The Salesforce AppExchange: To Build Or To Buy?

Every year, a company invests many resources in buying commercial software solutions. The decision to buy these solutions should be much thought and consideration. The purchase of this software is a decision that has a huge impact on the return on investment. When purchasing software or any other solution, companies spend almost $1.94 million buying such solutions. With millions at stake, building or buying is a choice every company faces. A business organization has to minutely study the possibilities and financial repercussions before making the final decision.

Companies have to ask very relevant questions about the purchase regarding availing of the Salesforce Appexchange features. In this particular blog, we explore the possibility of whether building or buying Salesforce solutions is the best approach for businesses.

Before you decide to buy or build, here are a few important questions to find answers to.

Before deciding to buy or build through Salesforce Appexchange Development services, the first question is its purpose in the business. The business must identify the gap or sphere it will improve by deployment. The business has to map out the short-term and long-term goals that the business wants to achieve through the solutions.

Clarity needs to come through regarding the challenges the solutions will potentially solve. The business also needs a good idea of how well the solution will fulfill market and customer needs. The business needs to see if an already built solution solves today’s challenges and has the scalability for future challenges.

Also read: How To Leverage The Power Of Salesforce AppExchange Development To Build Custom Apps For Healthcare Business

If the company is visualizing across simple and specific challenges that need a purposefully built application, it can go ahead and buy a certain Salesforce application from Salesforce Appexchange.

In the business world, there are specific targets that you have to achieve through the solution. There is always a period before which you have to acquire the solution. The flexibility of this period has to be figured out. If the business has to find immediate deployment and resolution solutions, buying overbuilding the solution from scratch is always better.

On the other hand, if the business has enough flexibility and room for experimentation, you can build the solution using Salesforce AppExchange App Development. Building an app needs considerable time investment in process. If there is a deadline you need to meet, building a full-fledged solution is not the way to go. There might be delays, new needs, and challenges that you have to solve by taking the building approach.

The solution the business buys or builds needs technical support at times. Whether it’s for maintenance or troubleshooting, every solution from the Salesforce platform will need support. The business has to see the level of support it is willing to provide. Integrating new solutions can be easy if the extended technical support is uniform and available. While bought solutions do not need technical support, built apps might need more technical support than purchased ones.

The building process can be smooth if a complete technical team is available for development and support. It depends on your technical strength, which approaches suit the business. The high turnover of the internal IT department can create problems in supporting custom-built solutions. In such cases, Salesforce Appexchange Consultants advise going for purchased solutions.

If a business wants to build a Salesforce application from scratch and does not have the best technical team for development, it can outsource the development process. The business has to scope out the best outsourcing developers and look for a complete portfolio of services. If the business is ready to outsource and has an option within the budget, it can build. On the other hand, if the business is not ready to invest in outsourcing, purchasing a full-fledged app from the platform is the best option.

Also read: Major Benefits Of Salesforce AppExchange Development For Small And Medium Sized Businesses

Based on the choices, buying or building can be taken. For Hire Salesforce Appexchange experts can advise the management on whether to build or buy. Of course, buying a specific application is the easy way to take. However, when creating a custom-built, scalable solution meant for your business, it is always better to create a new app from scratch. The Salesforce platform supports both processes.

The pros and cons of buying and building are discussed for better understanding and comparison in the next section.

Building an application solution from scratch provides infinite flexibility to the company. The company can introduce new features and customize them to a higher level. On the other hand, the company can also use the same app platform to resolve future challenges, and the cost of development in the long term is less. The business will have complete control of the app interface because it will not take it from another platform. Moreover, the company will use it without zero licensing fees.

The only drawback of building a Salesforce application from scratch is a significant time and financial and manpower investment the company has to make. The development cycle is slow, which can distract from other important operations like marketing and promotions.

Buying a solution is easy because it is a rapid process. If the business has enough resources to purchase, buying is feasible. The business gets an immediate solution for meeting a deadline and resolving a persistent challenge. However, there are cons, like the solution may not be the perfect one when you need a custom build solution.

The value of an already developed app may be lesser than a custom-built app for use. The quality of a custom-built app in-house is always better than a rapidly bought one. Moreover, if the business invests considerable financial resources in buying a certain app but underutilizes it at the end of the day, the purpose is defeated.

Whether buying or building has multiple answers depending on the business needs and goals, the answer can be found only after an overview of all the factors linked with the market and customer segments.

GetOnCRM Solutions is a leading Salesforce CRM consulting company in the UK. Our Salesforce AppExchange developers assist you with the implementation of the AppExchange App. Contact us for any Salesforce CRM requirements.