution for our clients. So, what do we see coming in 2019?
Delivering More With Digital Product Development
A digital product is online software that delivers a product or service via a web browser or smartphone app. Sol Minion Development’s Digital Product Development service offers our clients the ability to generate new revenue streams with these products. While the revenue models for digital products vary, the most common model is the subscription-based plan. Your company may be sitting on this opportunity right now with its existing products and software.
Connecting Services
When an existing software solution needs to integrate with another application, we call that a ‘Connected Service.’ The goal is to pull in the power of existing processes to create more efficient business operations. While this might be part of your existing business logic, it is most often an add-on to enhance your processes through outside platforms. For example, an eCommerce system might tie into a supplier’s inventory management software to make order fulfillment faster and keep inventory costs down, thereby benefiting both sides of the equation.
Customized Business Logic
Take the unique and complex way your business operates, and simplify that with custom software. Now make that solution available to your entire workforce and even vendors, suppliers and customers. That is Customized Business Logic, a technical term we use to describe how we develop software to help your business run more efficiently and your employees get more done.
When and Why to Build a Client Portal for your Application
A client portal provides your customers secure access to information about their account or service. The aim is to streamline interactions with your customers, from support to sales. A great example of a client portal is the insurance industry, where their clients can access ID cards, claim information, and order or change coverage. Imagine what a good client portal could do for your business. A well designed client portal will help your business create operational efficiency, a better customer experience, and even grow your revenue.