Customized software may help streamline operations

Customized software can help fill a need for many companies, either bridging a gap between existing computer programs or providing custom programs specific to a company's requirements.

"Off-of-the-shelf software is designed to accommodate a large number of people," said John Sherwood, president of PET Systems Inc. "A custom piece of software can pinpoint the specific needs of the customer. There are some industries that cannot adapt to a widely written software package, and there are others that the innovators of off-of-the-shelf software really have no interest in customizing or it's too expensive."

In addition to being able to pinpoint the specific needs of their clientele, programmers cite cost as a major benefit to choosing a custom program.

"Companies don't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a system that is not appropriate for them, we can provide solutions at a fraction of the cost," said Robert de Wild, president of ES Systems Inc.

The cost of customized software can vary greatly, depending on the type and size of business.

Filling a need

Sherwood formed PET Systems Inc. to develop a product to assist patients of its sister company, Community Hospices of America. The company's Personal Empowerment Tool allows patients to input information, such as their emotional status, pain level, symptoms and medications, into a PDA. The information they enter is uploaded through the Internet to PET Systems Inc., which uses the information to compile daily and monthly reports for caregivers.

PET Systems Inc. hired local programmers ES Systems Inc. to hone the program, which was originally written by an Oklahoma firm.

"(ES Systems Inc.) went over the program from stem to stern, turned up a few issues and corrected them, which brought the program to a useable form," said Sherwood.

ES Systems also designed a human resource management system for Community Hospices of America, "It is a basic PC application that runs on windows, and it allows them to track which nurses are spending time with which patients. Also, some nurses have different job descriptions with different pay scales, and this software allows them to do that," said de Wild.

Much of ES Systems' workload comes from smaller custom jobs, according to DeWild. ES Systems specializes in creating custom "bridges" between existing software programs. Such bridges save companies money in terms of manual labor cost and help reduce human error, de Wild said.

"We have a client who has an existing point of sale system and accounting package. They had to take the data from the point-of-sale system and input it manually into the other program. What we did was create a custom bridge between the two programs so that when the point-of-sale system was done, they could click a button to transfer the data," de Wild said.

Streamlining

Using software effectively to streamline business procedures is a concern for many industries.

Lyle Graesser, president of Datalink, designed a system to solve this problem for banks. Lamar Bank and Trust has used Datalink's document imaging and tracking system for one year.

"Whenever we do a loan we have certain required documents to secure and perfect every loan that we have," said Danny Little, Lamar Bank president. "It is a database program; whenever we book a loan it builds the need in the database for all of the necessary documents, without manual input. It also uses bar codes and a scanning device to save us time filing and doing research."

Graesser said, "It's a different kind of idea because most banks think of document imaging as its own technology, accounting as another and originating their own documents as another. They really don't think of them as being integrated into one system."

Lamar Bank and Trust's system cost about $20,000, an investment Little believes was sound.

"It paid for itself in a very short period of time," said Little.

Graesser allows his clients to customize the product as much as they need to, using the suggestions of Little and other clients to further develop it. " I really feel like it's something that they've developed, because it fits the way they want to do business," said Graesser.

Signature Bank also is using the program. Datalink hopes to use Signature Bank as a showcase for the program.

Internet uses

Companies of all sizes are concerned with using the Internet as a tool to promote themselves and to increase profitability. A company focusing exclusively of the Internet is Kinetics Inc., a division of the Dapp Technology Group.

Mark Hunsaker, vice president of Kinetics Inc., believes that effective use of the Internet can save companies considerable sums of money. He cited Missouri-based Hunte Corporation, the largest pet distributor in the world, as a prime example.

"They needed a system that would reduce their costs and increase the leverage they had with their retailers," Hunsaker. "We worked with them to develop a Web-based application particular to their situation."

Kinetics Inc.'s Web-based application allowed Hunte Corporation's retail clients to check available stock by going to a secure Web site rather than calling operators and receiving faxes.

"They spent $30,000 on a software package and in the first year saved $70,000 in telecommunications and labor costs," said Hunsaker.

Kinetics Inc. also handles smaller software applications such as customer service applications, which range from approximately $5,000 to $8,000, and full management systems, which can range from $50,000 to $60,000.

"One of our greatest challenges is educating the customer that custom does not mean more expensive," Hunsaker said.