Business Software: Off The Shelf

Before investing in custom software development, you may want to investigate what "off the shelf" products are already available that might meet your business needs. After all, if you find something that is a good fit for your business, there is no need to "reinvent the wheel". To get you started, below is a list of some of the software products already out there.

If you don't see what you're looking for, please send me an email describing what you're after. If I'm able to find something, I'll let you know, and I may end up adding it to this list as well. If I can't find anything, you may want to think about the possibility of having something custom designed to meet your needs, providing it is cost-effective for you to do so.

Here are a few recommendations you'll want to keep in mind: Make sure you carefully evaluate a product you are considering before making a purchase. Do not base your selection solely on sales literature or even on product documentation, as it is not uncommon to misinterpret such information. See if the vendor provides a free evaluation version you can download or have shipped to you. Install the evaluation version and test it thoroughly with real-world data. That is, try to use data as similar as possible to what you expect to be dealing with on a daily basis in your business. See if the vendor can provide a list of references with customers who are currently using the product. Check with these customers to see how satisfied they are with the product, what they perceive to be its limitations, how long they've been using it, if they are using it for similar purposes and in a similar way to what you have in mind, and how happy they are with the vendor.

Disclaimer: Please note that I do not in any way endorse any of these products, nor make any claim about their quality nor suitability for any business purpose.

OK, let's begin by narrowing what you're looking for down to a category:

Categories

Accounting Software
Business management software generally including such features as Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and General Ledger, among others.

Construction Software
Software designed for Contractors and Homebuilders and often including features such as project management and job costing.

CRM - Customer Relationship Management Software
Software to assist with managing customer contacts and covering areas such as sales, marketing, and customer service.

Grower / Nursery Software
Accounting software designed with the specific needs of wholesales growers / nurseries in mind.

Insurance Software
Client management software often including features such as client contact management, carrier contact and product managment, prospecting, and commissions.

Manufacturing Software
Software designed to help manage manufacturing operations.

Medical Billing Software
Practice management software generally including areas such as billing, claim forms, patient scheduling, and accounts receivables.

Property Management Software
Software designed for management of various types of properties such as residential, commercial, industrial, office building, or HOA.

Retail Sales Software
Software designed for the Retail business often including features such as order processing, ecommerce, inventory control, financials, and marketing.

Wholesale Distribution Software
Software for managing wholesale distribution operations and generally including features such as customer management, work orders, manufacturing, kitting and assemblies, inventory control, and financials.