In our digital age, the ability to find a partner to strategically launch custom software that enables you to reach your customers, make data-driven decisions, and improve processes is essential to success. Picking a partner is hard, but It is the most important step to begin building a better business with custom software.

“Today, every business is faced with challenges that are potentially crippling. It’s time to buckle down and start to look at ways to become more effective and efficient; embracing custom technology is the first step.” Heath Clinton President of Phase 2

Some companies have striking presentations and lure you in with beautiful front-end design, but do you really know what is under the covers? Behind that beautiful screen are stacks of code and infrastructure that ultimately determine the functionality and usability of the software.

Most partners you come across are one of two things. They are either really good at developing front-end software and lack the needed skills to code adequate back-end software or they are hardcore software engineers coding back-end software built for kings, but the user-interface looks like the work of a high school designer who just discovered Photoshop.

“At the end of every design the finishing touches are just as important as the overall design. Lining up elements, checking for consistency, making sure basic design principles have not been forgotten. Staying true to these basic principles can be the difference between making something okay and something great. The user may not always know when little things are off, however, when they are all right the design will speak for itself.“ JoJo Franklin Creative Director

You don't just need a vendor to develop custom business software or consult on software solutions, you need a strategic partner that is technical and business minded in the areas where you seek expertise.

“Not only does custom software provide our clients with amazing tools to run their business more efficiently, it also means tapping into the experience of our product and development teams to envision new ideas which can help their businesses grow and evolve.” Kris Kettner Product Owner

You need to find an ally that understands your business and has perspective from years of experience and working within different industries. A partner that can help you define your vision, not just execute one.

“Before we write a line of code, we focus our efforts on identifying the core challenges for each project as well as how to best solve them with software. This ensures that a client is better off building a custom solution, rather than trying to adapt an existing off-the-shelf application.” John Zumwalt Vice President of Phase 2

Finding a strategic partner to help you build a better business is no easy task. Hats off to the person who can sort through the advertisements and the numerous elevator speeches to find the final company that can successfully turn your vision into reality.

“The entire point of the Information Technology industry is to increase people’s knowledge of the world around them and create increased human capability. We can’t get there without understanding the needs of real people, in real business situations, trying to accomplish real work.” Shane Kempton CTO of Phase 2

After working in industries spanning from quick serve restaurants and franchises to manufacturing and oil and gas, we have seen the positive effect technology can bring to an Industry and how industries can learn from each other. Lessons learned from logistics and retail industries surrounding inventory tracking and big data can easily be adopted by industries like oil and gas. Even better off are the companies that take the leap to be first in revolutionizing old school practices.

“Every business has to adapt to an ever-changing landscape in order to capture new opportunities. We focus on the strategic aims of a business and their unique issues while thinking about how to solve problems with superior, scalable technology. Engineering, building, and delivering software that's uniquely focused on a customer's specific needs allows us to transform and dramatically improve the way our customers do business.” Mark Towler CEO of Phase 2

Now that the importance of picking the right partner is pounded into your head, you may still be wondering how custom software is a tangible benefit to a business.

“Building a custom software solution puts your success in your hands. It allows you to design a solution that works with how you want to do business, rather than the solution dictating how you do business.” Jeremy Kuhlman Information Architect

Too many hours are spent by employees being frustrated sitting in front of a computer despite their best efforts to manipulate the licensed software to their will.

"Custom software streamlines your business processes because it's built especially for you, while pre-built software forces you to make disruptive changes to those same processes." Marty Thompson Senior Software Engineer

We already have a company IT department, can’t they create custom software? Chances are your teams are already filled to capacity just keeping the engine running. Saying “yes” to something new means saying “no” to something else. What internal maintenance or improvements can you afford delay?

“Building custom software with Phase 2 gives you a team of seasoned professionals to get to know your business and craft, from the ground up, just the right solution for your unique problems and challenges.” Andy Morris Chief Software Architect

Why didn’t you say so earlier? Where have these seasoned professionals been all this time? To answer your questions in the simplest way possible, these professionals are few and far between. There is high demand for senior developers and software engineers, so a whole team working at the expert level is an extremely valuable investment you can make for your business. Why waste valuable internal time and money learning how to successfully develop and implement software, when you can leverage decades of experience from professionals? Great leaders know what building better business means and they surround themselves with the talent to do it.

“Building a better business with custom software means enabling clients to focus on their core competencies and run their business while tapping into the talents of experienced engineers to solve complex problems.” Justin Blackwelder Project Manager

Today, no matter the business, every company must think like a software company.