The IT – information and technology sector is advancing at a speedy rate. Many industries, including healthcare, business, finance, education, agriculture, and travel & tourism, among many others, are now relying heavily on IT solutions to simplify their operations and scale up their businesses.

There are may ways through which IT impacts different businesses. For instance, customer satisfaction, scalability, business growth, and automated processes for simplified operations. However, for a business to enjoy all these, there must be reliable tech maintenance and support services.

So, what are maintenance and support services? How do maintenance and support services differ? How can maintenance and support services enhance your business growth? To find out these and more about maintenance vs support services, keep reading this guide.

What is software maintenance and support all about?

Maintenance and support are two terms used interchangeably in the tech industry. However, they play different roles in the wider IT field.

While maintenance is all about executing regular preventive measures such as security scans and continuous backup to strengthen the system’s functionality, support services are all about offering assistance when a user can’t perform an action or use the product. For instance, when a user is having trouble logging in to an app, they can contact customer support for extensive help.

Overview of maintenance

As mentioned before, software maintenance includes activities of controlling and updating the system to function effectively. The maintenance teams are in charge of fixing bugs, making some changes, updating some features, and responding to other issues related to software functionality during the development and post-development stages.

Maintenance is a vital stage of the software development lifecycle, especially once the product is deployed to users. As a way of ensuring customer satisfaction with the product, the maintenance team must be alert to gather any feedback and upgrade or make software changes to ensure the software product is viable.

In a nutshell, software maintenance increases ROI, enhances user satisfaction, builds relationship with the customers, minimizes crushes, and increases software lifespan.

Types of software maintenance

There are four major types of software maintenance, which include the following:

• Adaptive Maintenance

Adaptive maintenance is all about performing maintenance services to enable the software products to align with the changes. It can include updates in regards to industry compliance regulation, browser compatibility, upgrades of hardware, or updating the software to be compatible with another operating system.

The key goal of adaptive maintenance is to ensure the product operates and remains functional in a specific state, even with changes in technologies and processes. It is all about modifying the software to suit specific requirements.

• Corrective Maintenance

Bugs are inevitable, even in well-designed and developed software solutions. Also known as bug maintenance, corrective maintenance is all about fixing issues after getting feedback from users complaining about the malfunctions of the product.

A small error can crush the entire app, thus affecting the overall user experience and functionality of such a software product. That is why corrective maintenance is crucial in addressing such arising issues, enabling users to continue using the software solution seamlessly.

Sometimes, the developers can identify such issues and fix them early enough. Still, the user may raise complaints, prompting the maintenance team to act by identifying and fixing such issues. Therefore, corrective maintenance should be treated as an active phase of the software development process.

Note: don’t confuse between support services and corrective maintenance. Although both involve fixing bugs at some points, corrective maintenance involves fixing specific issues, and the process can be done within a specified period, contrary to software support which is a continuous process.

• Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is all about pointing out the possibility of specific issues arising and addressing them in a timely manner. It can be regular system audits, code optimization, and refactoring to enhance the overall security, stability, and performance of the software solution.

With preventive maintenance, the software development team can prevent the future problems or product failure, maintain the stability of the code, and reduce technical debt accumulation. In the end, the quality and reliability of the software solution are enhanced, thus creating an impressive user experience.

• Perfective Software Maintenance

This form of software maintenance is done after the delivery of the software solution. The key is to ensure everything aligns with the initial requirements. The maintenance team, therefore, checks the overall overview of the product and its functionality, identifying areas that need some final touches to make it perfect.

Again, after launching the product, user feedback is also important in perfecting and making the software product a viable solution. For instance, a user may suggest the implementation of some other features to enhance the functionality of the software product.

The process may also entail getting rid of irrelevant features and replacing them with useful features that will enable the software app to remain viable to the business, ensuring it beats the competitive market.

Importance of software maintenance

So, why is software maintenance important? Below are reasons why you shouldn’t skip the software maintenance phase, no matter the quality of work or services delivered.

• Performance optimization

The number one reason for software maintenance is to improve overall performance. Issues with poor performance may arise due to poor coding, user load, huge data volume, or any other issues. Software maintenance addresses and rectifies all these issues, ensuring the software solution performs seamlessly.

• Correcting errors

Even when using the best coding practices & tools, errors might occur along the process. Through maintenance, it becomes easy to spot and correct such issues, thus enhancing the viability and functionality of the software product.

• Promoting user satisfaction

When developing software solutions, the key goal is to meet user requirements. If the software product malfunctions, the users are likely to have a bad experience and consider looking for alternative solutions. Software maintenance is vital in studying user needs and behavior and tailoring the software solution to meet what users require.

• Enhancing functionality

User needs keep changing with the market trends and demands. That is why software maintenance is important in studying market trends and customer preferences. The maintenance team can then adjust features to suit market demands and customer needs. This boosts the viability and overall functionality of the software product.

• Maintaining robust security measures

Software systems are prone to different forms of security threats. Regular maintenance activities such as updating frameworks & libraries, applying security patches, and practicing security best practices ensure the system is secured against any form of threat.

• Cutting down on expenses

Of course, website or app failure can lead to a huge budget to recover, update, and keep the system functional again. By keeping regular maintenance, it is easy to detect an issue and solve it before it goes beyond repair. What’s more, regular maintenance minimizes the need to fix extensive issues that could cost more. This saves overall costs big time.

What is the cost of software maintenance?

Although the software/app maintenance cost is not a fixed rate, it can go up to 50% or even more of the development costs.

Again, it depends on the complexity of maintenance services required, frequency, level, and type of maintenance.

Ideally, newer software doesn’t require as much maintenance as a software solution that has been in the market for ages, and this, too, contributes to the overall software maintenance costs.

Again, the maintenance teams can have a hard time identifying the exact issue affecting the software solution. This contributes to a longer period just identifying a specific issue. Therefore, always have a budget for software maintenance when purchasing the software. Otherwise, the software will be outdated and become irrelevant if not well maintained.

Nonetheless, software maintenance costs could range anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000, depending on the factors described in this section.

Also Read: Software Development Costs

Overview of software support

Software support is generally the extra assistance extended to product users. It is all about answering their questions and assisting them in resolving specific issues in relation to using software products. Examples of software support services include troubleshooting issues, enhancing software’s stability, and ensuring users can use different features seamlessly.

When is software support crucial?

There are instances where software support is crucial and must be active. Under the following scenarios, the software support team must always be present.

• Continuous Maintenance

When the maintenance team keeps updating and upgrading software solutions to ensure software stability and enhance security, it is essential for the support team to be present at this stage to ensure the software is optimized, secure, and updated as needed.

• Guiding users

For a new product that some users find hard to use, software support comes in place to guide users on how to navigate and use specific features promptly.

• Resolving issues

Sometimes, users may find it hard to use the software solution, not because they don’t know but because of technical problems and bugs that occur along the way. The software support team comes in place to identify and address these issues.

• Updating and upgrading the system

Software updates and upgrades are a continuous process. Upon the release of new updates and software versions, the support team must be present to assist in migration, ensure compatibility, and create a smooth environment for a seamless transition.

• Technical Expertise

Software support teams have expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience in handling software products. They have an in-depth understanding of the software’s functionality, features, and architecture. They, therefore, play a vital role in providing useful insights and solutions to software products when necessary.

What services does the software support team offer

The software support team offers the following services for all software products.

• Fixing Bugs

It is common for software solutions to experience errors and bugs. The support team performs an analysis of the reported issues, identifies where the problem is, and works with the development team to address the matter. After identifying the key areas of interest, the support team starts working on fixing the bugs as they release updates to enhance the software’s stability.

• Third-party integrations

When users are connecting software products to third-party apps, platforms, or systems, they can find it challenging, especially users with no tech expertise. Under such instances, the software support team helps with the integration processes, ensuring a seamless workflow and improved user experience after integration.

• Advanced Technical Support

The software support team plays a big role in resolving specialized or complex issues, especially when tech expertise is required. They understand the industry’s best practices and technologies to implement on software products.

Ideally, software support teams can analyze and determine possible issues and come up with viable solutions to address all the matters.

• Upgrading software

As the market demands and preferences change, software upgrade becomes a necessity. This is to ensure users’ needs are met and that all users are satisfied with the performance and functionality of the software product.

The software support team, therefore, plays crucial roles in performing software analysis, updating new features, and updating the software versions to enhance the security and viability of the software solution.

• Consultation services

Apart from fixing bugs, upgrading software versions, offering tech support, and enhancing third-party integrations, the software support team also offers consultation services by recommending the best features and tech practices to meet specific business needs.

Cost of Software Support Service

Similar to the maintenance team, software support team costs vary based on a number of factors, which include the following:

• The type of software support required
• Time takes to extend software support
• Experience and expertise of the company.

Software support costs, when compared to software maintenance costs, are a bit low because of the different activities and technical expertise required.

Again, it is not a guarantee that you will need software support services. Some companies take care of upgrades, prevent and fix software bugs, and perform other crucial actions to ensure the stability of the software product.

In some instances, the maintenance company goes the extra mile and plans how to execute maintenance processes to ensure no issues with the software solution, thus eliminating the need for software support.

Software support vs maintenance: key differences

Below are the major differences between software maintenance and software support.

• Client types

The software maintenance team deals with clients they have worked with and delivers software products to them. Besides, they are industry-specific, and they have an in-depth understanding of the entire system, its functioning, and all its features. This put them on the frontline as the best team to diagnose and resolve any issues that may arise with the software products they delivered.

Software support, on the other hand, can handle all forms of projects, including software projects delivered by other companies. They are not limited to what they deliver only.

• Scope

Software maintenance has a broad scope. They perform different activities and resolve different issues to enhance the functionality & overall performance of the software product.

This is contrary to software support teams who specialize in resolving specific issues affecting the system’s functionality. Ideally, a software support team is only required when an issue arises.

• Cost

Software maintenance is an ongoing activity. As a result, there is a regular fee to support continuous maintenance activities. The fee is higher because of the activities involved and the fact that it is a continuous process.

Software support on the other hand, attracts less costs because the team is only responsible for fixing minor errors that have been detected, especially by users. Again, depending on the company offering support services, the charges might be higher. It all narrows down to the company’s policies, expertise, and the extensive support services offered.

Factors to consider when choosing the best software maintenance and support team

If you are looking for a reliable software maintenance and support company to execute specific processes for your company, always factor in the following elements:

• Experience

The experience level of the team working handling your maintenance and support services is a key element. Get a service provider with adequate industry experience. What’s more, the IT field is wider, and it is important to source expertise whose experience, skills, and expertise align with your business requirements.

• Responsiveness

You need a software support and maintenance team that is highly responsive, especially on urgent requests. A small delay in updating and acting upon a specific software request can cause major losses for a business. That is why you need to evaluate the vendor’s availability and reliability when responding to requests. Emergencies will always be there, hence the need for a reliable team.

• Flexibility

What if the software requirements change? What if you need to adjust the initial agreement? What if you need to change the budget due to changes made to the software product? All these are the questions you should consider before engaging with a software support and maintenance team. Get a flexible partner that is willing to adjust to meet your business goals while also meeting their part of handling the tasks promptly.

Conclusion

Creating software solutions is one thing. However, ensuring the software products remain important in the market, perform & function as anticipated is another aspect to consider.

As a business owner, you wouldn’t want to experience downtime, app crushes, or negative experiences with target users. That is why it is important to include and set a budget for software support and maintenance services as part of the software product life cycle.

Any queries about software maintenance & support? Get in touch with our software development company : Aalpha information systems!