The larger a company grows in terms of customer base and employees, the more diverse and complicated their software requirements become. One of the best ways to overcome any kind of complications, minimize human error on a large scale, and expedite workflows is through the leveraging of enterprise software applications for businesses.
The right enterprise software optimizes company productivity while improving the bottom line and increasing visibility into the existing workflow. There are many solutions and types of programs in today’s market classified as business enterprise software. Some exist to help streamline internal processes and such, while others help manage outside relationships with customers, accounting, and much more. Many of these programs are also integrated with one another.
What Exactly is Enterprise Software Development?
Simply put, enterprise software is a program that businesses and organizations classified as being at an “enterprise-level” utilize to make their lives easier. In most situations, enterprises are also large companies with a multi or international presence. However, businesses also fall into this category when they possess specific or unique requirements separate from those of a small business.
There are some enterprise-level software programs available as off-the-shelf or mainstream products. However, it’s difficult to find one to meet all the specific needs of a single enterprise organization. This is where custom enterprise software development comes into play.
With the right enterprise software development partner, companies build their own software programs to meet their exact specifications and needs. This level of software development is a bit more involved and different than traditional software dev, so it’s important that companies find the right third-party company to achieve their goals.
A few examples of enterprise software programs include:
- Payment Processing
- Email Marketing Systems
- Content Management
- Application Integration
- Human Resources Management
- Customer Support and Call Centers
Which Enterprise-Level Software Applications Should Every Business Have?
Whether custom built by an offshore software development company or an off-the-shelf solution, all businesses at an enterprise-level require certain programs to accomplish their daily and long-term goals. Without them, organizations could lose possible clients and potential revenue, all while wasting precious time and manpower within the company.
Below are some of the top enterprise-level software applications that each and every business should have:
Project Management Software
This type of enterprise software allows employees, project managers, and all roles in between to collaborate with one another no matter location, time of day, or any other limiting factors.
It allows project managers to set deadlines, specific goals for projects, and allows anyone to follow up on project progress to ensure that each team member is fulfilling their important role. Examples of popular project management software include Asana, Trello, and Basecamp.
Customer Relationship Management Software
Companies let potential customers slip through their fingers when they don’t have a customer relationship management (or CRM) system in place.
A customer relationship management program is like keeping a smart contact list. They help supply companies with an overview of the exact position they are currently in with a potential or current client while also keeping track of communication information. This includes things like the most recent date of contact and the method of contact as well as other personal data, like phone, email, address, and so on.
CRM systems commonly incorporate in-person meetings, phone calls, emails (whether individual emails or newsletter-style emails), and social media. It also allows users to keep notes on individuals and the status or success rate of their communication. When custom-built by an outsourcing team, these programs are customizable beyond these items as well.
Business Intelligence Software
High-quality data analytics are a must-have for any successful business in today’s dynamic environment. It’s also very important for companies to know their exact business “posture.”
This posture includes aspects such as where the company is in relation to competition and clients, how they got to this position, and where they need to/would like to be. This is nearly impossible to fully actualize without some sort of powerful, relevant business intelligence software.
Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Enterprise resource planning software acts as the nucleus or brain of a company. It sources business modules and sectors, digitizes those aspects, and then creates a complex interwoven network between them so that every member of an organization works from a single database with the most updated information.
Enterprise resource planning software also helps keep additional business enterprise systems in sync, such as supply chain management, inventories, project management applications, customer relationship management systems, and so on.
Marketing Automation Software
As businesses grow, they simply don’t have time to keep up with the daily marketing demands of their companies. There isn’t enough time in the day to manage communications with individual clients, send out mailing lists, post on social media, and respond to emails.
Marketing automation software programs help companies automate communication with prospective and current clients through a variety of mediums. These channels include digital advertisements, social media, email, SMS notifications, push notifications, and more. Market segmentation is also possible to provide tailored solutions to specific targets.
Supply Chain Management Software
More specifically for companies in the manufacturing industry but also applicable elsewhere, supply chain management tools help organizations manage distribution, shipping, storage, and procurement. While different teams or departments typically carry out these tasks, supply chain management software helps unite them into one program. This helps prevent costly financial losses and bad customer service.
Supply chain management software ensures the steady flow of supplies required for continuous production and delivery. It also helps companies keep other pertinent information organized, such as ordering data, suppliers, order processing, warehousing, and such. This helps keep businesses running at optimum speed and maximum efficiency.
Ready to Take it Up a Notch?
These enterprise software applications are just a few examples of some of the most important general systems out there that every enterprise-level organization must have. They help companies stay organized, keep employees looped in at all times, and automate processes where necessary to save time and achieve maximum efficiency.
Custom enterprise software development further helps companies design and create systems to help solve niche problems within their specific industry or company to make operations and management as easy as possible.
