While custom development might seem like a great idea, it’s not always the best pathway for medtech companies to get the application they need. Sometimes, an existing “off-the-shelf” solution will give you exactly what you need (or close enough) at a lower cost and in less time. We’ve previously discussed some of the criteria medtech companies can use to decide whether or not they need a custom application.
As an application development company in the medtech space, we are naturally partial to custom application development when it’s the right fit. We’ve built our own custom applications for our own business needs, like our Client Account Management Dashboard. With that said, we also use a variety of third-party solutions to accomplish different tasks in our workdays. In some cases, it just doesn’t make sense to build something from the ground up when existing solutions already fit your needs and budget.
However, with so many existing solutions available on the market, it can be difficult to know where to start with evaluating them. We want to share some of our pointers on finding existing solutions, comparing them with what custom developers can do for you, and figuring out which route makes the most sense from a cost perspective. You need to consider your full annual costs for any solution you pick, and the true costs might surprise you.
When comparing existing solutions to custom development, these are the steps we suggest taking.
1. Start with a clear idea of what you need from the application/software.
Before you start researching your options, you need to have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish. What sort of functionality does the application or software need to have to fit your company’s needs? What goals are you trying to accomplish with the solution you choose? Use those guidelines to inform your research and decision-making process.
It’s easy to get distracted or bogged down with all of the potential features your application could have, whether you go with third-party software or custom development. Keeping your primary use case in the forefront throughout this process will help you cut through the noise and dial in on the features you really need.
2. Review the market for existing solutions & pricing.
This might start with doing some online searches for the types of applications you are looking for. You might have to try several searches if you aren’t sure what to call the solution you need.
Another good place to start is a site like Capterra. Here, you can search for specific solutions, or browse their extensive list of product categories to try to find solutions that might be close to what you need. From there, you can get an overview of the features of each service and compare different options. You can also find a link to each company’s website for more information and objective reviews from others who have used the company’s software. Sometimes, you are also able to get pricing information.
This should help you narrow down your options to a few that are the closest to fitting your needs and budget so that you can do further research.
3. Of the existing solutions that you find, are any a close fit for what you need?
If you have a common problem to solve, you might just find that there is an existing solution that will do exactly what you need it to, or at least close to it. But, if it seems like you’d have to shoehorn your needs into an existing solution, then it might not be the best option for you. For example, if the functionality seems somewhat similar to what your company needs, but you’d be using the software to accomplish something other than its intended purpose, you might be creating a mess for yourself if you choose to move forward.
If you find options that are a good fit for what your company needs, then you may not need to look into custom development options. While off-the-shelf software will require a monthly or annual fee, you’ll pay less upfront and will be able to get started quicker than you would with custom development. Also keep in mind that those fees typically include training, support, and ongoing assistance, which may be especially useful if you think the people using the software will need some hand-holding.
On the other hand, if you aren’t finding any solutions that are close to what you need, then it’s worth looking into custom development options to see what options you have.
4. Look into custom development options.
Before you start reaching out to application development companies, we strongly recommend that you know what your budget will be (or at least a ballpark figure) and have a clear idea of what it is that you need from the application. This is where a business requirements document comes into play. A business requirements document spells out what you need the application to accomplish, so that application development teams can consider this when putting together a quote and timeline estimate for the project.
If you have any existing platforms that your company is interested in using, it’s worth looking into whether or not application developers can offer custom options using those platforms. However, keep in mind that depending on how custom of a solution you need, you could run into trouble trying to build it on an existing platform. You don’t have to look very hard in online forums to find a slew of complaints about commonly-used software like Sharepoint, Salesforce, and SAP lamenting the limitations of these systems, like poor user experience, the lack of useful features, or the need for lots of additional development to make it work for a company. If you have to hire developers to put in an significant amount of work to make an existing tool work, you may be better off starting from scratch in some cases. Any application developers that you work with should be able to let you know the limitations of the platform, and if what you need is possible there.
In the medtech space, we also feel that it’s important to work with developers who have experience building apps for medtech companies. They will be more likely to understand your business needs and requirements as a medtech company. For example, if your company has a new device on the route to FDA approval, an experienced medtech app developer can design any accompanying software with FDA approval in mind so you don’t hit any snags along the way.
5. Compare your options and make a decision.
Once you’ve gathered information on all of your options from available solutions and custom development, it’s time to compare and make a decision. As you review, some questions to consider might include:
- What features are a necessity for your business right now vs. a “nice to have” option or future need? For an existing solution, it will be important for an application to have those necessary features, at a minimum. For custom development, this can help you decide what is needed for the initial launch and what can be saved for later versions.
- Do you need your application to be HIPAA compliant? Some existing solutions may not offer HIPAA compliant options, or may charge more for it. For custom development, it will be important for your developers to know this upfront, as well.
- Will your company need ongoing support while using the application? Most existing solutions include support with their monthly/annual fees. You may also be able to work out a retainer with your application developers for ongoing support, but keep in mind how this will affect your budget on top of the initial development costs.
- Do you expect your company’s processes to stay roughly the same, or do they evolve frequently? While a medtech company’s needs and processes are not likely to stay exactly the same for years to come, it’s important to think ahead and give yourself room for growth. The amount of flexibility and change you think your company might need over time should factor into your decision. Some off-the-shelf solutions can grow and scale with you, and some may not.
As you’re comparing custom solutions with existing options, you’ll often find that some software companies will provide comparisons for the different plans they offer. This can be helpful for determining what your budget would need to be right now to get the features you need, and if there is any ability to pay for additional features later. For example, https://www.hootsuite.com/plans offers a comparison chart showing the features of each plan. Sometimes, software companies will even provide a comparison of how their offering stacks up to other competitors on the market, as shown here: https://sharpspring.com/marketo-competitors-pricing-and-reviews/. You could also go back to Capterra to get more visibility into pricing options and value based on user-submitted feedback.
We’re always very open with potential clients if we think an existing solution might meet their needs and save them money compared to custom development, but understand that that may not always be your experience with other application developers. If you’re on the fence about whether or not you need custom development work, you might try reaching out to the companies with the existing solutions that best fit your needs. Often, they can provide a free trial or demo that will give you a better idea of how the software works before you commit to a contract with them or pursue custom development.
Since your company is the one ultimately using the application, it’s up to you to decide the best route for you. Our goal here is not to push you toward one option or the other, or to dissuade you from pursuing custom solutions. Rather, we want to empower you with the information to consider all available options so that you can feel confident you made the right choice no matter which path you choose. We’ve seen a lot of medtech companies who did not consider all options and were not happy with the end product, and we want to help you avoid the same fate.
Justin Bantuelle balances the responsibilities of both the Chief Operating Officer and the Web Technology Director after having worked with Health Connective for more than a dozen years. Justin regularly leads the cross-disciplinary teams in building out and updating applications for Fortune 500 companies.
Justin keeps his technical abilities sharp by contributing to an eclectic mix of open-source and personal projects on Github.
As the marketing manager, Ashley ensures that our clients’ marketing strategies are put into action. This includes content writing, SEO, online advertising, analytics, and interfacing with the tools, systems, and team members needed to help our clients accomplish their marketing goals.