Despite what you may have read in a trendy tech magazine, no-code software is not some magical, faraway technology that is expected sometime in the 2020s. No-code software is here, and it is powerful in its adaptability. Full business enterprise platforms are now possible without writing a single line of code, even when fully integrating with other applications or legacy systems.

So what is no-code software, anyway?

Quite simply, no-code software is software that can be configured without manually writing lines of code. In a recent APM Digest article, Agiloft CEO Colin Earl said, “No-code platforms make it easy to build highly-customized enterprise workflows, and reconfigure them in a matter of days based on user feedback or changes to the desired processes.”

But I like to think of it in terms of building a house. Traditional software development would be like building a house without a hardware store. The builders would have to head into the forest, select, harvest, and shape every piece of lumber used to build the house from scratch. It would indeed be unique, but it would take a ridiculous amount of work.

On the other hand, no-code software is building with a hardware store nearby, where a customer can build a house with all the tools and materials already in stock. They just have to be assembled by a professional build team with a tried-and-true blueprint. The build will be much faster, and with pre-established material standards, you know all the pieces will fit together.

No matter how you define it, no-code software is quickly revolutionizing the industry and leaving traditional, code-heavy software developers behind. There are many reasons for this disruption, but below are a few of the biggest.

Adaptability

By design, no-code software is extremely configurable, and that means it can adapt to meet any customer need, regardless of a company’s size, industry vertical, or desired application. Whether it’s a CLM system with specific permissions and notifications, a full ITSM solution with external customer support, or some other complex workflow or business process, no-code can adapt to fit each niche.

Quick Deployment

Perhaps the greatest benefit of no-code is its ability to be deployed quickly, as in a matter of weeks versus the many months or years it takes to develop traditional enterprise software for large corporations. Without the need for custom coding, no-code software automatically shaves off 80% of the process. It is so fast that a custom demo can be created in a matter of hours to match a customer’s specific workflow, drastically cutting down on the vendor selection and RFP process.

Customer-designed solutions

With a new level of configurability, no-code software enables truly customer-centric software, where the design process begins with what the customer needs, not what the software can or cannot do. Innovative features like drag and drop workflows, WYSIWYG email templates, and HTML-enabled end user portals allow easy customization for discerning brands and companies. These features allow not only rapid deployment but also a new level of customer-centric configurability to contract management, customer support, ITSM, and complete business enterprise platforms.

Automation and AI

Thanks to the ever-expanding applications of digital technology, automation in the form of machine learning and artificial intelligence is transforming all kinds of organizations, including government, education, healthcare, and non-profit organizations. With highly configurable automation, no-code platforms increase efficiency and reduce risk the risk of deploying digital systems. Organizations also get a new level of dexterity, as they can customize their systems to fit the most complex workflows and automate those processes to free up time that can be better spent on customers.

Additionally, the ability of no-code software to easily integrate with external automated systems and applications gives it a tremendous advantage over legacy systems that must be rewritten every few years as the technology marches onward.

Easy to update, even in-house

The reason no-code software is so quick to deploy is its admin-friendly configurability, be it through wizards or a simple browser-based interface. That means that companies can quickly train and employ their own staff to manage their platforms, including adding new functionality that would consume massive amounts of time and money to implement with traditional code-heavy systems. The ease of these has even led to some companies building custom systems 100% in house without any development cost whatsoever.

Reduced short & long term TCO

Quick software deployments naturally cost less than complex, code-heavy systems, and this is where no-code software truly shines. These costs savings begin with the initial deployment but continue throughout the life of the system because there is no custom code to maintain like in traditional systems. Plus, its configurability accommodates changing business processes, applications, security standards, etc., giving companies the ability to adapt over time. That translates to a remarkably low TCO over both the short and long-term use of the product.

Scalability

Perhaps the linchpin that positions no-code software as a leading technology is its ability to scale to meet the needs of growing companies, including both small businesses and large corporations. Modular in nature, the foundational elements of a no-code platform allow continual structures and complexity to be built upon them, and they do not require custom coding for expansion or include user restrictions or limits to the size of a platform. This is especially true for browser-based platforms and SaaS solutions, as cloud-based enterprise software is only limited by a company’s network performance.

No-code bonus: success guarantee

An eye-opening study called The Chaos Report by the Standish Group revealed that only 29 percent of software implementations are considered successful, and 19 percent completely fail and never go into production. While we can’t speak for every no-code platform out there, Agiloft has a 99.6% success rate for implementations. That is due directly to the quick, iterative approach we take with every software implementation, using our no-code platform to directly respond to customer feedback and deliver a product that fits their exact needs. We are so confident in this that we offer an unconditional satisfaction guarantee that covers both software and services.

Click here to learn more about how our agile business software can be configured to meet your exact needs for contract management, IT service management, customer support, and more.