The market is saturated with off-the-shelf software solutions. They fit needs and they plug holes, but they never quite cover the entirety of what a business actually needs. Nuanced requirements, unique operations, complex operating conditions – these holes need more than one solution to resolve. Or companies can opt into custom-built solutions designed to fit all the needs and fill all the holes.
“Custom software is our business,” says Peter Wiles, MD at Chillisoft. “We build solutions that give companies flexibility, more capabilities and the power to meet their needs more specifically. Pre-packaged solutions often don’t do that.”
One company that opted into a customised solution to resolve its unique requirements is international animal feed manufacturer De Heus South Africa. Sonali Naidoo, national projects co-ordinator at De Heus South Africa, says: “We wanted to automate our systems and remove the limitations of manual intervention, using custom software to streamline how we approached key processes and operations. Since our first project with Chillisoft, we’ve built maybe 10 custom tools and will never go back.”
The partnership between the two companies started with a small pilot project and has since grown into a long-term collaboration that spans multiple modules and years of innovation. It’s an approach that Chillisoft has taken with most of its clients to ensure every project delivers measurable value.
“We usually start with something manageable that can show value quickly,” Wiles explains. “Then we build on that iteratively and incrementally so we learn together with the customer and show progress clearly, correcting course as we go.”
This iterative approach is what makes the partnership with De Heus a thriving one. “It’s incredibly important to be collaborative on every level, also to include your teams from the very beginning. The tool must be made with everyone in mind – users, customers, company – and the input you put into it will determine the outcome.”
The outcome for De Heus has been transformative. One of the major projects undertaken with Chillisoft, the SSP solution, has given the business the ability to deftly manage highly customised animal feed orders across multiple regions.
“All our feed is made to order,” continues Naidoo. “Some have medications, some have additional nutrients – all of them are customised. The system we have developed with Chillisoft ensures that the feed is designed precisely to customer orders, significantly reducing the manual admin load.”
Wiles adds that success really does rely on communication and trust: “There have to be constant feedback points, weekly sessions and shared ownership of a customised tool because buy-in from the outset reduces resistance and poor performance down the line.”
Both Wiles and Naidoo believe another invaluable benefit of custom-built software is its ability to adapt over the long-term. Features can be added and enhanced as the tools grow with the business. Custom software opens the way for companies to create new business capabilities and expand their markets and product ranges.
“We’ve seen small companies grow because the tools support them on every level,” concludes Wiles. “Custom-built software may be a more dedicated approach initially, but over the long term, it delivers value, TCO and longevity.”
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