Off-the-Shelf, or One-Size-Fits-All solutions are a popular approach that can be found across many industries. You can often find close enough to what you are looking for when you look at a what a product or a company has to offer. But is close enough good enough? Can you find the perfect fit in a One-Size-Fits-All-Solution?
There are many pros and cons to consider when asking this tough question. Lets discuss the top three considerations.
Pros
1. Affordable: The costs of developing process and infrastructure can be split among a wide audience, thereby bringing the cost of the solution down.
2. Limits Risk: Standard becomes standard because it has been tested, tried and determined to be the best option for the particular requirement. The risks have already been mitigated and teams are pros at running the solution.
3. Meets Most Business Needs: You may not be able to meet every requirement for your business needs in a standard solution but chances are the solution will be able to accommodate most.
Cons
1. Hidden Costs: You may have to engage additional companies or add on more work to your own staff to fill in the gaps in your solution. This can lead to higher costs down the road.
2. Will not Meet all Needs: You will have to come up with alternative solutions for the requirements in which the standard solution cannot support.
3. One of Many: While standard solutions can be suitable, companies that only offer standard solutions with little to no opportunity for customization can often leave their clients feeling like one of many.
While it can be said that standard solutions are not always going to be the best option for your business needs, they are reliable, dependable and trustworthy.
The Rolling Stones said it best:
No, you can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want But if you try sometime you find You get what you need
Check back with us October 23rd where we take a close look at the pros and cons of custom solutions.