The Importance of Ongoing Support and Maintenance for Your Custom Software

The Importance of Ongoing Support and Maintenance for Your Custom Software

DEVELOPMENT
JANUARY 26, 2023

Introduction

If you've ever worked with a custom software solution, you know that it's more than just lines of code. It's an investment in your business and it needs to be properly maintained to keep running smoothly and efficiently over time. The good news is that there are many ways to extend the value of your custom software system. With proper support and maintenance, your business will benefit from continued innovation as well as reduced costs due to fewer bugs or errors in operation over time.

Software is a living and breathing thing.

Software is a living and breathing thing – it evolves over time. The moment you deploy your custom software, it’s a living, breathing thing that needs to be maintained just like any other living entity. Software needs to be updated regularly with patches and updates from the vendor in order for it to remain secure and current.

Software also needs ongoing support from its owner or developers in order for it to function optimally. This includes answering questions about configuration changes, troubleshooting when things go wrong (which they will), and providing training for new users or users who need an update on how best to use the platform.

People, like software systems, need 'maintenance’.

Software systems and the people who design them are both complex. They need maintenance.

Software systems have to be repaired when there are bugs or errors in the code, but they also require ongoing care and attention to keep them running smoothly. A software system that hasn't been updated or maintained properly will be more likely to fail than one that has had timely updates.

Likewise, people need regular maintenance as well. People can get injured or sick just like computers can crash due to some kind of error in their operating system or hardware components such as a faulty hard drive (or human brain!) This is why it's so important for both humans and machines alike to receive regular checkups from medical professionals like doctors (or programmers).

The continuous evolution of your business calls for a flexible software solution.

The continuous evolution of your business calls for a flexible software solution. As your company grows and evolves, you need to be able to adapt to changing business needs. This can be challenging when relying on an off-the-shelf product that was not built for the specific needs of your industry or brand.

With custom software, there is no limit to what you can do with it, as long as it aligns with the core principles of your organisation and mission statement. Your entire team will have access to this powerful resource—from customer service representatives all the way up to marketing executives—so everyone can contribute their ideas and expertise when it comes time for development updates or new features.

Improved design and usability will help ensure that end users are adopting the system.

A good design and an intuitive user interface are essential for the successful adoption of your software by end users.

  • It's easy to think of design and usability as the same thing, but they're actually two different things: design refers to how something looks on the outside, while usability is about how easy it is to use.

  • Usability is about intuitiveness—how intuitive a system is will determine whether users can figure out how to operate it without needing training or documentation.

Updates should be driven by the needs of your users rather than being based on an arbitrary release schedule.

It’s important to remember that software updates should be driven by the needs of your users rather than being based on an arbitrary release schedule. In fact, users are likely to disengage with your product if they do not receive regular updates. Giving them tools and features they need will help keep them engaged and increase the value of your product.

Additionally, it's important that you're able to provide a regular release schedule for new versions of your software as well as bug fixes. You don't want customers to feel like their needs aren't being met when you're too busy working on other things or don't have enough resources available!

The right support and maintenance plan can extend the value of your custom software.

Your custom software system is a significant investment in your business's success. You have an opportunity to maximise the value of that investment by making sure you have the right support and maintenance plan in place to keep your software running smoothly and efficiently.

Consider this: The value of a software system is not only in its functionality, but also in its ability to help people use it. This means that any downtime or problem with your custom application can be detrimental to productivity, which has an impact on revenue generation. The right support plan will help ensure that there are no surprises when it comes time for upgrades or bug fixes, so you can be confident that everything will run smoothly when you need it most!

A custom software system is a major investment in your business's success.

Custom software is a major investment in your business. It's an investment that can help you meet your business goals and streamline operations, but it won't run on its own. You'll need to maintain it, support it, and update it if you want it to be successful for the long term.

Do not neglect software maintenance.

Software maintenance is a key part of making sure that your custom software continues to run smoothly. It's easy to overlook this task, but it's important because it can help prevent problems from occurring.

A variety of tasks fall under the category of software maintenance, including fixing bugs, updating outdated features, and adding new features as needed. These tasks are often overlooked, or they're completed by someone who isn't an expert in them—or both! However, if you don't find yourself a good software maintenance team and handle these tasks yourself (or hire someone who knows what they're doing), you risk having major issues with your software down the line. This can be incredibly costly due to downtime costs and lost productivity

Determine maintenance needs.

Determine the frequency and level of updates needed.

Software needs to be updated often to keep it running smoothly, but the frequency will depend on how critical your software is to your business operations. For example, if you are developing a custom accounting system that provides data for financial reporting and tax filing, the software must be as accurate and efficient as possible. Updating this type of software every few months is essential. On the other hand, if you are building a product database for online sales purposes, updates may not need to occur more than once or twice each year.

When determining how often updates should occur, think about what would happen if an update didn't happen when expected: Would it cause any serious problems for customers? Could those problems lead to lost revenue? If so, then consider setting up a schedule where maintenance gets done regularly (such as monthly) rather than waiting until an error arises before taking action.

It's also important to determine whether or not there are any special circumstances that may require more frequent updates—for example: Do certain features require new technological advancements in order for them to work properly? Will these advancements affect how long it takes for changes made by one user (or group) to be reflected in other areas where that same user has access rights?

Get the best support for a custom software build.

When you're looking for a custom software development company, it's important to choose one that has experience in your industry and will make your project a priority. You also need to find a company that can provide ongoing support and maintenance.

The best way to ensure high-quality support is to work with an experienced software development firm that has proven their ability in your industry. You should look for companies with a good reputation and transparent process so they can easily communicate the status of your project at all times.

Custom software is an investment that can help you meet your business goals, but it will not run on its own.

Custom software is an investment that can help you meet your business goals, but it will not run on its own. You need to have the right support and maintenance plan in place to keep your custom software up-to-date and running smoothly. You also want to be sure that the company providing that support has the expertise necessary to maintain your custom software over time.

In order to ensure that you get the best value for your investment, make sure that:

  • Your vendor offers ongoing support and maintenance so they are there when issues arise with your system or if new requirements come up;

  • The vendor has experience working with custom software similar to yours;

  • The vendor has a proven track record of building high quality solutions for clients like yours who are using technology similar to yours;

Conclusion

If you’re looking for custom software, you’ll want to make sure it’s supported and maintained by a team of experts. At Bytehogs, we believe that a successful project requires more than just development—it needs ongoing support and maintenance too. If you don't have the time or resources to manage your own team of developers, we can help!

Reach out to our team today and see how we can help with your next project!

Ready to get started?

Contact us via email or schedule a call back. We offer a free 30-minute consultation to start your project.

Toby Saunders
Software Engineer
Toby joined Bytehogs in 2022, kick-starting his career in software. Since joining he's worked on 5+ projects across multiple tech stacks and clients. His passion for software engineering helps us to deliver for clients like never before.
Toby joined Bytehogs in 2022, kick-starting his career in software. Since joining he's worked on 5+ projects across multiple tech stacks and clients. His passion for software engineering helps us to deliver for clients like never before.