Build or buy

At this stage it is a good idea to evaluate the benefits of building your own integration against the benefits of purchasing an out-of-the-box integration, if there are out-of-the-box offerings available on the market. The choice of integrations available for your business depends on which CRM application ERP application you have.

If you have a feature-rich, customizable CRM application, then there are likely to be one or two integrations available on the market, and you should check them out as part of your initial research.

The advantages of buying an out-of-the-box integration solution are that you reduce the development risk, and in theory it should be quicker to install. The disadvantages are that you lose control over the functionality that you get, so it may not be a correct fit to your own business, or it may just be a partial fit. If it is not a fit then you may be stuck with something that does not suit your business needs.

When you build your own integration, you have...