1. Start with the bottleneck, not the software category
Custom software is most useful when a repeated task remains awkward after ordinary tools have been configured. Bosseo’s public description gives examples such as client status portals, intake tools, internal dashboards and tools that connect existing systems. For a firm serving East Alton and Madison County, the useful question is whether the problem occurs across the firm’s actual service area and staff structure—not whether a custom product sounds modern. A local practice may have one workflow for inquiries from East Alton and another for matters elsewhere. That distinction should be documented before anyone proposes a build.
Recommended approach
Bring one manual process to the consultation in plain language: what starts it, who touches it, what information is entered, where the process pauses and what a satisfactory result would be. Ask Bosseo to separate a genuine software need from a process that could be solved by configuration or clearer ownership.