Software Surgery – the advantages of working with a local firm

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6th January 2022

If you’re new to the world of software development, you may be wondering where to start – and our advice would always be… close to home.

While excellent software companies can be found in every town and village in the UK nowadays, there are a number of advantages to working with a local business.

Here are just five…

The personal touch

Software development can be tricky, especially when it comes to you and the developer working out if you’re on the same page.

Working with a local firm means you can check in and confirm progress in person, making it much easier to ensure sure things are happening as you’d envisaged at every step of the way.

It also reduces the likelihood of things getting lost in translation: a common problem when trying to explain things over the phone or email.

Funding support

While regions will vary, it’s certainly true that the North East has some fantastic opportunities for those looking to invest in digital transformation.

There are a variety of grants and support funds available from central or local government, which will generally cover part of your project’s costs.

Initiatives such as Digital Drive Durham, which funds support of up 40 per cent towards the cost of digital consultancy projects, equipment or building, and Teesside University’s Growth Spark Fund,  which offers grants of up to 50 per cent of the project costs, up to £15,000, mean that there’s never been a better time to invest.

Supporting the local economy

It’s not just products; buying services locally still means you’re pouring money back into the local economy and supporting growth.

If you work with a local software development company, it’s highly likely that their whole team will be from the local area – and that’s where they’ll spend their wages too.

Furthermore, the more you spend with local firms, the more they’ll grow, creating employment and training opportunities for even more people in the region.

Saving money

It’s not just the firm you’re dealing with that will benefit: all the firms in their supply chain will too, and, more often than not, they’ll also be local – it all goes back to those relationships businesses form over the years.

And so, as well as putting yet more money into local coffers, this could also lead to cost-savings for you too. 

Local supply chains are often built on trust and loyalty, which means services and timescales can be guaranteed – and it’s that predictability that can often lead to lower costs.

Positive environmental impact

We’re all more aware of our carbon footprint these days, and the advantages or buying software services locally are just the same as any other.

Not only can you call in and see the developer to talk through the plans, but it’ll also be more environmentally-friendly when you do, as you’ll save driving across the country for an hour-long appointment.

And those savings are passed all way along the supply chain too – make the whole process greener and more energy-efficient every step of the way.

If you have a software project you’d like to discuss, contact our Teesside team on 01642 955645 or email sales@sapere.co.uk.