Since half custom is not full custom, limitations are still part of the challenge when building within these applications. And each of these solutions: SharePoint, Service Now, and SalesForce, has process limits as well as rules you must follow. So, making this decision is not as simple as yes or no, and it’s deceiving to think your investment may be less than custom. If the custom portion is more complex, the 50/50 solution can cost more.
You must also start this development process with decisive application goals in mind. Plus, if you are not on the platform already, you also need to consider those costs. So, here are some additional details to also consider.
SharePoint is known for its rich features and being a versatile development platform for building client-side components, add-ins, and solutions with different scopes that address a wide range of needs. It also allows you to create a unique intranet from out-of-the-box features. However, the larger you want to customize your intranet, the more significant the investment will be. There are so many features that you need first to understand your business needs, employees` requirements, and collaboration desires to avoid confusion and keep your costs in line.
Salesforce can be used as a one-stop solution and allows you to remove or add new features, construct your applications and communication portals, and even design your website. However, most of the AppExchange contains paid apps, so these subscription fees will be included in your CRM expenses. And having too many integrated systems can cause your entire project to slow down and result in more errors with each release or new integration. Additionally, adding some integrations for your business can result in technological restrictions, system incompatibilities, and data exchange issues. Plus, you should be aware of numerous hidden expenses for third-party tool integrations and customizations.
ServiceNow is cloud-based software that automates workflows. It’s great if your business wants to improve the efficiency of daily operations or needs a ticketing tool that can process and catalog customer support requests. It’s also great for its ease of customization and support for your customers with low cost, real-time reporting, and data integrity and confidentiality. However, if you don’t plan upfront, the overall module can be overly complex, and customization can be hard to manage.
And you need to be aware of the limitations where some tasks can have deeply nested subtasks.
It’s a considerable advantage to utilize SharePoint, Service Now, or the Sales Force platforms. To get what you need in your application and keep costs in line, you need to have a solid plan on your application requirements, plus knowledge if the platform even meets your needs. We can help you plan for the best option for your business. Contact Becky Faith at 502.465.5104 for more details.
To view our Building Apps Using No-Code article, click here or Building Apps Using Low-Code click here and look for our next article in this series that discusses why you should choose Custom Applications.
