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

                  Your Financial Service business needs software solutions that fully consider all the individual features of your services.

                  Why?

                  The best financial advice must be provided in real-time and should be based on customer behavior. Their services must be original and unique for successful business development. This is what will make you different and will help you stand out from your competition and emerge a winner.

                  How do you achieve that?

                  Custom software for financial firms can solve complex challenges of business workflow. With custom software leading the way, the finance industry is seeing a significant shift in multiple areas including customer experience and business operations. 

                  You see, to stay competitive it is important not to cut corners when dealing with customers. To win a customer and retain his financial services, you need versatile capabilities that will help you stay customer-centric despite the rigid nature of the industry.

                  A financial custom software application can help financial services match customers’ high expectations while managing the company’s unique needs. They offer simplified transactions between people and enable financial institutions to create a wider customer base. 

                  In this article, you will find out how you can deliver services that separate you from your competition. 

                  Read more: Digital Transformation in Financial Services: All You Need to Know!

                  digital transformation in financial services

                  What Is Custom Software and Why Do You Need It Now?

                  Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, custom software is designed and developed exclusively for each customer’s tasks and requests. The custom software solution can be designed to handle the roadblocks specific to you. Given that, you can choose to eliminate features that your business does not need.

                  1. Custom software is built around your business landscape

                  Off-the-shelf applications are rigid and do not allow you to adapt quickly when market dynamics change. Whereas custom software can be responsive to your customer base and market advancements. 

                  2. Ensures robust data protection

                  The foundation of financial services is based on trust as it deals with private and sensitive data that demand robust protection. Custom software gives you control over the level of security you need to keep your customer’s data and your reputation uncompromised. 

                  Trust is a fragile thing in the finance industry. A small mistake or a performance issue can drive your clients away from you to your competition. Essentially, one mistake due to data vulnerabilities can cost your company and your customer millions. 

                  There are hordes of hackers looking for opportunities to steal financial data. Custom software ensures your security requirements are adjusted to keep your customers’ data secure. 

                  While keeping your customers’ data secure is of paramount importance, those measures should not jeopardize customer engagement. This balance can be achieved through custom software development as it allows you to create an engaging digital tool that also helps keep your data safe. 

                  3. Competitive advantage

                  Custom software is dedicated to achieving the results that you want. So, it is a strategic initiative and investment that allows you to align with your business. When you custom-build your software with a futuristic outlook, your business can outperform your competitors in the long run. 

                  4. Address errors in real-time

                  When customers encounter a bug while making a transaction, they will expect an immediate resolution. Custom software allows your team to provide a quick response without depending on scheduled maintenance. 

                  5. Scale up as required

                  The market is always in flux with changing customer demands. Responding quickly to those changes is only possible if the software is flexible and agile. Custom software can be built with the ability to scale as and when required. It allows you to add new features and integrate 3rd party services that enhance your app’s performance. The ability to scale as required can support rapid business growth.

                  6. Seamless customer experience

                  Today’s customers expect convenience, speed, and seamless experience across multiple touchpoints. Custom software can make it easy for your organization to intelligently and adequately handle any business challenge.

                  To become customer-centric, financial services need to integrate digital capabilities to keep up with market dynamics. It provides the technological backbone that can adapt to your organization’s growth. 

                  Custom software is personalized to meet customers’ business needs. With a simplified business process, and operations your customers will find it easy to use. As a result, tailored software always scores high on the customer satisfaction front. 

                  Read more: FinTech: Safeguarding Customer Interest In The Post Pandemic World.

                  FinTech

                  7. Technologies under control

                  Preconfigured software does not offer much control over the choice of technologies. But custom software can make any technology more competent, sustainable, and efficient. You can tailor it to meet your expectations and deploy it into your existing business process. 

                  8. Exclusively yours

                  Each finance service is unique, and fulfilling the unique needs of the business is only possible with tailored software. This makes customized software a requirement and not an option. 

                  It will work exactly the way you want it to work. Instead of you adjusting your business process according to the software, custom software fits right into your business process to help you achieve your business goals. 

                  9. Optimized cost control

                  As mentioned earlier, customized software allows you to choose preferred features and functionalities based on your business priorities. 

                  You are at liberty to opt-out of a particular functionality if you feel it is irrelevant to your business. So, you pay only for the features and functionalities that you need. This can considerably save your technology investment costs. 

                  10. Real-time reporting

                  Finance services rely heavily on reporting. You may have to spend hours digging your way through a number of excel sheets and other files. Customizing your software can spare you that pain and save you time as it can give you a summarized report.

                  11. Compatible with your existing process 

                  You may have been using many useful tools and technologies. Creating custom software does not mean you have to revamp your entire business process. 

                  Conversely, since the custom development process involves consideration of the various tools that you already have, the software can be built to be compatible with your existing process.  

                  12. Reduced risk factor

                  With off-the-shelf software, your business will be highly affected if you decide not to maintain your application, or your business goes bankrupt. During such dire circumstances, you will have to either change your business process or find another vendor to develop another software. 

                  This can mean extra expense on your business investments. On the contrary custom software can be maintained as long as you need it to be maintained.

                  13. Relieves you from constant concern

                  Each business has its own concerns. When a custom software does its work perfectly and serves its purpose optimally, you will be relieved to focus on your core job instead of spending enormous amounts of time finding solutions to your routine business concerns.

                  An Essential Boost for Your Business

                  Custom software is the right decision for your business and within your budget. It works more efficiently and can provide your business model with the much-needed lift. 

                  So, take time to analyze the needs of your business and choose the right software for your business.

                  Give us a call and let’s discuss what that is for you.  

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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

                      Old is gold … but is it? There are some things that get better with age of course, but when it comes to software, it’s a hard NO.  

                      Business after Covid is not the same as when you started it. So, using legacy software to run your business is like using bullock carts for transportation even when bullet trains are available. 

                      True, there are some systems that are hard to be replaced. On the other hand, there are some that need to be modernized or even completely scrapped. One of these is legacy software. Nevertheless, the modernization or replacement of legacy software is not always defined by its age. It might be that it is no longer relevant to the current business strategy and goals. When such software becomes difficult to maintain and improve, it is time to pivot to the platform ecosystem. 

                      This article discusses the benefits of pivoting your legacy software into a platform ecosystem. Before that let’s understand when and how a company should consider pivoting to the platform ecosystem.

                      Let’s start by understanding what a platform ecosystem is.

                      Read more: 5 Ways Application Modernization Enables Your Business to Grow and Reap ROI During a Pandemic

                      Application Modernization

                       

                      What Is Platform Ecosystem?

                      A platform ecosystem is a connected system of companies that share large amounts of data with a common goal. When executed well, it has a massive impact on solving societal challenges successfully establishing and launching a viable ecosystem. 

                      When Should a Company Consider Pivoting to AI-enabled Platform Ecosystem?

                      Legacy software may have been useful in the past. Today, you no longer see enough ROI. The longer you allow it to interfere with your business, the more resources you will have to devote to keep your current system functioning. 

                      After all, any company would expect to profit while ensuring to invest in the right places. Recognizing the obvious downsides will help you understand when and why you must pivot to the platform ecosystem. Here are three examples that increase the cost of running legacy software:

                      1. Maintenance cost

                      Overhead cost: When your legacy software needs constant patching and repairs, your overhead costs can increase exponentially. 

                      Human resource: If your team spends most of their time on maintenance, they will be distracted from higher-value projects that can contribute to increased ROI.

                      2. Cost of Integration

                      Integrations: You may feel tempted to look for workarounds that allow your system to work with current software and hardware. This can lead to reinventing your entire system. Essentially, you will be left with a lot of new patches on the old system that can increase your integration cost and maintenance costs. 

                      Equipment: You will have to retain some of the old software and hardware because of compatibility issues. Maintaining such old equipment also can increase your cost in terms of money and human resources. 

                      3. Cost of brand image

                      Customer retention: Because legacy software may become cumbersome and slow for today’s fast-paced customers, they may move on to your competition. These customers may include some of your loyal customers who lose patience. Gradually, such loss of customers will diminish your market share. 

                      Brand reputation: Cumbersome legacy software can change the way your existing customers and the general public view your brand. Remember, if it costs your reputation, it will cost your business!

                      Read more: Why modernize your legacy systems. What is the best approach?

                      Legacy system modernization

                      Steps to Pivot Your Legacy Software

                      Steps to pivot legacy software to a platform ecosystem vary from business to business. But there are common threads in how they can approach this journey. The companies wishing to grow with AI-enabled platforms must carefully assess and plan the transition. Doing so will ensure long-term success.

                      1. Assess and document your current software

                      Analyze and document how your current software fails to meet your business needs. Such analysis will help you understand what you need. 

                      Create a journey map to visualize the UX and CX of your legacy system. Find out how your partners, customers, and stakeholders are using your current system. 

                      This is a preliminary step so do not rush through your assessment. A thorough review now can provide you with a clearer picture of your journey and save you much time and resources during the journey. 

                      2. Find out the right strategy for your organization

                      Some of the strategies you could consider are replace, rebuild, rehost, and re-platform. The right strategy depends on various factors including the expected ROI, the timeline, and more. It is important to get your stakeholders involved in this step. 

                      3. Access to partners’ data

                      Access to partners’ data plays a huge part in driving value. Ensure to include access to partners’ data. Also, ensure this relationship comes with the ability to use AI models like customer matches and recommendations. 

                      4. Create an interface and a timeline

                      Ecosystem partners need access to AI data and decisions. This is made possible by creating an API architecture. API network allows providers to interface with the company. 

                      When mapping out your journey, factor in the time you will need to locate any other resources and the current projects your team is working on. 

                      5. Identify and gather

                      Most decisions are made by AI. Hence, Identify the key decisions that you would want AI to make and then use that data to train the models.

                      6. Design and implement a smooth process

                      The frictionless platform model can simplify the process for your customers.  Work with your partners to design and implement a seamless process that meets your customer needs. 

                      7. Data is power use it wisely

                      The machine learning process will continue to improve as they make decisions, and they will get better at predicting or recommending. Retrain them as soon as you source new data. You can also train them when you notice that they are not doing their job very effectively. 

                      8. Begin implementing your project plan

                      Once you start implementing your project plan, ensure to keep all lines of communication open and clear. Sharing information across the team about changes will help prevent problems.

                      Case Study
                      How customizable course mapping and pivoting application for K12 and higher education helped INTERACT 123 streamline their functions. Download Now!

                      Advantages Of Pivoting to Platform Ecosystem

                      The primary value of the platform is to grow your business. It is also useful for gathering data to train AI models. Each new member of the ecosystem provides more value to the network and more data. As result, you will have better AI models. 

                      Data powers AI-enabled decisions in order to quickly and efficiently process claims for your customer. In a platform ecosystem, companies work together towards a common goal. They create value for each other and their customers.  Clearly, new technology delivers a bigger return than keeping the existing software. At Fingent, we work with our clients to make this transformation smooth and seamless. 

                      Give us a call and allow us to help you effortlessly pivot your legacy software into a platform ecosystem.

                      Stay up to date on what's new

                        About the Author

                        ...
                        Sreejith

                        I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

                        Talk To Our Experts

                          The popularity of edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) has risen in recent years due to the widespread adoption of mobile technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) by various industries. The Linux Foundation’s State of the Edge Report 2021 predicts that the global market capitalization of edge computing infrastructure would reach $800 billion by 2028. If edge computing garners a wider attention span, the number of enterprises investing in AI is also growing year over year. According to the State of AI 2021 Report, the global AI funding witnessed a whopping 108% increase in 2021. More than 54% of the organizations surveyed by McKinsey in 2021 said that they have adopted AI in at least one function. 

                          Individually, both AI and edge computing help businesses in incredible ways and hold immense potential for future development. Many forward-looking organizations are investing in these two technologies as part of their digital transformation journey. “Two heads are better than one”, goes the saying. True to this, many enterprises and technology champions are discovering new opportunities by combining edge computing and AI, or Edge AI. In this blog, we’ll see how edge computing and AI are being put to work together and discuss some use cases that will take AI applications to the edge.   

                          Read more: Future-proof your business with 5G, edge computing and cloud

                          What is Edge Computing?

                          Edge computing refers to a distributed computing framework that brings the deployment of computing and storage resources closer to the data sources, such as local edge servers or IoT devices. By bringing enterprise applications closer to the data sources, edge computing offers a multitude of business benefits; including faster data processing and insights generation, better response times, and enhanced bandwidth availability.  

                          In edge computing, all your device-generated data is processed and analyzed close to the source where it’s created. By preventing your data from traveling over a network to a centralized or cloud data center, edge computing reduces latency and improves bandwidth availability. 

                          Example: Electric vehicles (EVs) leverage edge computing for data aggregation and insights generation, which help optimize charging stations and monitor the health of EV batteries.  

                          Read more: 9 examples of artificial intelligence transforming business today

                          Artificial Intelligence

                          What is AI?

                          Artificial Intelligence or AI refers to machine intelligence, where a computer-controlled (software-programmed) machine simulates human intelligence to perceive its environment and take corresponding actions that help the machine achieve its goals. AI uses machine learning and deep learning techniques to churn robust input datasets (labeled training data) and enable rapid problem-solving. 

                          The content recommendation systems used by Amazon, Netflix, or YouTube and Google’s advanced web search engine are some of the leading examples of AI today. The growth of artificial neural networks and deep learning technologies enable AI systems to process massive amounts of data at an incredible pace and predict future states with exceptional accuracy.     

                          AI-powered applications command a larger share in today’s enterprise landscape. AI helps banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions with fraud detection. AI is being used by conversational bots to enhance customer service. Smart assistants like Siri and Alexa leverage AI to improve customer experience. Hospitals and healthcare providers use AI-embedded applications for making clinical decisions and delivering remote patient care. 

                          Case Study: MUSA, Fingent’s AI-powered virtual assistant minimizes day-to-day workplaces struggles related to PeopleOps and DevOps. Read Now

                          Edge AI: The Next Wave of Enterprise Digital Transformation

                          AI applications give the intended results by relying on seamless data transmission and computation of complex ML algorithms. Edge computing helps move AI systems close to the source where the data is generated. When AI computation is done at the edge of the network, next to the data source, it gives more accurate and desired results. This process has given rise to a new computing paradigm: Edge AI.

                          In edge AI, both data generation and computation take place at the network’s edge, instead of sending and processing data in a faraway cloud computing center. Here, “edge” of the network could connote anything – mobile devices, retail stores, factories, hospitals, medical equipment, traffic lights, autonomous vehicles, and so on. 

                          Read more: Quantum vs. Neuromorphic Computing: What Will the Future of AI Look Like? 

                          AI

                          Here’s how your business can benefit from the adoption of edge AI: 

                          1. Low-power, offline capabilities

                          Traditional AI applications require enormous amount of processing and computational power to operate some of the complex ML algorithms. Distance from the cloud servers often affects the deployment of AI systems in remote locations. Edge computing helps overcome this challenge as the technology is designed to operate in low-power, offline environment. For instance, blockchain and smart contracts that rely on decentralized ledger technology (requiring no central broker or mediator) can independently run on computation-heavy AI algorithms within the edge devices.

                          2. Faster computing and real-time insights

                          Edge AI enables your applications to respond to users’ requirements in real-time. This is because edge computing analyzes data locally, close to the source where it’s generated, instead of a remote cloud data center, which usually delays responses due to long-distance communications. 

                          3. Better data security

                          If AI ensures the privacy of data that needs to be analyzed by securing if from getting exposed to cyber miscreants, edge AI adds an additional layer of privacy by containing that data locally. Edge AI uploads only the insights and analysis to the cloud and even anonymizes the data uploaded for training purposes to protect user identities. Thus, edge AI enables businesses to ensure data regulatory compliance. 

                          4. Constant improvement

                          AI models can improve their accuracy when they get access to more training data. When an edge AI application confronts data that it is unable of processing, the application will upload the data so that it can retrain and learn from it. Since the new data set is captured right at the production edge (without any transmission delays), the edge AI application will quickly learn from the new data, ensuring constant improvement through learning.   

                          5. Cost reduction

                          Offline capabilities and decentralization enable Edge AI to process data without larger internet bandwidths. This reduces your networking costs significantly. Enhanced performance of AI-enabled applications keeps your operating costs down. 

                          Case Study
                          Ambit AI, a light-touch worker’s compensation solution leverages AI and machine learning to simplify workers’ compensation and claims management. Read now!
                           

                          Potential Use Cases of Edge AI

                          The rapid growth of intelligent applications and the increasing enterprise workloads on cloud are driving the adoption of edge AI. The edge AI software market is estimated to be worth $1,835 million by 2026, states a recent study. The amalgamation of edge computing and AI has led to many breakthrough advancements in recent years. Here’re a few potential uses cases of edge AI:

                          Healthcare

                          AI-powered medical devices and instruments at the edge deliver on-demand insights for clinicians to make crucial and faster decisions about patients. During surgical procedures, surgeons can rely on the ultra-low latency surgical videos streamed into AI-powered medical data processing applications to quickly detect abnormalities and identify chances of excessive bleeding. Devices out of the operating room, such as CT and MRI imaging scanners, DNA sequencers, cryo-electron microscopy, and other life science instruments also benefit from edge AI. 

                          Energy and utilities

                          Edge AI models can leverage past insights, weather patterns, grid conditions, and other crucial meteorological information to create advanced simulations that help define new ways to improve the generation, distribution, and management of energy resources. This facilitates intelligent forecasting in the energy sector, which helps prevent discontinuous power and energy supply affecting the day-to-day lives of people.  

                          Manufacturing

                          Edge AI applications can collect data from sensor-enabled devices installed across the factory floor and process the same in real-time, with ultra-low latency. This advantage gives rise to new use cases in manufacturing and distribution, where real-time and rapid data processing is required. Examples include detecting workplace hazards, finding product defects in assembly lines, flagging machines that require attention or human intervention, and more.  

                          White Paper
                          How AI enables businesses to unlock hidden opportunities and gain a competitive advantage? Read now!

                          The list of edge AI use cases keeps growing every day. Smart virtual assistants, voice commands that replace text-based searches, autonomous vehicles, self-driving cars, video surveillance, motion detectors, and industrial IoT security are a few typical use cases that could be enhanced through the integration of edge AI. Fingent helps build faster, reliable, and cost-effective enterprise applications powered by edge and AI.

                          Are you ready to explore the possibilities of Edge AI in your business operations? Contact us today!   

                          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.

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                              There couldn’t be any better empirical evidence than COVID-19 to prove the transformational impact of AI on healthcare. Had AI not been there, it would be unviable to develop and distribute vaccines at record speed, empower public health officials and front-line workers, support equipment manufacturers, take critical life-saving actions, and respond to these abnormal times. 

                              Leading pharmaceutical company Moderna relied on automated processes and AI algorithms to rapidly bring out their covid vaccine nominee for its first clinical trial. From an anticipated 15% chance of success, AI helped the pharmaceutical company lift their success rate to a whopping 50%, placing the vaccine efficacy levels close to 94.5%. AI’s role in healthcare isn’t limited to pharmaceuticals alone.

                              In this piece, we’ll see what AI holds in store for healthcare now and in the coming years.   

                              Read more: AI in Medicine – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

                              Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

                              Top Applications of AI in Healthcare

                              Over these years, AI has brought more sophistication into what humans do, particularly in segments like healthcare. Here’re a few AI healthcare transformations currently underway:

                              1. Allows People to Stay Fit

                              AI and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) have helped launch several consumer health applications and self-health monitoring devices such as wireless-enabled wearables, activity trackers, pedometers, smartwatches, and other physical fitness monitoring gadgets. These healthcare technology applications encourage people to take proactive measures for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and allow consumers to be in control of their health and well-being. Similarly, healthcare professionals can rely on AI to better understand what their patients need. With insightful patient data, caregivers can provide the necessary guidance and support, thereby enabling people to stay healthy.  

                              Read more: 5 Healthcare Digitalization Trends Crucial in 2022 and Beyond 

                              2. Early Disease Detection

                              It’s well established that the early detection, screening, and treatment of cancer can improve outcomes. American Cancer Society is successfully using cloud ML engine on Google Cloud Platform to analyze breast cancer images with 12x improved speed. Advanced deep learning models are being used to detect Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) during the early and asymptomatic stages. This helps save diabetic patients from the daunting issue of irreversible blindness caused by lesions on the retina. The proliferation of consumer wearables and self-health monitoring devices, combined with AI allows doctors and caregivers to detect potentially life-threatening ailments at more treatable stages. 

                              3. Medical diagnosis 

                              The market value of global AI in medical diagnostics is estimated to be worth $3988.0 million by 2026. Leading AI platforms such as IBM Watson Health and Google DeepMind Health enable a large number of healthcare organizations to unlock massive amounts of clinical data to boost medical diagnosis. 

                              Combining machine learning and neuroscience, AI helps build powerful neural networks that are capable of imitating human abilities. Watson can review and store huge volumes of medical data scattered across journals, seminars, conferences, treatment case studies, and umpteen other sources. AI’s ability to ingest enormous amounts of data, decipher images, and discover hidden patterns escaping even the most-canny human eye are expected to significantly transform healthcare in the near future. 

                              Read more: Deploying Digital Twins in Healthcare

                              4. Clinical Decision-making

                              In the past, clinical decision support systems (CDSS) were fed by inaccurate datasets that led healthcare professionals to make flawed assumptions. Diagnostic errors are one of the top reasons behind higher mortality rates and prolonged hospital stays. Thanks to AI, ML, and the growing volumes of real-time clinical data gathered from numerous healthcare apps and devices. Clinical decision-making is now more precise and efficient with the emergence of AI-powered CDSS. 

                              Sepsis Watch, a deep learning tool installed in the emergency department of the Duke University Health System has considerably lowered sepsis-induced patient deaths. The tool flags sepsis patients who are at medium to high risk, allowing doctors to identify early signs of sepsis. Not only does AI reduce diagnostic errors, it also suggests the best practices for post-surgical care and patient discharge, as well as recommends medications and follow-up checks to optimize patient care.  

                              5. Medical Research and Training

                              The average cost of bringing a pharma product to the market is exploding year over year. Manual R&D processes and the time taken to conceive, design, and conduct clinical trials slow down drug production and increase the costs involved. The latest advances in AI help streamline drug research and discovery and reduces the time to market for new drugs. Researchers can use AI-enabled simulations on their devices to explore the impact of new therapies or medicines, thereby reducing the risk of testing in live conditions. 

                              AI allows training and quick catch-up sessions to be held from anywhere, even after a medical resident leaves the campus post a tricky clinical case. AI-powered chatbots can answer queries on the fly, at any hour of the day. With instinctive AI diagnostic support and a low level of supervision, the next generation of medical students will definitely rely on automated self-learning platforms. 

                              Read more: How Virtual Reality Improves the Standard of Medical Education and Training

                              Virtual Reality

                              Most-anticipated AI Innovations in Healthcare!

                              Real-time data, technological advancements, and innovation are driving the industry forerunners to discover new AI opportunities in healthcare. Here’re a few healthcare AI innovations to behold in the coming days.

                              1. Address the Shortage of Physicians

                              Google is running experiments to develop transformative AI imaging and diagnostic tools that can assist clinicians and even address the dearth of talent in a possibly grueling situation (like the global pandemic). Further research is being held to improve the detection of breast and lung cancer, sight-threatening eye conditions as well as skin diseases.   

                              2. Genomic Analysis

                              Research proves that 30% of individual health effects are congenital. All of us carry 4 to 5 million genetic variants, each of which can influence our health traits. The cost to sequence a genome and poor sequencing data have marred genomic analysis in the past, preventing clinicians from identifying genetic disorders and high-risk diseases at an early stage. Deep neural networks such as DeepVariant exhibits top-class accuracy in analyzing genetic variants and sequencing genome data. 

                              3. Decentralized Clinical Trials

                              The advent of AI is helping medical researchers and pharma companies worldwide to reduce in-person assessments in clinics. Various digital endpoints, such as smartphones, healthcare software, wearable sensors, EHRs, video conferencing, and numerous physical fitness monitoring devices are being used to gather data with the patient’s consent. This has drastically shifted medical trials from clinics, thereby reducing the risk of compromised immunity, exposure to fatal viruses, respiratory or cardiac malfunction, and other lethal health risks. Decentralized clinical trials allow institutional and federal health boards to review existing processes, implement new regulations quickly, listen to feedback and concerns, take proactive steps, and make healthcare more accessible to everyone.    

                              AI is Pivotal to Healthcare New Normal

                              Necessity commands invention. Over the past two years, we saw how healthcare stakeholders around the globe took efforts to harness AI technologies – for discovering new drugs, extending the capability of existing drugs, reducing the time to distribution, screening for COVID-19 symptoms, supporting clinical decisions, automating hospital operations, and so on. Key U.S. healthcare decision-makers surveyed by Intel stated that their trust in AI in processing medical records has increased by 67%. As AI gets infused into more crucial areas of healthcare, it’s important to earn customer confidence and comfort, and support from various stakeholders in the ecosystem.   

                              Case Study
                              How Fingent partnered with Casenet’s Advanced Solutions Group to develop TruCare Insights. Download!

                              Fingent helps develop innovative, AI-integrated, custom healthcare software applications to improve your competitive advantage, time-to-market, ROI, and clinical precision. As the world enters a new era of health, it’s important to choose the right technology partner that helps adopt the right technology at the right time. We have an eminent list of healthcare clients, including NHS, Novita Healthcare, Mundipharma, and Casenet, LLC among others.

                              Contact us to understand how we’re helping businesses build trust and deliver sustained outcomes by making the most of our experience and technology. 

                              Stay up to date on what's new

                                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



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                                    ...
                                    Vedavyas Shenoy

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                                      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.     

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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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