When spreadsheets stop working, the first question is usually whether to buy software or build it. The honest answer is often “a bit of both”.
Buy when the process is standard
Accounting, email and basic HR work the same way in most companies. Ready-made software is cheaper and better tested for these.
Build when the process is your advantage
If the way you serve customers is what makes you different, forcing it into generic software throws that advantage away.
Tailor when you are somewhere in between
A platform you can configure and extend — such as our own 9BX — gives you a working system quickly, with room to add what is unique to you.
Questions to ask before deciding
- Which parts of our process are truly unique?
- What must connect to what we already use?
- Who will host, update and support it in three years?
- What happens to our data if we leave?