British Marine member Go Earth launches BEST Software to help marine businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs and solve everyday business problems

Go Earth Ltd, a British Marine member with extensive experience in both the marine industry and software development, has launched BEST Software , a service designed to make practical, cost-effective software development accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.

BEST Software has a particular relevance to the marine sector because it combines two areas of experience that do not often come together: an in-depth understanding of the marine industry and many years of professional experience in business analysis, software development, systems design, data integration and implementation.

For many smaller marine businesses, bespoke software has traditionally been regarded as too expensive or complex to justify. Advances in software development techniques, particularly AI-assisted development, have changed that.

Systems that might previously have required large development teams, substantial budgets and lengthy projects can increasingly be developed more quickly and at significantly lower cost.

Not every business needs a major new computer system.

In many cases, relatively small and inexpensive software developments can remove repetitive administration, connect information held in different systems, reduce duplication, improve customer service or automate tasks currently being carried out manually.

Examples within a marine business might include:

• automating enquiries and customer follow-up;

• improving quotation and estimating processes and generally managing documents, ensuring compliance and due dligience;

• linking existing systems so information does not have to be entered several times;

• managing customers, boats, equipment, stock or service records;

• producing management information automatically;

• automating routine documents, emails and reports;

• making better use of information already held by the business; and

• using artificial intelligence to reduce administrative workloads.

The objective is not technology for its own sake. The starting point is a business problem or opportunity and whether software can provide a practical solution with a worthwhile return on investment.

BEST Software is part of Go Earth Ltd, which also operates Go Earth Boating and has extensive practical involvement in the leisure marine industry.