Custom Development vs. Off-the-Shelf on Salesforce

Salesforce stands out as an appealing development platform due to its powerful features like metadata-driven programming, rapid object prototyping, and intuitive page layout design. These capabilities significantly accelerate development when compared to traditional programming languages such as Java, C#, or Node.js.

Many organizations leverage Salesforce to build custom business applications and processes, while also utilizing its out-of-the-box functionalities like CRM or Service Cloud.

Deciding whether to develop in-house, collaborate with a partner, or purchase an off-the-shelf solution from AppExchange can be a challenging decision.

This article aims to share our insights and experiences to help you determine the best approach for different scenarios.

Available Options

The available options range from full in-house development to purchasing a completely off-the-shelf solution:

1. End-to-end in-house development.
2. Hiring a development partner.
3. Using a mix of off-the-shelf software and customization services.
4. Using 100% off-the-shelf software.

End-to-End In-House Development

While this option offers the greatest control over the development process and ensures delivery of required functionality, it comes with several notable downsides:

1. Development Cost: This is by far the most expensive route. Off-the-shelf vendors typically price their solutions at a fraction of custom development costs. Although these packages may include features you don’t need, it’s hard to compete with professional vendors on cost.
2. Time to Market: Custom development has the longest delivery timeline. While releasing functionality in stages can help shorten this cycle, it still requires a significant upfront investment before seeing any return. Additionally, extra lead time is needed to assemble and ramp up the development team.
3. Cost of Ownership: Every line of code brings with it a long-term maintenance burden. In our experience, this is often underestimated or overlooked. At Nexteris, for example, we incentivize achieving functionality with the least amount of code to reduce future maintenance efforts.
4. Testing: Custom solutions also require thorough testing which requires resources as well as proper testing tools.
5. Documentation & User Training: Custom code necessitates training materials and user onboarding.

Hiring a Development Partner

Hiring a development partner, such as Nexteris, can be an excellent way to accelerate the development process.

Partners typically provide a team of skilled developers, testers, and technical writers, which streamlines project execution.

However, if your project is domain-specific (e.g., telecom order management, insurance underwriting), you will need to invest time in transferring domain knowledge. This can be time-consuming. To mitigate this, ensure that your partner has prior experience in similar projects, and request that the same team members who worked on those projects are assigned to yours.

Customized Off-the-Shelf Software

Using an off-the-shelf software package is almost always the best choice due to the following advantages:

1. It saves time by eliminating the need to build from scratch.
2. Documentation and training materials are readily available.
3. The software has already been tested and used by others, reducing potential risks.
4. The code has already been tested.

However, there are instances where a particular package almost meets your needs but falls short in certain areas. In such cases, additional customizations or development work can bridge the gap, tailoring the software to better suit your requirements. Gaining access to an unmanaged version of the package allows for more extensive modifications, enabling a deeper level of customization.

100% Off-the-Shelf Software

Off-the-shelf solutions are typically most effective for addressing generic technical challenges, such as document storage, workflow management, or integration with third-party systems. However, they may not be ideal for delivering vertical, industry-specific solutions. That said, when a standard package meets your requirements, it is usually the best choice.

Conclusions

Choosing between custom vs. off-the-shelf in the Salesforce world may not be easy. There are multiple considerations and making the right choice for your business can be difficult.

Nexteris provides Salesforce development and implementation services helping enterprises with their development initiatives.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you!