Up to 90% of B2B buyers won’t choose your product if you can’t integrate with their existing technologies, let alone add it to their shortlist.

So the last thing you’d want as a vendor is for these integration workflows to be time-consuming, prone to errors, or anything that slows down the platform growth.

Say you are an HR-Tech SaaS, doing this integration aspect would mean to fetch data from various HR tools and systems used by the prospect, and to do this right, your team must:

The question being: build it in-house or outsource it?

This article provides you  with an unbiased take on this build vs buy dilemma. We’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each of the two approach from a factual standpoint.

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HR Integrations - Build or Buy?

You're at a crossroads.

The advantage of in-house solutions is strong – they offer control and customisation. However, before you commit to this path, it's crucial to understand the full implications of building your own HR system integrations.

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The Hidden Costs of DIY Integrations

Let's talk numbers.

Building your own employment system integrations isn't just a one-time expense – it's an ongoing investment that can drain your resources.

In 2021, 24% of organisations lost $500k or more to integration issues. And 14% say they lost over $1 million, up from 10% the two prior years – representing a 40% YoY increase in companies losing $1M or more annually.

This isn't just about direct costs; it's also about the opportunity cost. Every hour your team spends on integrations is an hour they're not spending on your core product or other strategic initiatives.

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The Integration Trap - A Never-Ending Cycle

There are over 11,000 payroll service providers in the US alone.

This fragmentation means that for every four of your customers, you might be dealing with a different HRIS or ATS system. The HR software market is dispersed, unlike many other software sectors that have seen significant consolidation.

This diversity creates a constant demand for new integrations. Your customers need these connections, and they need them urgently. It's not uncommon to hear, "We need this integration yesterday!" This pressure can force rushed development and less-than-ideal solutions.

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Product Team to Integrations

As integration requests pile up, you might find your tech team's focus shifting. Instead of working on your core product features and innovations, they're spending more and more time building and maintaining integrations.

This shift can slow down your product development and potentially impact your competitive edge.

Moreover, maintaining integration code is not a one-and-done task.

With this Gartner report stating a 50%  (From less than 25% in 2020 to 70% now) rise in organisations choosing to adopt low-code or no-code to build their applications, worrying about a non-core task like integrations should be the last note of concern as a B2B vendor.

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Jack of All Trades, Master of None

Building integrations outside your core competency carries risks.

While your team is undoubtedly skilled, creating robust, reliable integrations for a wide array of HR systems requires specialised knowledge and experience.

There's a real risk of creating subpar integrations that could frustrate your customers and damage your reputation.

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The Bindbee Advantage: One API to Rule Them All

This is where Bindbee comes into play.

Instead of building and maintaining multiple integrations, you can leverage a single API that connects to a wide range of HR systems. This approach simplifies the complexity of HR integrations, allowing you to meet your customers' needs without the hassle of individual integrations.

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Pros and Cons

When weighing the pros and cons, consider these factors:

• Cost: Compare the ongoing expenses of in-house development with the cost of a unified API solution.‍
• Time-to-market: How quickly can you deliver integrations to your customers?‍
• Maintenance burden: Consider the long-term commitment required for keeping integrations up-to-date.‍
• Quality and reliability: Can you ensure consistent quality across all integrations?‍
• Focus: How does integration development align with your core business objectives?

While building in-house offers control, buying a solution like Bindbee provides efficiency, scalability, and allows you to focus on your core competencies.

Moving beyond integration headaches can open up new opportunities for your business. By outsourcing this out of your in-house ops, you can redirect your resources to what you do best.

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Over to You

While the decision to build or buy is never simple, the numbers and industry trends make a compelling case for considering a unified API solution.

By choosing a specialised integration partner like Bindbee, you can meet your customers' needs more efficiently, reduce costs, and focus on driving your business forward.

At the end of the day, what matters is that your approach to these integrations are supportive for the collective growth of your organization and not one that hinders it.