The strategic significance of advanced technologies as a critical business component is recognized by enterprises like never before. Besides business modernization and cost reduction, advanced technologies allow you to compensate for labor shortages, improve brand value and competency, and expedite research and innovation processes. However, several companies jump onto the bandwagon without properly understanding the practical applications and benefits of advanced technology in their business. Only 23% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide can invest in and grow with new digital tools, indicates the World Economic Forum. This data proves why companies should analyze advanced business technology examples before adopting digital tools.

Read more: Using technology to build customer trust: Your business plan for 2022

To simplify your understanding, here’s a quick rundown of five advanced business technologies we believe will help you cope with the new business and economic environment. 

  • Simplifying Workflows With Cloud
  • Low-code Applications
  • Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
  • Document Data Extraction
  • AI Assistants

As these business technologies become more affordable and handy, businesses are ardently pursuing them to automate customer service, streamline workflows, differentiate products and services, and reach new markets. Depending on your budget, implementation timeline, priorities, and unique business requirements, our team at Fingent helps you build the roadmap for technology adoption. 

Let’s take a closer look at the five inevitable technologies for business transformation today:

Read more: How to gain maximum value from your technology investments?

1. Simplifying Workflows with Cloud

Workflow management is a highly overlooked enterprise strategy that directly impacts productivity. Managing different stakeholders, heaps of confidential data, and a series of preset and conditional tasks manually can lead to several errors such as employees missing key steps, policy violations, compliance issues, and monetary losses. By taking your workflows online, cloud-based workflow management applications increase your productivity. 

Cloud-powered workflows or workflow management tools:

  • Are scalable, centralized, customizable to your needs, easy to integrate, secure, reliable, and hassle-free. 
  • Offer a seamless and unified collaboration interface by preventing users from toggling between different messaging apps or communication channels.
  • Reduce your dependency on in-house IT team by passing on the software maintenance responsibilities to the third-party software vendor
  • Can be accessed via any authorized network (with approved access credentials), on any device, from anywhere, 24/7. This has been a huge game-changer for several companies that switched to remote operations during the pandemic. 

Example of a Cloud-based Workflow Tool

Finding a cloud workflow management tool that can be customized to your company’s requirements is daunting. The platform should integrate well with your organizational processes without disrupting your existing workflow. This is where digital workplace applications like InfinCE make the difference. 

InfinCE

With InfinCE Digital Workplace, Fingent has improved its productivity by 20% through real-time, effective, and easy collaboration. Data-powered dashboards, dedicated servers, collaboration apps, productivity tools, virtual desktops, private mobile apps, and a host of exceptional business management features enabled us to achieve a significant operational breakthrough in streamlining workflows. 

Read the full case study here.   

2. Low-code Applications

Gartner estimates that by 2025, 70% of enterprise applications will use low-code or no-code technologies. Digital business transformation requires pushing custom software solutions to the market at lightning speed. This demand has given rise to low-code applications that will break the technological and organizational silos of application development, automation, integration, and governance. Low-code development enables business users to bring innovative ideas to life by just dragging and dropping low-code elements through a graphical user interface. 

In simple words, low-code development enables “citizen” developers or non-tech users (such as business analysts or marketers) to build dashboards and survey or contact forms faster. Professional developers, on the other hand, can leverage low-code techniques to perform more efficient tasks such as legacy application modernization or back-end integrations with improved agility and velocity.

Use Cases for Low-code Applications

  • Customer engagement applications and portals
  • Mission-critical applications such as ERP software, payments manager, etc.
  • Data analysis applications, BI dashboards, and data management software
  • Mobile apps for customer engagement
  • Order processing, inventory, order fulfillment, supply chain, and accounting apps

Salesforce Lightning, Microsoft Power Apps, and Zoho Creator are some of the leading low-code applications today. SAP users can leverage the unified low-code/no-code (LCNC) solutions on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) to rapidly build and extend applications, and automate tasks and processes.

3. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation (RPA), often referred to as software robotics, is an easy-to-use software technology that allows anyone to automate digital tasks within their business processes. RPA allows users to create software robots or “bots” that can learn, emulate, and then execute rules-based business processes. According to Forrester Research, RPA software revenue is expected to reach $6.5 billion by 2025, while RPA-related services revenue could hit $16 billion in the same year. 

Potential Use Cases for RPA 

We offer free proof of concepts to help you understand how RPA can improve your business efficiency and customer experience. Some of our top use cases include:

  • Automating discharge protocols and data management to increase HR productivity in healthcare.
  • Daily retail process automation such as order processing, inventory and warehouse management, etc. to save time and resources.
  • Reducing customer wait times through RPA-enabled chatbots that answer customer queries in real-time. 
  • Error-free, automated billing and invoices to keep your financial systems and reports up-to-date.
  • HR teams can automate the maintenance of personnel data and records, streamline onboarding, and manage payroll seamlessly. 

Download our white paper to learn more about how Robotic Process Automation can simplify your business operations

4. Document Data Extraction

Extracting quality data out of unstructured or poorly structured data sources and documents for further processing, migration, and storing has been a biggest obstacle in automating back office operations. If you are entering structured invoices to a robust ERP tool like SAP, your payments can be automated and system records can be generated automatically. Due to the high costs of data extraction, several businesses extract only critical information fields, for example, the payment field within an invoice. Businesses are compelled to manually extract data from other important fields, such as validating the invoice’s compliance with VAT.  

AI-integrated OCR Software for Document Extraction

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is an affordable, game-changing technology that automatically extracts data from the digital images (photos) of large files, scanned documents, and sub-titles or captions superimposed on an image. It reduces the time spent in manual data entry and extraction by automatically converting typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-readable text. AI-powered automated data extraction tools like DocuSign, Docsumo, Kofax Capture, and Amazon Textract leverage OCR technology to reduce the chaos involved in document data extraction and enable businesses to create an efficient workplace. 

Our team helps customize document data extraction software that can save your time and money by eliminating transcription and transposing mistakes.

5. AI Assistants

One of the most common examples of small business automation today is the use of AI-powered virtual assistants. They can save your employees’ productivity by automating the most repeatable customer interactions, such as technical support, appointment scheduling, lead qualification, and order management. AI virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa can understand and act according to your voice commands and customize responses to your queries. Understanding customer intent through natural language processing and recognition allows AI assistants to maintain a human-like conversation.

Chatbots are a popular category of AI assistants that are designed specifically for text-based channels like SMS, email, and live chat. Recent years have witnessed a rise in chatbot adoption among several business verticals, product and service lines, websites, mobile apps, customer portals, and so on. Data shows that 58% of B2B companies and 42% of B2C websites are using chatbots to make their websites and mobile apps more interactive. More than 56% of businesses believe chatbots to be driving digital disruption in their industry. 

Case Study: AI Virtual Assistant for HR     

Fingent’s HR team was pressed to transform their service delivery model as routine, transactional tasks affected their performance and efficiency. To solve their struggle, Fingent developed MUSA, an AI-powered virtual assistant (a chatbot) and integrated it with Fingent Hub, Fingent’s internal employee management system. MUSA is short for Multi Utility Assistant. Employees can ask MUSA any queries related to HR and IT DevOps processes at Fingent, and they’ll get answered instantly. MUSA has improved our HR team’s response time by minimizing their workload and allowing them to focus on areas requiring more attention.     

 

Read the full case study here.

Business and Technology Are Inseparable

Gartner writes that businesses leading with technology employ advanced tech to boost their customer experience and revenue growth, have a clear understanding of their priorities, goals, and strategies, and invest in solutions tailored to their needs. Technology allows businesses to lower the walls within and between their organizations, customers, providers, suppliers, and so on. Organizations perceiving technology as a key business consideration will be able to match the pace of business change and stay relevant and competitive. 

How can your company embrace growth in a new era of transformation and business technology trends? If you feel you’re getting caught in the technology maze, take a quick break to contact us.

Our consultants can simplify your technology adoption strategy based on your priorities, customer needs, financial resources, and technical requirements. 

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    About the Author

    ...
    Vinod Saratchandran

    Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

    Talk To Our Experts

      It apparently took 20,000 to 30,000 men to lay 2.3 million blocks to build the pyramid of Cheops, and it would have taken approximately 20 years to complete if the stones were laid at the rate of one every two minutes. Manual labor – tedious and time-consuming! Thanks to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology, most businesses can now be liberated from arduous work and improve their business process to gain increased profit. 

      Robotic Process Automation technology is bolstering businesses across industries. Software robots do repetitive and lower-value work and advanced robots can even perform cognitive tasks like interpreting the text, understanding unstructured data, and plying advanced ML models to make complex decisions. 

      Are you a business leader considering whether to move to RPA or not move to RPA? This blog can clarify any doubts you may have about RPA.

      But what exactly is RPA?

      What is RPA?

      Robotic Process Automation is a software technology that is capable of imitating human actions while interacting with digital systems and software. Like us, it can understand what is on the screen and perform a wide range of defined actions. The only difference between us and RPA is that software robots can accomplish tasks faster and more consistently than we can ever do. Plus, they don’t need to stretch or go for a coffee break. 

      How RPA Is Impacting Today’s Businesses

      Robotic Process Automation is a clear and viable way to maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance productivity. Though RPA is fairly new, it is gaining rapid traction across industries. Businesses are turning to RPA to minimize human effort.

      According to a Deloitte RPA survey, 53% of respondents have begun their RPA journey by 2020, and this is expected to increase to 72% in the next couple of years. Why are so many companies adopting RPA? Here are a few reasons:

      • Employees spend 10%-25% of their time on repetitive tasks. Implementing RPA will save that time for more productive work.
      • Typical rule-based processes can be automated by 70% – 80%.
      • IT departments of an organization spend 30% of their time on basic low-level tasks. Obviously, RPA adoption can save precious time for the IT department, which can be better used elsewhere.

      Why Your Business Needs RPA? 

      RPA is a user-friendly and cost-effective tool. The advantages it can provide are drawing interest from organizations from various sectors globally. Here are some business benefits for your consideration:

      • Easy implementation: RPA implementation does not require programming skills. Non-technical staff can teach the bot how to perform an automated task with the help of a process recorder feature. 
      • Less prone to make mistakes: RPA bots are extremely accurate and consistent. They are less prone to typo errors than a human worker. This feature is extremely beneficial in tasks such as setting up or removing user accounts, onboarding and offboarding employees or filling out information from another system. 
      • Meet strict compliance standards: Once configured, RPA bots strictly follow the step and provide an audit trail for each step. This controlled nature is well suited for companies that want to automate their processes end-to-end while meeting regulatory compliance standards. 
      • Work with existing systems: RPA doesn’t require any changes to your current system. It can be included as part of your automated business process. 
      • Increased productivity: RPA improves process cycles and completes them faster when compared to manual processes.

      Read more: Is It the Right Time for Your Business to Invest in Robotic Processing Automation?

      Robotic Process Automation

      Now that you know why your business needs Robotic Process Automation, would you like to know what some potential areas of your business that can effectively implement RPA are?

      Potential Business Areas to Implement RPA Effectively

      Here are some sectors that use Robotic Process Automation effectively:

      1. Report Generation: Report generation is a time-consuming and tedious task as data must be collected from multiple sources and collated accurately. RPA takes care of this task allowing employees to directly get to drawing actionable insights from the collated information.

      2. Customer Service: RPA can be set up to quickly handle the first two or three customer interactions before reaching a human executive. 

      3. Accounting: RPA helps increase the speed of accounting, such as on-time invoicing and quicker fund release. You can fine-tune it to ask the vendor for relevant documents in case of any complexity.

      4. Fraud detection: RPA enables banks to detect any anomalies in transactions and flag them against a fraudulent customer. It can reduce the time taken for fraud detection and investigation.

      5. Data exchange: Data exchange is often time-consuming and error-prone. RPA can maximize productivity by reducing transaction times from hours to minutes. It can also minimize errors and maintain clean and organized data for business compliance results. 

      6. Reduce cost and manual labor: RPA limits your labor expenses and increases productivity. This contributes to consistent work. It also reduces errors at work, which prevents time wasted on correcting errors and redoing the work. Thus, it is more cost-effective while minimizing manual labor. 

      Top Sectors That Can Benefit From RPA

      • Property management: Real estate businesses can use RPA to generate invoices automatically regarding property management. It can also reduce the turnaround time, leading to reduced operational costs. 
      • Retail: These businesses can use Robotic Process Automation to monitor inventory and email sales. It allows retail businesses to monitor competitors’ websites to gain insights on products or customer service. 
      • Finance: Finance companies can use RPS to manage customer accounts, data migration within accounts, sending and receiving payments, and more. 
      • Healthcare: Manually recording patient data and updating it can take enormous time. You can automate this process through RPA to reduce workforce concentration. Also, you can leverage these insights to provide more personalized healthcare services.

      Read more: Deploying RPA for Finance, Healthcare & IT Operations

       

      Tips To Choose The Right RPA Partner

      Once you have your strategy in place, consider these points in choosing the right RPA partner:

      • Skills: What skills or certifications matter to you most?
      • Bots: What kind of bots do you need for your strategy?
      • Capabilities: Do these bots have the cognitive capabilities to handle unstructured data sources?
      • Recorders: Does your provider have tools to record workflow?
      • Scalability: Can your partner scale as per your requirement?
      • Solutions: Are their solutions reliable?
      • Reusability: Does your partner follow a modular automation approach?
      • Process designer: Can your partner provide you process designer approach that suits your business?
      • Cost: Find out upfront if the cost includes licensing, ongoing maintenance, and support.

      Read more: Robotic Process Automation: Choosing The Right Solution For Your Business

       

      Ready to Transform Your Business With RPA?

      Given the apparent advantages of Robotic Process Automation is one of the best tools to adopt in the current business world. However, selecting the right RPA partner can be a demanding process. Do your due diligence, speak with our experts and see what exactly you need to be looking for and if we are a good fit for you. 

      Once implemented, you can be confident that your business will benefit from better results and improved efficiency, which translates into higher revenues. 

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        About the Author

        ...
        Vinod Saratchandran

        Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

        Talk To Our Experts

          Businesses are unique, like fingerprints! Their external and internal processes make them unique even in their sector. This makes it important to work on customizable solutions. After all, why would a customer come to you if you offer the same products and solutions as others? An end-to-end custom software solution will help you deliver unique customer experiences so that they are drawn to your business over other market leaders. Now is the time to take steps to start investing in end-to-end custom software that can offer you a competitive edge. 

          Whether to gain greater connectivity for IoT devices or to develop your own software, there is a horde of reasons why buyers and sellers gravitate toward end-to-end custom software solutions. Here is what you must know about end-to-end software and the impact it can have on your business growth and scalability. 

          What Is an End-To-End Custom Software Solution?

          As the name suggests, an end-to-end custom software solution is a tool that has all the features necessary to execute the workflow from the very first step to the last one. This solution allows you to use an entire range of tools that you need to support and grow your business without using any third-party platforms. 

          Read more: Custom software development weighed against pre-packaged commercial software

          Why And When Must You Think of Investing in A Customized End-To-End Solution?

          End-to-end custom software solution serves specific needs and day-to-day requirements of your business. More importantly, it can automate your organization’s manual tasks and business activities. Being flexible to your business needs, these custom solutions can be more productive and have a positive influence on your business. It is easy to work with it. And it can even suggest which professionals could execute a task if the operating person leaves. 

          Here is when you must invest in an end-to-end custom software solution:

          1. Do you need to juggle between software systems?

          If so, an end-to-end custom software solution makes connecting different functionalities effortlessly. Even other software systems can operate in sync through an end-to-end custom software solution.

          2. Do you need to automate daily activities?

          The end-to-end custom software solution is an excellent resource for performing automation with utmost ease. 

          3. Are you looking for ways to streamline your business methodologies?

          For business productivity, you need streamlined and effective methods. And that is exactly what end-to-end custom software solutions can help you generate. Also, it can aid the structured collection and storage of all data.

          4. Are you struggling to optimize business services and improve business efficiency?

          An end-to-end custom technology can optimize business services by saving time and effort. Besides, since it supports the business processes, you will ensure to satisfy your clients and earn their loyalty.

          5. Are you struggling to enable workforce productivity?

          Most custom software comes with templates that allow you to customize the entire process, from start to finish. This solution enables email automation, marketing automation, and content management. These elements enable workforce productivity. 

          6. Do you want to keep tabs on your business growth and maturity?

          Since end-to-end technology works for multiple stakeholders, you will be able to keep tabs on income sources. This improves your brand identity.

          Read more: 5 reasons why custom software development is important to your business

          Custom Software Development

          Top 6 Benefits of Implementing End-To-End Technology

          All businesses across various industries can truly benefit from end-to-end custom software solutions. Here are the top 6 benefits for your consideration:

          1. The ability to unify various processes in one concise format

          Custom software provides an all-in-one cloud-based system that can correspond with your business goals, operations, and users. This system can unify hundreds of various processes into one concise format. This all-in-one tool allows you to streamline the payment process, optimize sales, and enhance logistics. It also allows you to monitor daily operations and take care of accounting. Above all, it smoothens the onboarding process.

          2. Faster data migration

          Transferring data from one source or tool to another is time consuming and tedious task. Implementing an end-to-end custom software solution smooths the data flow and enables easier and faster data migration from one source to another. This way, you have a complete overview of your prominent KPIs, metrics, and more within one platform. 

          3. No need to overpay

          One of the most important benefits of investing in an end-to-end custom software solution is its cost-effectiveness. You will have to overpay if you have multiple systems from multiple vendors. Though the initial cost of off-the-shelf may seem lower, you are expected to take care of licenses, support packages, and other expenses that increase your initial cost. 

          Investing in end-to-end custom technology will cut your expenses significantly. On the flip side, you will also save money because of reduced errors, enhanced communication, improved productivity, and a simplified onboarding process. 

          4. Improved efficiency 

          Dealing with several vendors can lead to confusion. However, working with one vendor can help you optimize and automate your business. A custom solution can enhance overall efficiency and productivity. Minimized errors, improved security, optimized performance, and more lead to increased efficiency.

          5. Grow and change along with your business needs

          In business, change is inevitable. Changing an off-the-shelf software can be too expensive as you will have to buy additional licensing and add-on packages. With end-to-end custom technology, the developers can build it to scale as needed. This will allow you to keep up with the changing workflows, tasks, and integrations. 

          Additionally, custom software technology allows you to easily add new technologies and solutions, thus helping you stay on top of the latest innovations. Such a solution can bring your ideas to life and meet your specific business goals and requirements. 

          6. Competitive advantage

          Off-the-shelf software is publicly available, and every other business uses it. How can using the same software will help you stand apart? Using the same software is like using a uniform; you cannot see the difference. To stay above the competition, you need an end-to-end custom software solution with unique features and functions configured solely for your business. 

          Watch more: How your business can stay Compliant, Smart, and Reliant with Custom Software!

          Not an Expense but an Investment! 

          An end-to-end custom software solution will cover your basic business needs and empower your company to accomplish more. An end-to-end custom software solution is an investment rather than an expense. Fingent has worked with many leading businesses to create innovative and cost -effective custom software solutions that gained leverage and a competitive edge. We can help you too take your business to new heights! Give us a call, and let’s get started!

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            About the Author

            ...
            Tony Joseph

            Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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              Custom software tackles the specific needs of users more comprehensively than traditional off-the-shelf packages. Efficiency, scalability, lower integration cost, uniquely tailored features, functions, profitability, and independence are a few of its major benefits. In simple words, custom software creates a more customer-centric approach to your business, which translates to more business.

              Globalization has pressured companies to take bold steps in expanding their horizon and potential. The rapid increase in market trends, technological innovations, and increasing competitor growth has changed and raised customer expectations. Deploying custom software development solutions in your business can be a strong weapon in this vicious battle. This blog will show you why and also help you see if this might be the right time to implement it for your business.

              Why Is There a Need For A Custom Software Solution?

              Evolving times have made it necessary for businesses worldwide to step up to the challenge of being bold, unique, and versatile. “Be different or be forgotten” has never before been more relevant than today. Custom software gives you the tools you need to satisfy your customers.

              Here are some more reasons why custom software development is the current need for businesses on a global scale:

              1. High Security

              Security nowadays is a prime preference provided by most companies. Getting hacked by cyberpunks is a nasty affair that not only compromises your company’s data and security but also ruins the reputation of your business. Compared to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Software, customized business software is better in terms of security and competence in saving data.

              Mobile app formulating corporations exemplify this feature by merging features like two-way authentication and data encryption.

              2. Efficiency

              Custom Software is purpose-built to support unique operations and workflows promptly and productively. It refines the workflow by removing unnecessary factors and automating monotonous and tedious manual jobs. This way, it fulfills the fundamental goal of improving your company’s and its employees’ operational efficiency and productivity.

              Read more: How Fingent helped Impact XM improve their marketing management capabilities and enhance their business performance with a custom software solution!

              3. Scalability 

              Since customized software is created based on the unique needs of a business, it can easily be modified and embellished depending on the growing needs and requirements of the company. Scalability is one of the greatest significant advantages of custom software. It allows you to construct relatable software based on your business requirements. It can also cut costs associated with purchasing extra licenses and subscriptions to commercial software.

              4. Cost-Effective

              COTS software generally fails to work with existing and legacy applications. Businesses must invest further to ensure the software works well with their existing infrastructure. On the contrary, custom software can be built to adapt easily to an organization’s needs and integrate with any environment. Custom cloud software development goes one step further and enables you to build cloud-native applications at a much lesser cost.

              Read more: Know What’s Driving Custom Software Development Cost This 2022!

               

              5. Independence 

              Deploying custom software means freedom from the clutches of a commercial software vendor. You can avoid incessant price hikes for licensing and support. You will also remain unaffected when packaged software goes out of business, or a vendor terminates a product. With custom-developed software, you are in charge of creating and maintaining the software, which means you can update and modify it as regularly as you need.

              These are just a few reasons for the increasing need for custom software solutions. It can effectively meet the demands of businesses irrespective of the company’s size. Technically progressive solutions can give you a stepping stone over opponents.

              Using custom applications reports a 77% reduction in manual data entry! Learn more about why choosing custom software works over commercial off-the-shelf solutions. Scroll through our Infographic now!

              custom software

              Does Your Business Need Custom Software Solution Right Now? 

              Now that you know the benefits of custom software, the question is: do you need to implement it right now, or can you put it off for a while? Here is a checklist of symptoms. If you tick any of these boxes, it might just be time to get that ball rolling on a custom software solution:

              1. Lack Of Efficiency 

              Are your employees struggling with mundane manual work? Is it resulting in delays, lower productivity, and errors?

              Custom business software developed according to your requirements will empower your business to tackle these challenges by providing an all-in-one environment for employees to plan and execute the workflow, communicate effortlessly, and procure data anytime. By enabling automation and AI in the software, you will be able to eliminate the element of human error and conserve your human resources for more focused tasks.

              2. Data Management Issues

              Do you often struggle to access and track crucial data? Does it take ages to make sense of the data and put it to good use? Are you struggling with the threat of data leaks?

              Data is probably the essential asset of any business. It is usually challenging to store, analyze and track crucial information, and keep the data secure from theft to maintain the data integrity in your industry.

              A custom software solution can be built to include Business Intelligence (BI) solutions that can help you convert data into actionable insights. This will help you make intelligent data-driven decisions for your business. You can also customize security layers for your software to address the particular security risks associated with your business.

              3. Low Customer Satisfaction

              Have you been receiving more customer complaints lately? Are they dissatisfied with their interaction with your business?

              Nobody knows your customers as you do. Integrating this knowledge into your software can be priceless in ensuring customer satisfaction. Custom software allows you to do just that. You can work with your developers to integrate insights from your customer base and market analysis and provide features that your customers will be happy with, which can lead to a seamless customer experience.

              4. Business Expansion

              Is your business expanding? Do you need to grow technologically?

              Expansion and development are two constants in a business owner’s mind. Whether your business is expanding in terms of location, the number of employees, or customers, you unquestionably need to grow technologically.

              You don’t want to add technological issues to the chaos of a quickly expanding business. Looking for new software solutions every time a component of your business grows will be a real challenge. With custom software, you can easily build on the existing software and add features as you scale.

              Read more: Choosing the Right Software Development Vendor

              How To Get Started?

              As you can see, custom software can play an integral part in the operation and success of your business by improving productivity and increasing efficiency. It is an excellent investment in time-saving, cost-effectiveness, and risk reduction.

              The first step is hiring a professional technical team to help you develop custom software. Fingent, a leading custom software development company, excels in crafting tailored software solutions for clients, perfectly aligned with their unique requirements. We can help you too.

              Give us a call, and let’s discuss your requirements.

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                About the Author

                ...
                Vinod Saratchandran

                Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

                Talk To Our Experts

                  Web Application Development:
                  A Detailed Guide for 2022

                  Web Application is the first line of contact between your customers and business.

                  What is a Web Application?

                  A decade ago, web pages were mostly static, with a few images and videos scattered around. In 2005, thanks to Ajax, it made it possible to create better, faster, and more interactive web applications.

                  A web application, also known as a web app, is nothing but a computer program that uses a web browser to perform a specific function. A web application is a client-server program that comprises a client-side and a server-side. The user enters data through the client-side (front-end), while the server-side (back-end) of the application stores and processes the information. For example, shopping carts, content management systems, and online forms are typical web applications.

                  Both enterprises and individuals develop web applications to fulfill different purposes. Web apps help integrate the tailored experience of native apps with easy access on a website browser from any device. For example, LinkedIn, Basecamp, MailChimp, or even Facebook, have web apps that provide immersive and tailored experiences like the native apps directly from the browser. Hence, web application development is gaining a lot of popularity in almost all industries, including banking, eCommerce, education, healthcare, and more.

                  How does a Web Application Work?

                  Web applications are accessed over a network and need not be downloaded. Instead, users can access web applications through browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or Safari.
                  A web application is built around three components- a Web Server, an Application Server, and a Database. The web server manages requests from the client, the application server processes requests, and the database stores the information.

                  A typical web application workflow looks like this:

                  Web apps are generally coded using JavaScript, HTML5, or Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for the client-side programming (front-end). ASP.NET, PHP, Java, and Ruby are commonly used for server-side programming.

                  What is Web Application Development?

                  Web application development refers to the process of using client-side and server-side programming to develop an application that is accessible over the web browser.
                  The web application development process begins by; first, the developer trying to find a solution to a specific problem, then designing the web app by choosing the appropriate development framework. Next, the developer tests the solution and finally deploys the web app.

                  Types of Web Applications

                  Now that we’ve covered the various aspects of web applications let’s deep dive into the different categories of web applications. Web apps are classified based on their functionalities, tools, and technologies.

                  Web App vs. Websites

                  Web applications are indeed websites. Users can access both via web browsers, and both require access to the internet. It may seem that there’s no difference between them. However, the lines between a website and a web app are blurred. Web application development differs substantially from website development. Here’s a simplified rundown on the differences between a website and a web application.

                  Web Application

                  • A web application is dynamic and is designed for user engagement.
                  • A web application is interactive and responds to user input.
                  • Web applications mostly require authentication.
                  • The functions in a web application are quite higher and more complex.
                  • The web application needs precompilation before deployment.
                  • Integration with other software for web applications is complex.

                  Website

                  • A website basically contains static content.
                  • A website is a one-way informational feed and does not allow user interaction.
                  • Authentication is not obligatory for informational websites.
                  • The functions of a website are relatively simple.
                  • A website does not need not be pre-compiled.
                  • Integration is hassle-free for websites.

                  Web Apps vs. Mobile Apps

                  While web apps and mobile apps are similar in many ways, both are different in many ways. Mobile apps are made exclusively for mobile gadgets and are suitable for Android, iOS, and cross-platform operating systems. Usually, mobile apps are mobile-first, meaning they work effectively on smartphones, tablets, or other handheld mobile devices. Most mobile apps work offline too. Examples include Google Maps, Amazon Kindle, Uber, etc.
                  On the other hand, web apps function only with internet connectivity. A web app functions in real-time in a web browser with CPU resources. With adequate internal storage, mobile apps can be downloaded from the app store or play store.

                  Benefits of Web Application Development

                  Web application comes along with an array of benefits for businesses and users.

                  Speed and cost

                  Web application development is faster and more economical than building native apps. Therefore, if the primary goal is to accelerate time-to-market, web application development is the best choice for businesses.

                  Cross-platform capabilities

                  Web applications are programmed to run on any operating system. Due to their cross-platform capabilities, web applications can adapt well to Android, iOS, Mac OS, and Windows phones. In addition, the device responsiveness of web applications helps to get rid of OS dependencies.

                  Browser compatibility

                  A web application runs on the device’s browser using an accessible URL. Modern web applications are compatible with all browsers, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Bing. Hence, software compatibility challenges are never roadblocks.

                  Reduced operating costs

                  Web application development is a great way to cut down operating costs. It drives to eliminate unnecessary expenses such as hardware purchases, frequent device updates, and maintenance of numerous systems.

                  Easy to update

                  Updating web applications is easy, as only the server(s) would require upgrades.

                  Customization

                  Custom web application development offers several benefits, such as tailored features for the users. These applications are easily accessible via browsers with a stable internet connection. Custom web apps help cut unnecessary expenses and save time as only required features need to be developed. A custom web app can significantly improve your business traction brand awareness, communicate your brand ideology and help you gain a competitive edge in the chosen target market.

                  Expanded Security

                  Web applications are typically deployed on dedicated servers, constantly monitored, and managed by experienced server administrators. This is more effective than monitoring hundreds or even thousands of client computers, as with desktop applications. In addition, it ensures tighter security and identifies any potential breaches that could slip off.

                  Zero downloads

                  Web apps don’t need to be downloaded from app stores such as Apple’s App Store or Google Play. This helps save money since having a direct link through a web app is free.

                  Technology Stack for Web Application Development

                  The following web development technologies enable the creation of high-performing, fast, and advanced web applications.

                  Web Application Development Process

                  Whether you decide to develop your web application in-house team or outsource to a company like Fingent, your project will be more successful if you understand the process involved in web application development in advance.

                  The number of steps in the web application development process can vary.

                  Conceptualize

                  The first step is to define the problem you want to solve with a web application and collect all the relevant information needed for app development. A well-defined problem will give an excellent head-start to the project and help you identify the best solution. Next, clarify the purpose and the end goals of the application.

                  During the planning phase, the developers will take a run to answer the following questions.

                  • What app do you want to build?
                  • What features and functions should it include?
                  • What is the audience of your product?
                  Prototype & Development

                  The development phase involves creating a wireframe or prototype to communicate the solution to target users.

                  First, the developers will lay out the design elements to provide a delightful user experience to the target audience. The wireframe is then presented to potential users, considers their feedback, and iterates until they're satisfied.

                  Post-design, the next step is to build the application. The following steps will happen in this phase.

                  • To create a database for storage, the developers need to determine what data and data types are required for the application to perform well.
                  • Based on the elements approved by the users during the wireframing process, developers will create the front-end application. The developers need to identify the best frameworks for front-end development.
                  • Developers will create interaction between the user and the server.
                  • Developers either code from scratch or use front-end and back-end frameworks to develop the web app.
                  • Based on the application type, that is, client-side/ server-side/ single-page, programming is done.
                  Test and Implement

                  Whether an automated or manual web application, testing for the web application is an ongoing process throughout the software development lifecycle. Testing is an inevitable part of the software development process.

                  The Testing (QA) team will test the app for usability, compatibility, functionality, security, and performance to eliminate bugs and ensure that the application works without any glitches.Testing also helps identify any possible improvements and upgrades to make in the future.Once the testing is complete, you can finally implement the application in your company or your customer's side.

                  When using it for your company, you will have to train your employees to use the app productively (if the app requires training). In addition, you will have to create a communication strategy for customers and decide on the appropriate timing to launch the application in the market.

                  At Fingent, we help you perform all the mandatory software and usability testing to ensure that your web app functions seamlessly. We also provide training and support to use the apps effectively.

                  Hosting and Maintenance

                  You must buy a domain and choose a hosting provider to create a server location for the app. We help you choose shared hosting, dedicated hosting, or cloud hosting based on your requirements. Be it a simple website or complex web application, and every digital product needs routine checks and enhancements. Maintenance of the application or website includes:

                  • Ongoing QA testing
                  • Bug fixes and improvements
                  • Addressing changes and adding features based on user feedback
                  • Providing regular updates and technical support

                  Web Application Development Validation And Deployment

                  Once your web app is developed and ready to be launched, it is critical to perform testing to ensure that the application functions correctly before its deployment. Bug fixing alone is not sufficient. Therefore, testing is vital to web application development.
                  A standard web application undergoes the following testing,
                  After completing the quality assurance process, your web app is ready for launch. You can use GitHub, Beanstalk App, and Bitbucket App to deploy the web app to your servers. Any new features, changes, and improvements to the deployed application are implemented according to the user’s feedback.

                  Web Development Trends for 2022

                  Web development has progressed over the years and is progressing with the emergence of newer technologies. A website is the face of a business rather than mere codes. More than one-third of visitors prefer to hold on to websites with attractive content and a clean layout. In 2022, companies are more than ready to apply the latest web development trends to improve conversions and develop engaging websites without having to code. If you want to stay ahead, it is vital to focus on the latest trends, updates, techniques, and web development approaches. Why developers should bring out more innovative web development approaches- the fact is it boosts business growth rather exponentially and globally.

                  Apps For Multiple Domains With .NET Core

                  .NET Core gives you consistency across all architectures by running your code with the same behavior. Be it gaming, IoT, mobile, or AI – we can help you develop high-performing, secure, cost-effective, and flexible applications in any domain with .NET Core. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Building Exceptional Apps With C#

                  C# is a highly versatile programming language commonly used for developing websites, Windows applications, and games. With its foundation deep-rooted in the Microsoft platform, C# is one of the most-cherished and reliable languages to build robust applications. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Enterprise Web Applications With ASP.NET

                  ASP.NET is a framework for building web apps and services with .NET and C#. ASP.NET allows you to build large and complex applications by reducing the amount of code required. This, in turn, reduces the application development time and costs involved. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Microsoft Azure Cloud Services

                  Take advantage of the cloud through hybrid cloud-based solutions with Microsoft Azure. We can help you migrate your solution to the cloud, enabling you with on-demand and secure resources of Azure. Scale according to your needs and improve your business agility. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Enhance Collaboration With SharePoint Development

                  Fingent’s Microsoft team can help you develop robust SharePoint solutions that empower your organization with efficient collaboration and communication. We can help you build intuitive interfaces and simple navigation features for effective document management. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Streamline Processes With PowerApps

                  Microsoft Power Apps enables you to build low-code, professional-grade apps that can modernize your business processes and drive innovation across your organization. Infuse your enterprise apps with AI and automation, powered by PowerApps. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Business Analytics Service Using Power BI

                  Leveraging Microsoft Power BI, we enable businesses to develop interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities through simple and intuitive interfaces. Enrich your business as well as end-users with custom reports and dashboards powered by insightful data. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Universal Windows Platform (UWP)

                  By leveraging UWP API, we help you create universal apps that run on Windows 10 compatible devices without the need to be re-written for each. As the name suggests, the Universal Windows Platform allows you to create apps that run on multiple types of devices. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)

                  Using WPF, we incorporate visually stunning user experiences into your Windows desktop applications that include features like rich user interface, media, complex business models, animation, effects, styles, templates, controls, data binding, and so on. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Business Intelligence With SQL Server

                  Our expertise with Microsoft data platforms can empower you with real-time data for improved decision-making. Our Microsoft capabilities can help in uniting several disparate information sources and create reports from across varied systems and databases. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  Highly Responsive Applications With Cosmos DB

                  We help you develop highly responsive and highly available applications on Cosmos DB using the popular open source software APIs. Experience low latency, high throughput, real-time responses, and tunable consistency with this multi-model, NoSQL database service. Let’s Discuss Your Project

                  The Future of Web Application Development

                  The web development industry is in flux and is constantly evolving. Therefore, it is paramount for us always to look ahead and learn about what's coming up or any risk being left in the web development dust. Web development is defined through the upcoming trends and changes in the digital world. Businesses around the globe are in a quest to build outstanding websites to up their online presence with all-new frameworks, tools, and advancements. If you want your business to stay ahead of the race, the smartest thing u can do is to try out innovative and experimental things like Augmented Reality (AR) or Artificial Intelligence. Here's a quick glance at some of the exciting developments likely to happen in the near future.

                  Smarter Apps with Data Science

                  Data Science is impacting web development positively. Data science helps extract significant user information on a large scale using statistics, analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Using the extraction of meaningful information, web development is now guided into a more fruitful system to impact the business's bottom line. With data science and machine learning, you can target the right customers with personalized content at the right time within your application.

                  Augmented Reality

                  Product visualization is the most sought-after requirement among today's customers. Augmented reality has the potential to change the shopping game. Most online shoppers prefer shopping sites to integrate some form of augmented reality for a personalized experience. AR experiences in different ways are the key for customers to become more engaged in various platforms and the digital world overall. The future is not too far, where AR experiences will move into the mainstream and cease to be viewed as a niche technology.

                  Pageless Websites

                  Pageless website is a new-age concept that takes an alternative choice on web design. The entire contents of a website are displayed on a single page with an endless scroll instead of having multiple pages. With responsive elements, guided narrative, and intuitive scrolling, users can surf the entire contents of the website with ease.

                  Metaverse

                  The Metaverse is the new kid on the block that seeks to bring together many different technologies to offer users a new web experience. Today, users view content on the web. But on the Metaverse, users will be immersed in the content. Thanks to technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Machine Learning, and other forms of Artificial Intelligence. Metaverse is the next iteration of the internet where users can navigate through a virtual space instead of the current two-dimensional screen.

                  Cost of Web Application Development

                  The cost of a complicated and custom web application development process would again differ from pre-defined, packaged, and general-purpose applications. For example, suppose the app requires developing APIs and plugins or complex technical stacks, separate UX/UI elements, brand identity development, etc. In that case, the pricing will go up as the advantages are humongous.

                  Numerous factors influences the cost of web application development. As no two apps are the same, the price will vary, based on:
                  • Features and functionality of the web application
                  • Complexity of the application
                  • Phase-wise development plan
                  • Development team size
                  • Platforms selected to develop the app
                  • Technology stacks selected
                  • Estimated project timelines
                  Features
                  Functionality
                  Team Size
                  Technology
                  Level of complexity
                  Time

                  Top 5 Web Apps that Revolutionized the World

                  A polished web app is almost a mandate for successful digital businesses today. Many apps have changed the public's perception of what they can expect and what is possible. It includes everything a typical user might look for in an app regarding design, usability, reliability, and security. Here's a rundown on five apps that has made a difference to the world.

                  Facebook

                  Facebook is a free social networking website that allows people to connect with others online. It lets users share photographs, post comments, post links to interesting content on the web, live chat, and watch videos. Facebook's success is attributed to its ability to appeal to both people and businesses and its ability to interact with websites around the web by providing a single login that works across multiple sites.

                  Whatsapp

                  WhatsApp is a free, multi-platform messaging app that lets users make video and voice calls, send text messages, share their status, and make payments, all with just an internet connection. The most appealing feature of this app is that it works on various phones and computer operating systems, which bestows uninterrupted conversations anytime, anywhere. WhatsApp serves more than 2 billion people in over 180 countries, with over a billion daily active users.

                  Uber

                  Uber is a transportation company that has developed an app to allow passengers to hail a ride, and drivers get paid. The app integrates with Google maps for tracking locations, routes and directing people to their destination. Uber uses smartphone app technology to connect passengers and drivers via a car-for-hire method. Most people love the simplicity of opening the app, telling where they want to go, and then seeing an Uber driver show up in a matter of minutes.

                  Instagram

                  Instagram is a free, popular photo-sharing app that Facebook acquired in 2012. It allows users to edit and upload photos and short videos through a mobile app. Like other social networking platforms, Instagram users can like, comment, share and bookmark others' posts. It also includes a feature of private chats and video conferencing with friends.

                  Tiktok

                  TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short videos. A young crowd commonly uses the app as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comics, and lip-syncing, making fun videos and sharing them across a community. In addition, users can follow other users, like, and comment on other users' videos. TikTok app quickly soared to popularity and amassed over 500 million monthly active users, the US being the most popular country where it is downloaded over 80 million times.

                  What Can A Web Application Do for Your Business?

                  With the internet being commonplace for most modern-day businesses, web applications are a quintessential tool for better growth in their market share. If you need to bring your company or business before the right users, the secret is to be found online with a creative and engaging web application. Web applications are of paramount importance than official websites when it comes to winning business goals and generating profits. Let’s explain the different areas a web application can help your business.
                  First Point of Engagement

                  A web application is the first point of access to your business and brand for your customers. Your app is the place that reflects what you do, your services, products, and your reputation. You can stand out from your competitors by having a web application that looks interesting and clearly communicates quality information to your customers. Therefore, hiring a professional web application development company is judicious to understand your vision and shape the application accordingly.

                  A company or business without a web app or website may question the legitimacy of the business. So, having an app is an opportunity to build a great first impression and give people assurance that you’re a genuine business.

                  Boost Online Brand Visibility

                  Web applications play a crucial role in the branding process of a business. Showcasing your brand to your prospective customers is the key to positioning your business in the market. A web application is an underlying framework for branding your products or services because branding acts as the bridge to maintain a proper communication channel between potential customers and your business.

                  Clearly conveying to the customers who you are, what you provide, and what your brand represents raises your business popularity coupled with building a customer base. A web application is your brand's voice that reaches out to the world through multiple social media platforms.

                  Improve Customer Loyalty

                  Your app is one of the most powerful assets for helping business owners improve customer relationships and increase efficiency. In addition to showcasing your offering or describing who you are, your application is one of the key tools for connecting with your existing customers and keeping them engaged. In order to create customer loyalty, you need to give your customers a reason to return.

                  Web applications come in handy with a lot of scopes to build customer loyalty programs to win customers’ hearts. Even simple changes to your app can go a long way toward building your brand and encouraging more customers to use your app frequently. Your application can be the key to increasing customer loyalty, a critical piece of the puzzle.

                  Easily Customizable and Scalable

                  As your business expands, your web applications need upgrades. Off-the-shelf applications are neither flexible nor scalable, limiting their capabilities. Custom web applications are developed specifically to suit your business requirements. It is completely scalable and flexible, harmonizing with your business growth and demands. Custom applications grow with your business without any hassles of switching to new applications or extra license purchases. Moreover, the advent of cloud-native apps further enhances the flexibility and scalability of applications by adding more value to the business.

                  Enhanced Customer Support

                  The prompt and user-friendly customer support offered by web applications becomes more approachable and less intimidating for customers. So, the users of the app feel more comfortable with the company and are likely to stick on for a long time.

                  Web apps help to create an engaging space for customers to interact with brands and provide a dedicated space to track and manage all the customer support queries. The beauty of web applications is that they can be accessed at any time from any location. Hence, providing any customer assistance is never an obstacle.

                  Why develop your Web Application with Fingent?

                  Web application development is a mandate for your organization to lead the digital space and reach out to more customers in the future. Fingent provides a wide array of software development services from software customization to building Web, Mobile, Enterprise, and Cloud applications across various industries.

                  Fingent is a high-end custom software development company that has been helping businesses -small and large- across the globe with innovative solutions. We help build your brand, increase your brand identity, promote your products and services to help you gain a competitive advantage.

                  Explore our range of services.

                  Our web application development services are specifically designed to help you meet your goals, considering your business infrastructure and key facets of your industry.

                  18+

                  Years of Experience

                  8

                  Centers of Excellence (CoE)

                  800+

                  Completed Projects

                  Transparent Project Management

                  500+

                  Qualified Professionals

                  Dedicated QA Practices

                  Most Common Q&As on Web Development

                  What is better: Multi-page Website or Single-page Website?

                  While both are good at their place, most people prefer the single-page website. This is because a single-page website offers ease of interaction and access compared to a Multi-page website.

                  If your business has a lot to do with queries and solutions or customer interactions, it is recommended you get a chat window.

                  For quality web application development, you should include both to help you avail more benefits. A combination of frameworks and pure codes will work as it will take less time and ensure quality development.

                  Some of the renowned web app development technologies are:

                  • Models:
                      HTML, XSL, XML
                  • Animation:   AJAX, Flash, jQuery UI, ActionScript, JavaScript
                  • Databases:   MS SQL, MySQL, Microsoft Access, SQLite, Oracle, PostgreSQL
                  • CMS:   WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Kentico, Sitecore, Sitefinity, Sanity
                  • Programming:   C#, PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, ASP.NET+MVC, Python, Ruby, Django, Go
                  • Payment Systems:   PayPal, Assist, MoneyBookers, SMS, OSMP

                  The choice to outsource or hire in-house solely depends on your specific business situation.

                  Hiring an in-house developer will ensure that you have complete control over the entire development process, which is definitely great for some businesses. But it also calls for long preparation time and extra expenses. On the contrary, outsourcing cuts down costs and avoids hiring new employees altogether – which can be very useful if you are short of time or money.

                  If your outsourcing partner is a reputable and experienced agency, you can rest assured that they will care for all your web development needs without sacrificing quality.

                  Get Latest Insights on Web Application Development

                  Top Technologies Used to Develop Mobile App

                  Progressive Web App Development: 10 Benefits – Fingent

                  How Mobile and Web Apps Increase Customer Engagement

                  Stay up to date on what's new

                    About the Author

                    ...
                    Vedavyas Shenoy

                    Talk To Our Experts

                      If you’re a business with an expanding online retail footprint, your hard work actually begins once a customer places an order. Each new order triggers a multifarious chain reaction, right from confirming the order through payment acceptance to picking, packing, and finally shipping the consignment to the right location. As digital shopping becomes the primary buying method today, it’s important for brands to simplify online ordering for their customers.

                      How can you make your order processing and fulfillment smooth enough for both your customers and employees? 

                      If you’re a small business, you might be able to handle your orders with basic pre-packaged software. But as your business grows, you need a customized order management system to fulfill the orders gushing in. With a custom order processing software, your business can bring the best of both worlds, that is, streamline your order processing and fulfillment and simplify order placement for your customers.   

                      View Infographic: Custom Software vs. Commercial Off-the-shelf Solutions

                      What is an Order Management Software?

                      Order management refers to the set of processes used by an organization to track, manage, and fulfill an order, right from the time when it (order) is placed by a customer to when it is safely delivered at the right destination. 

                      Order management systems are software tools used to monitor the end-to-end customer order journey. With order management software, you can organize and automate processes, keep track of your merchandise, control the delivery process, and ensure that your customer receives the right order at the right time in a good condition. 

                      Say you’re running an online medical procurement store. A clinic places an order with you for disposable saliva ejectors. Your order management software checks if the payment was successful, send the order details to your warehouse, tracks the order form when it is being picked, packed, and shipped, and finally ensures that the saliva ejectors were delivered properly. 

                      Modern order management systems are capable of going beyond delivery and order fulfillment. They can record customer service actions, track returns or exchanges, prevent shipping errors and processing delays, and save profits by reducing refunds and reshipping costs. By collecting vital metrics that define your success and efficiency, your business can identify what’s working and what needs to be improved.  

                      Why Do You Need a Customized Order Processing Software?

                      Investing in an off-the-shelf order processing system is enough if you’re content with your business’s status quo. But it wouldn’t suffice if you’re thinking of expanding your business. Offering personalization is the only way to make yourself stand out from the competition and attract more customers. That means, making some serious changes to your existing workflow. When you try to alter your current workflow to incorporate personalization, your canned software offers limited ways to do it successfully. This is where a custom software solution comes to your rescue. 

                      Watch Video: Why Your Business Requires Custom Software

                      Custom order management software allows you to configure the workflows required to meet your specific business needs. If off-the-shelf software provides you with 80% of the functionality, custom software allows you to tailor the remaining 20% (or even more) to enhance your workflows and make your business future-proof. 

                      Some Inspiring Stories 

                      We’ve done it in the past and we’re doing it now as well! 

                      We’ve simplified what was once considered complex order processing, with custom-built ordering software that lets customers place orders quickly and allows businesses to track every order with improved efficiency and sophistication. Here’re a few inspiring stories.

                      1. Cheetah Transportation Systems

                      Texas-based Cheetah Transportation Systems leveraged Fingent’s custom software development services to implement a personalized transportation management system. The new system allows Cheetah’s customers to view their order status in real-time and access up-to-date shipping data. With a customized software solution, Cheetah re-imagined their logistics and supply chain operations:

                      • Streamlined and accelerated ordering, tracking, and delivery processes
                      • Cut licensing and subscription costs by eliminating complex third-party software integrations
                      • 30% improvement in Turn Around Time (TAT)
                      • 40% time-saving attained through automated tasks and real-time reporting 

                      2. AEC Advisors

                      Another pretty interesting digital transformation story is that of AEC Advisors. The New York-based investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm experienced a business transformation with a customized survey management cum analytics and reporting software developed by Fingent.  

                      • Ability to create and circulate customized surveys prior to the yearly conference held by AEC Advisors
                      • Quickly generate KPI reports based on survey responses
                      • Secure, scalable, and flexible IT architecture to address AEC’s specific needs
                      • Make it convenient for AEC’s clients to securely share complex financial information

                      3. Lakeside Cabins

                      A custom order management application for a manufacturer who builds customized sheds for growing families needing more space! That’s the story of Lakeside Cabins, headquartered in Ohio. The manufacturer wanted us to build an in-house software customized to support the different stages of their building processes. Fingent created a personalized, flexible, easy-to-maintain, and scalable order management software with the following features:

                      • Custom-built 3D configurator that allows customers to configure building designs, generate floor plans and invoices, and reduce human errors
                      • Integrated modules to manage CRM, dealers, orders, purchase orders, work orders, and route-optimized delivery schedules

                      Interested to explore similar success stories? Click here to read our top case studies. 

                      Business Benefits of Custom Order Management Software

                      1. Features that fit your business needs

                      A customized order management software offers the best features your business would actually require. Collaborate with the right software development partner to identify your unique business needs. Avoiding unwanted features helps you get cost-effective custom software within a shorter development cycle. 

                      2. Flexibility 

                      Your customers may want to split orders and deliver them to multiple addresses. Using an off-the-shelf software to split your shipments will increase your fulfillment costs due to longer development cycles. A customized order processing software offers the flexibility to split consignments, choose multiple payment modes for a single order, and a horde of other capabilities that will enable you to deliver an Amazon-like experience to your customers. 

                      Read more: Custom software solutions – the ideal way to build business apps

                      Custom software

                      3. Easy to integrate with other tools

                      Most off-the-shelf software don’t offer flexibility in integration, making you spend more on missing software integrations. In contrast, custom order processing software offers makes it easy to integrate with necessary third-party ware that can improve the accuracy of your order fulfillment process. Fingent develops powerful APIs and plugins that support seamless integration of third-party tools with your custom software.  

                      4. Automation of mundane tasks

                      When your custom order management software does the heavy-lifting by automating invoicing, billing, banking integration, payment, and stock management, you can focus on improving your customer service. Automating mind-numbing operations will allow you to keep your order processing tasks much more organized and easier. 

                      5. Flexible pricing

                      Most pre-packaged order management solutions offer functionalities that your business doesn’t require and demand you to pay extra for useful features. A custom software solution is designed and developed after defining your objectives clearly. So you end up paying only for the features you use.   

                      Read more: Know What’s Driving Custom Software Development Costs in 2022

                      Develop Your Custom Software Application with Fingent

                      When you’re in complete control of your order management system, you will attain better visibility, productivity, and cost control. Custom software befits businesses of any size- small or large, as it can save your costs and support your long-term growth plans. Whether your requirement is to develop a custom inventory/ order/ warehouse/ transportation management software, our developers have considerable experience in handling anything that comes our way.

                      Read more: How to Choose the Right Custom Software Development Firm

                      Our core experience in developing B2B e-commerce applications, customized product ordering systems, tailored self-service payment portals, and an array of bespoke software solutions makes us a trusted software development partner to hundreds of organizations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies.

                      If you want to learn more about custom software or would like to know how it can improve your bottom line, get in touch with us.     

                      Stay up to date on what's new

                        About the Author

                        ...
                        Tony Joseph

                        Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

                        Talk To Our Experts

                          Every small business requires an array of software to run its operations smoothly and successfully. When starting a new business, it may seem like your off-the-shelf software would suffice all your needs. As your business grows, your business management software should scale to meet your team’s evolving needs, boost the efficiency of your workflows, and be flexible to support new use cases. Custom software or a software application tailor-made to address your specific business requirements helps improve your market competency and realize ROI at a faster pace. 

                          How will you determine if custom software is the right fit for your small business?

                          Read on this post to learn more about custom software for small businesses. 

                          Read more: 5 Reasons Why Custom Software is Important for Your Business

                          Custom software

                          Top Signs Indicating Why Your Small Business Needs Custom Software          

                          The classic “build vs. buy” decision is a pertinent question that every small business faces when addressing their software needs. Considering the cost, time, energy, and resources dedicated to custom software development, many SMEs adopt packaged software in a haste. Look out for these warning signs before deciding whether to build or buy. 

                          1. Employee Discontent

                          Find out if your employees are satisfied with your existing off-the-shelf software. Do they still stick to old-school tricks or find manual methods faster and more convenient? Are your employees forced to discover alternative workarounds to use the software? Do they still rely on spreadsheets and how-to guides for using the software? All these signs indicate that your off-the-shelf software lacks employee approval and can fail your business eventually.

                          2. Existing Tech Isn’t User-friendly

                          Rolling out enterprise-wide canned software that commands an advanced level of technical expertise will inflict more harm. It will complicate the processes for your employees and incur heavy training costs. Complex shelf software will fail the very purpose of technological innovation, that is, to simplify human efforts. If only less than 20% of your employees find the software workable, it’s better to build a customized solution.

                          View Infographic: Custom Software vs. Commercial Off-the-shelf Solutions

                          custom software

                          3. Wasting Time on Mundane Tasks

                          Is your software forcing your employees to spend their valuable time on routine activities that don’t require human thought and creativity? If your software isn’t allowing you to leverage the potential of automation, it can minimize your employees’ productivity and workplace efficiency. Automation of mundane tasks with minimal or adequate supervision is a must for small business growth and success.

                          4. Software Spend Drains Your Wallet     

                          Adapting a rigid off-the-shelf solution for your small business needs requires you to subscribe to third-party apps and pay multiple licensing fees. Most biz owners end up paying full price for unwanted features. Some companies would want to integrate estranged business applications to increase the usability of their shelf software. All these challenges lead to increased software spending.

                          5. Unable to Make Data-backed Decisions  

                          Your business data comes from multiple sources such as your website, emails, social profiles, chat, and conversation histories, helpdesk, and so on. How far is your canned software allowing you to make use of this data? Are your decisions driven by live data? If your dashboards aren’t getting updated in real-time and reports throw only past information, it’s time to consider custom software. Integrating multiple business systems and exporting all the useful data insights onto a centralized, user-friendly platform in real-time will empower small businesses to make rightful decisions.    

                          Watch Video: Why Your Business Requires Custom Software

                          How Can Your Small Business Benefit from Custom Software?

                          Small business competition has intensified in recent years. Thanks to the increasing democratization of digital innovation! Access to technological advancements is no longer limited to large enterprises. With a custom-built software, your small business can stay relevant and competitive.

                          1. Own Purpose-built Software 

                          Custom software development guarantees 100% alignment with specific business needs. You can rest assured that no crucial operations are left unsupported and there aren’t any wasted features. Share your unique requirements with a trusted custom software development company like Fingent and get exactly the features you would require on a long-term.

                          2. Uncompromised Security

                          Ready-to-use software is highly vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the widespread availability of code and proliferation of users. Owning custom code places your small business under lock and key and keeps your sensitive information hack-proof. Customized solutions offer built-in security with a specialized approach to development. Better compliance and data governance improves your organization’s reputation and trust. 

                          3. Improve Workflows and Efficiency

                          Attaining profitability amid stiff competition needs your employees to put in their best performance. Experienced custom software companies like Fingent can help you identify the workflows or business functions that can be improved with the right technology. This makes your business more efficient and maximizes the productivity of your employees.

                          4. Keep Costs Under Control 

                          Improved business efficiency transforms to lower operational costs. Technologies like automation enable your employees to complete more tasks in less time, without feeling monotonous. Custom software actually costs lesser than off-the-shelf solutions, considering the extra dollars you would spend on subscriptions, licenses, third-party integrations, software upgrades and maintenance, and other overheads required to make the shelf software workable.

                          Read more: Know What’s Driving Custom Software Development Costs in 2022

                          5. Round-the-clock Support 

                          Modern business might come to a standstill if technology stops working. A typical readymade software provider puts you into a long wait with back-to-back support tickets and repeated calls, whereas a dedicated custom software development partner offers access to a direct line of technical support to resolve your issues immediately.     

                          Read more: The Dos and Don’ts of Custom Software Development 

                          Tips to Choose the Right Software Development Partner

                          Hiring the services of an experienced custom software development agency will help you focus on developing a sustainable business model. How can you identify the right software development partner for your small business? Here’re a few tips we recommend:

                          • Identify your needs. Decide what you expect the software to do. List out your objectives. Use an application specification template to fill out your needs. This improves your communication with the software development vendor. It helps the vendor understand your expectations clearly. This can go a long way in finalizing the project’s scope. 
                          • Check the partner’s technical skills, expertise, and experience. Have they handled projects related to your domain? Read up their case studies and analyze their portfolios. Arrange catch-up sessions to learn more about their software development approaches and project management methodologies.  
                          • Ask for references. It helps you understand their reputation and trustworthiness. Use top B2B review platforms like Clutch and GoodFirms to evaluate their performance. Connect with the company’s past clients for more candid reviews. 
                          • Cost is as important as the experience and reputation of the software development partner. Bestow your project only if you’re confident of guaranteed ROI. 
                          • Is your development vendor passionate about your project? Figure it out over the initial meetings before the formal kick-off. Do they come up with unique ideas that improve your application’s value in the future? Make sure that their ideas are backed with convincing use cases or POCs.  
                          • Choosing a software development partner also depends on the quality of after-sales service and technical support. Do they provide cloud-based updates, software upgrades and maintenance, and other troubleshooting services when you need them? 

                          Selecting the right custom software development partner is a meticulous job. Check out our earlier post covering these and more crucial tips in detail. 

                          Also read: How to Choose the Right Custom Software Development Firm

                          Why Choose Fingent as Your Custom Software Development Partner?

                          Over the past two decades, Fingent has been serving as a reliable and capable tech partner for many leading global brands, including Fortune 500 companies. With an impeccable track record as a successful custom software development partner, we’ve helped improve cash flow and business efficiency for many clients. If hiring in-house developers is costing you a fortune, extend your development team with our dedicated talent pool at reasonable rates. 

                          Read more: Top Benefits of Outsourcing Software Development Services

                           

                          We’re in track of the latest tech development trends and help our clients explore new and emerging tech such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Web Configurator, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and so on. If you’re an aspiring small biz owner trying to make the most of technology without burning a deep hole in your pocket, connect with our team and get started. Let’s help you build scalable and robust small business software.     

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                            About the Author

                            ...
                            Tony Joseph

                            Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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                              Data is the very foundation of insurance operations. Until the introduction of modern data analytics technologies, insurers used to make decisions based on the insights garnered from historical data. The advent of cloud computing, the divergence of data sources, the instrumentation of datasets, and the availability of real-time data have fundamentally transformed the way insurance operates today. Modern insurance carriers seek innovative methods to visualize and contextualize data from both physical and digital assets. With digital twins, insurance leaders can make the most of data, assess their readiness to face disasters, prevent damages before they occur, and optimize core insurance operations. This post explores why digital twins are vital for insurance companies in the future.
                              Read more: Is Digital Twin Promising A New Era for Healthcare?
                              Digital Twin

                              The Importance of Digital Twins in Insurance

                              Digital twins are computerized models or virtual replicas (simulations) of physical objects such as devices, assets, products, or processes. The biggest advantage of digital twins is that they operate in real-time, taking cues from updated data. This holds immense potential for the insurance industry, which heavily relies on data insights to make critical business decisions. Digital twins leverage connected technologies (IoT, sensors, real-time data monitoring systems) to help insurers define new policies or packages, mitigate risks, reduce administration costs, and enhance core insurance operations such as underwriting, claims processing, new policy creation, fraud detection, customer assets evaluation, etc. They also allow insurance companies to prevent unplanned downtimes and discover new growth opportunities.
                              These stats prove why digital twins are important for insurance companies going forward:

                              • Data Bridge Market Research estimates that by 2027, the global digital twin financial services and insurance market will account for USD 77,530.82.
                              • 87% of insurance executives agree that digital twins will strengthen their ability to collaborate in strategic partnership ecosystems, crucial for long-term success.
                              • 93% of insurance executives realize the necessity of a centralized and intelligent data hub that helps them understand the defects of their current processes and remodel their operations.

                              Digital twins can act as a virtual insurance lab for executives to predict and evaluate any risk scenario and make smart decisions. With digital twins, Insurance is moving to Assurance, a new business model that saves huge compensations from being paid off by averting losses before they occur. Let’s consider the example of a cargo vessel that is ferrying goods from one port to another. Telematics is alerting the vessel’s crew that the ship will soon be exposed to a sea storm. The vessel’s digital twin can collect data from the entire ship’s systems and assess how the storm will impact the vessel. This enables the captain to quickly turn their route and reach the safest port nearby. This is a classic example of how digital twins help upgrade insurance into assurance.

                              Digital Twins Can Improve Core Insurance Operations

                              Digital twins transform five core areas of insurance operations:

                              1. Underwriting

                              Underwriting refers to the process of pricing risks based on risk assessment. With real-time streaming of data and virtual simulations, underwriters can gain a better understanding of pricing risks based on different scenarios. Digital twins allow insurers to analyze more heterogeneous datasets within a short span of time, such as cases of heart attacks, house fires, vehicle mishaps, earthquakes, floods, and other catastrophic incidents that don’t occur frequently. This enables underwriters to fix more competitive premiums. Commercial line insurers can leverage digital twins to process workers’ compensation claims more effectively, reduce premium audits, and customize premiums to match the changing workforce.

                              Case Study
                              Streamlining workers’ compensation management by combining AI with a top litigation strategy. Download Now!

                              2. Distribution

                              By creating virtual replicas of customer habits, insured assets, and external events affecting customers’ assets and decisions, insurers can gain a more comprehensive view of the volatile market. Digital twins can simulate consumer behavior patterns based on their online activities, shopping data, and search habits. This allows insurance executives to understand customer journeys and practice context-relevant selling across the omnichannel spectrum. Insurers can also push one-click purchases across different customer touchpoints to boost distribution. The more you know about the customer, the better you can provide personalization. With online simulations and near-real visualizations, insurers can improve cross-selling and upselling.

                              3. Claims Processing

                              Digital twins help fast-track claims processing by reproducing the scenarios or circumstances behind the appeals, such as conditions of damage, car accidents, fire breakouts, etc. Claim adjusters can leverage digital twins to simulate accidents and assess their impact on the claimant’s property or other valuable possessions. This avoids the need for expert examination and helps precisely determine the insurance company’s liability. To prevent unwanted delays in claims processing, executives can compare the virtual and physical records of an accident or a house fire. Thus, digital twins in claims processing allow insurers to respond quickly to their customers.

                              4. Back-office Administration

                              Like HR, Finance, Procurement, Inventory, and other corporate functions that can be augmented with automation, several back-office operations in insurance companies can be improved using digital twins. It’s possible to create the virtual simulation of a blockchain-based smart contract prior to implementing the actual contract. Insurance carriers, customers, claim adjusters, and relevant policy stakeholders can explore how the smart contract would work in real-life and ascertain how secure the contract would be. While blockchain ensures transparency and trusted execution of smart contracts, digital twin stores and evaluates the insurance data in real-time. This helps avoid any legal disputes and complications in the future.
                              Read more: How Blockchain enables the insurance industry to tackle challenges

                              5. Fraud Detection  

                              FBI reports that in the United States, the total cost of non-health insurance fraud alone accounts for USD 40 billion per year. The rising insurance fraud costs force carriers to increase their premiums, which has a direct bearing on many American families who will have to pay higher premiums every year. Thanks to digital twins, it’s now possible to reproduce an event that resulted in a catastrophe or damage. Claim adjusters can determine the claim’s accuracy by comparing the applicant’s data with the simulated version of the incident. As a result, inconsistent claims can be detected quickly to reduce the carrier’s liability and save costs.

                              Leading Insurers Are Experimenting with Digital Twins

                              Leading reinsurer Swiss Re has partnered with Microsoft to establish a Digital Market Center for building “risk digital twins” – a virtual world that leverages AI and big data to create simulations expounding different risk scenarios. Swiss Re uses this knowledge to forecast supply chain risks, disasters, and other financial exposes. It allows insurers, business owners, and end consumers to make cost-effective and timely interventions.
                              Read more: Transforming Insurance with AI
                              insurance industry
                              Piprate, an Irish Insurtech startup joined the Digital Twin Consortium in 2020 to promote the potential of digital twin technology in the insurance industry. Piprate builds digital twins of insurance risks to solve the industry’s predicaments related to vital financial data acquisition and data sharing.
                              AI Journal reports that the insurers who participated in their pilot study titled “Digital Twins of Risk AI” (a UK grant-funded project) were able to gain a 360-degree view of risk in real-time across 100% of their portfolios.

                              Looking Ahead!

                              To face the disruption and navigate the uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, insurers need to evolve from self-contained businesses to strategic players in a partnership ecosystem. Besides streamlining data from discrete devices, digital twins offer a valuable source of intelligence for insurers. Following the unpredictable times ahead, insurance leaders will have to rethink their long-term plans and gain the ability to amend packages and make interventions in real-time. Fingent enables insurance leaders to prepare for a more agile and intelligent future by leveraging digital twins and other leading insurance technologies.
                              Get in touch with us to know more!

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                                About the Author

                                ...
                                Vinod Saratchandran

                                Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

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                                  Reinventing. Transforming. Scaling – that is what Cloud Native can mean for businesses today!
                                  Cloud-Native can help businesses achieve phenomenal success and improve their ability to deliver more features faster to their customers. It can bring in a major competitive advantage.
                                  This technology increases the velocity of the business and the method to structure their teams to take advantage of automation and scalability.
                                  Are you a business that is starting a digital transformation journey? Or are you wondering what Cloud Native is and why you need it?
                                  This blog describes the advantages of Cloud Native capabilities to speed up your productivity and increase your company’s innovation output. It also discusses upcoming trends to look for.
                                  Read more: Unlocking Opportunities with Cloud Continuum!
                                  Cloud Continuum

                                  Can Moving to a Cloud-Native Approach Improve Business Agility?

                                  Most organizations today are in the midst of a massive data transformation to out-innovate their rivals. The Cloud Native approach allows organizations to build modern applications by leveraging its benefits based on the pay-as-you-go pricing model.
                                  Here is how moving to a Cloud-Native approach improves your business agility:

                                  1. Increased Reusability Reduces Development Costs

                                  Moving to the Cloud Native approach enables developers to build apps that function like building blocks that can be used later for other projects. It makes it easier for developers to access and reuse components created for earlier projects.
                                  How does this improve business agility?

                                  • Simplified development process: Instead of spending time on building the common framework, developers can spend more time on a project’s specifics. This means they can develop more sophisticated applications in less time.
                                  • Faster delivery: All deliveries are time-sensitive. A cloud-native approach enables you to seize the time-sensitive opportunity by reducing the time to market.
                                  • Testing made simple: Cloud-Native uses microservices that present fewer problems. When the load on the pipeline is lightened, the testing is simplified.

                                  2. Better Customer Experience 

                                  Two types of customers are affected by the Cloud Native approach – external customers (those who purchase from you) and internal customers (those development teams).

                                  • Internal customer: Your internal customers or the development teams maintain and manage the systems that your external customers use. Fostering agility in your internal teams improves employee engagement and in turn rewards external customers. Developers are smart people who want to spend their time solving complex problems instead of focusing on just ‘keeping things running.’ The Cloud Native approach automates predictable problems, making better use of your internal team. This allows them to focus more on driving innovation.
                                  • External customers: Building and delivering solutions in response to customer needs will attract and retain customers, in effect building enduring success. Cloud-Native helps find and fix problems faster. It is especially beneficial to businesses with apps that required frequent updates. Cloud-Native gives you a reliable way to deliver those updates in a seamless, resource-efficient manner. This means there is little or no disruption of services during updates while improving responsiveness to the demand they might have.

                                  3. Improved Business Continuity

                                  Downtime can be detrimental to a business’s survival. However, Cloud Native offers a remedy to this. Moving to Cloud-Native keeps operations lean enough to survive whatever turn the market takes.
                                  It also improves business continuity and aids in disaster recovery as it reduces downtime and increases resource availability. It allows employees to work from any location and enables integrated and automated backups. It can also unify processes on a single interface and improve visibility. 

                                  4. Ability to respond to shifting market demands

                                  Cloud-Native is a significant means of spotting an opportunity a moment before a competitor. It provides businesses the ability to respond in hours to sudden changes in the market.
                                  Cloud-Native apps are ideal instruments in turbulent or hypercompetitive markets. Whether a business needs new ways to connect with customers or is undergoing digital transformations, Cloud Native apps enable them to take advantage of sudden opportunities in the market.
                                  Read more: Cloud-Native Application Development: How It’s Powering App Delivery
                                  Cloud-native application

                                  A Look into The Cloud Native Upcoming Trends

                                  Here are the most relevant Cloud-Native trends businesses can watch out for:

                                  1. Serverless Computing 

                                  Serverless computing is a next-gen technology that ensures agility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. Essentially, it is a new way of running applications and services that enables developers to focus on building customer-centric applications and optimizing application design.
                                  The operational cost of serverless computing is much lower as it enables IT and development teams to work together. It allows them to share the responsibility of developing and maintaining a product.

                                  2. Distributed Cloud or Multicloud

                                  Another noteworthy trend is the adoption of distributed cloud. It is a method that combines the benefits of the public cloud with an organization’s ability to maintain governance of the infrastructure.
                                  Distributed cloud or Multicloud allows businesses to use the infrastructure of multiple cloud providers simultaneously. You can leave IT management to the providers by deciding the location of the individual services and data archives.

                                  3. Composable application

                                  In the future, businesses will have to free themselves from the rigid divisional barriers that are not compatible with the flexibility of organizations.
                                  A composable application will allow for a more modern software design and organization model. This will allow businesses to quickly create and dispose of the features that are according to the specific business needs.

                                  4. Law-code or No-code

                                  The ability to perform multiple business operations with minimum dependency on the technology team is key to business growth and sustainability.
                                  Using Kubernetes, organizations can create flexible solutions that extensively use low-code or no-code tools. Given that, the non-technical team is free to focus on their roles without specific programming skills.
                                  Read more: A Comprehensive Guide To Modern Cloud Application Development
                                  Cloud application development

                                  Become Future Ready

                                  The Cloud Native approach proposes a truly effective model and makes business innovation through the integration of applications.
                                  To embrace the benefits of the cloud, be ready to embrace changes within your entire project lifecycle.  In other words, adopting Cloud Native applications means being ready to welcome future developments in cloud services.
                                  It means opening the doors to opportunities for the future digital business. The cloud-native approach not only helps business innovate faster but help them react to marketplace events with more agility. Wondering how to make this happen for your business?
                                  Let’s have a chat!

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                                    About the Author

                                    ...
                                    Tony Joseph

                                    Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

                                    Talk To Our Experts

                                      The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the need for resilient supply chains and human-machine collaboration at work. Full or partial shutdowns, as well as social distancing regulations, impose factories and workspaces to operate with the minimal onsite crew. Despite labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and other production challenges, manufacturers are under constant pressure to respond to the evolving market needs. The demands for mass customization, quality expectations, faster product cycles, and product variability are at an all-time high. Tackling these persistent challenges requires combining human skill and ingenuity with the strength and speed of robots. To bring the best of both worlds – human creativity and robotic precision – manufacturers should adopt cobots (collaborative robots) that can reduce human interaction in feasible situations and accelerate production cycles.
                                      Cobots allow manufacturers to maximize production and address the changing demands while ensuring the safety of their employees, clients, and partners. Why are cobots the future of manufacturing? How do they help build manufacturing resilience? Let’s explore further in this blog.
                                      Read more: What are cobots and how can they benefit industries

                                      Cobots Enhance Manufacturing Efficiency

                                      Collaborative robots or cobots are designed to safely work alongside humans in tedious, dull, and hazardous environments. Unlike the traditional industrial robots that work in fenced premises to avoid close proximity with people, cobots operate in a shared workspace alongside human labor. For instance, a robot that helps humans sort foam chips in a lab is a cobot, while a robot welding a sharp cutting tool in a restricted factory area is a typical industrial robot.
                                      Conventional industrial robots have long enabled manufacturers to leverage automation and compensate for labor shortages, but they are typically designed to execute one specific task. Moreover, they lack the cognitive capabilities possessed by humans to reprogram their operations based on new circumstances. In contrast, cobots don’t require heavy, pre-programmed actuators to drive them. Cobot motions are steered by computer-controlled manipulators, such as robotic arms, which are supervised by humans. Thus, cobots facilitate effective human-machine collaboration at work.
                                      Cobots can be programmed to perform a wide range of tasks in a factory setting such as handling materials, assembling items, palletizing, packaging, and labeling, inspecting product quality, welding, press-fitting, driving screws and nuts, and tending machines. While cobots attend these mind-numbing jobs, human workers can focus on tasks that require immense resourcefulness and reasoning.
                                      Read more: Digital Transformation in Manufacturing 

                                      Benefits of Cobots in Manufacturing 

                                      Modern manufacturing requires effective human-machine collaboration to cut expenses, reduce time-to-market, and address growing customer demands. Here’s how cobots empower manufacturing enterprises.
                                      1. Easy to Deploy and Program
                                      It takes days and weeks to install and program a traditional industrial robot. A cobot, on the other hand, can be set up in less than an hour. They are lighter than conventional robots. With user-friendly mobile applications and customized software, you can swiftly program the cobot to get started. Right software configurations enable cobots to learn new actions, without any specialized training. Using intuitive 3D visualizations or simple graphical representations, you can move the robot arm to preferred waypoints. Your employees can focus on more critical tasks while the cobot takes care of mundane jobs.
                                      2. Flexible to Perform Different Tasks
                                      Cobots can be easily shifted from one workstation to another due to their flexible hardware. With minimal software customizations, cobots can be re-deployed or repurposed to perform different functions across various departments. For example, a cobot that performs picking and packing can be re-programmed as a filler by replacing its robotic arm with a tube and nozzle.
                                      Read more: Challenges, Opportunities, and Technologies That Will Revolutionize Manufacturing 
                                      manufacturing
                                      3. Save Production Cost and Time
                                      A study conducted by the World Economic Forum in association with Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing found that collaborative robots can cut nearly two-thirds of the cycle time required to pack boxes onto pallets. Because cobots are designed to work without any breaks, they reduce the idle time between cycles. The International Society of Automation reports that cobots can save production costs by reducing 75% of manual labor. Traditional robots increase the installation costs for manufacturers as they need to set up additional safety measures around the deployment area. Cobots don’t incur such extra expenses as they can be set up in close proximity to humans.
                                      4. Improve Employee Engagement and Productivity
                                      Cobots work in collaboration with people to refine and process the tasks better. They can never replace the human touch in production. When cobots take care of repetitive tasks such as screwing a bottle or packing medical equipment, employees can focus on more important functions such as running quality checks or inspecting a worksite. It allows manufacturers to optimize their productivity and boost employee morale. Businesses can also prepare their workforces to learn new skills.
                                      5. Maintain Consistency and Accuracy
                                      From the first to the hundredth task, cobots maintain the same level of accuracy and consistency. Humans can get drained easily, whereas a cobot never deviates from the actions for which it is set up. This helps ensure high product quality and uniformity. With the right software and hardware configurations, cobots can produce more finished goods at an incredible pace, faster than handcrafting.

                                      Cobots and The Future of Manufacturing

                                      Industry 4.0 paved the way for automation and smart manufacturing powered by data-driven technologies such as IoT, cyber-physical systems, wearables, AR, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, and so on. Though the sole focus of Industry 4.0 is to improve process efficiency through physical and digital integration, it accidentally ignores the significance of human value in process optimization. Industry 5.0 re-shifts its focus on human value by fusing the roles of mechanical components and human workers in production. This makes cobots the very foundation of the next wave of the industrial revolution, that is, Industry 5.0.
                                      Denmark-based Universal Robots reports that cobots are at the heart of Industry 5.0. Cobots democratize robotic capabilities, thereby serving as a personal tool that can be leveraged by any member of the workforce to apply creative skills and generate more value. Cobots can be used as a plug-and-play solution across a variety of manufacturing and industrial operations such as automotive production, food processing, chemical plants, medical devices, and kits, among others.
                                      Since they collaborate well with humans in a safe environment, cobots will:

                                      • augment intelligent decision-making,
                                      • drive high-quality products to the market,
                                      • enable mass customization and personalization,
                                      • optimize manufacturing costs,
                                      • generate new job roles (eg: Chief Robotics Officer), and
                                      • boost virtual education to make the most of collaborative robotics.

                                      Read more: How Custom Software Development Helps Manufacturing Industry 

                                      How We Help Manufacturers Leverage Cobots and Other Emerging Technologies

                                      As technology matures, manufacturing enterprises need to build use cases that prove the inevitability of human-robot collaboration. We help develop POCs and use cases that demonstrate how your business can benefit from cobots. Our experts can develop your cobot management software or mobile app from scratch or customize your existing software to address the evolving market demands. Fingent can work along with your cobot hardware manufacturers to develop a robust software orchestration layer that can control the movement of your cobots. We also simplify the training process to help you get started in no time.


                                      According to ABI Research, the global cobot market is set to expand from USD 600 million in 2021 to USD 8 billion in 2030, at a projected CAGR of 32.5%. Fingent aims to help manufacturers as well as other industry leaders to leverage cobot technology to increase their ROI and productivity, and make their business more intelligent. We also help you implement Augmented Reality solutions to facilitate equipment maintenance. If you want to learn more about how cobots can transform the future of your business or want to identify the relevant areas that can be enriched with collaborative robots, connect with us.

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