At the HR Tech show last week, I was confronted with a classic question. "If I want X, can your software be configured to do it, or will I need customization?"  According to Frank, our RFP Guy, “customization” has become a dirty word in RFPs, with  many companies stating upfront that they want to avoid it if possible. It’s an important consideration, and one that could save you a ton of money and some really bad headaches.

Here’s the lowdown: if something is configurable, it means the existing software can be worked (via the standard user interface) to reflect the change. If it requires customization it means software code has to be changed (added or moved around) so the software can do what you want it to. Guess which one costs more?

Changing code means sitting an engineer down at a computer to make changes that are often unique to you. This means 2 things. First, it means money. Engineers make a lot of it. So more costs upfront. Second, it may mean that your individual system is now unique – different from every other customer’s system. That can cause problems with upgrades and maintenance. Unique software means unique problems – problems that cannot easily be solved by the help desk. That can mean more money in the long run.

Every vendor deals with customization requests in different ways. It’s important to ask anyone you’re thinking of working with how they deal with them. Choose configuration vs. customization if at all possible. If you must customize, make sure you don’t get stuck with a system that can’t be upgraded and will be expensive and difficult to maintain.