To Buy Or To Build Your Remote Photo Capture Workflow

Act Like A Home Buyer

When buying a home, we inherently understand the importance of getting a good return on investment. We weigh the costs versus the benefits.  One house may be more expensive but it’s newer and closer to work. Another may have a smaller upfront investment, but it’s 20 miles from the office and the roof needs replacing. We consciously or subconsciously run a cost-benefit analysis and buy the home with the best return on investment.

The decisions that security leaders make to improve their corner of the business should be no different. Keep the homebuying example at the top of your mind as you consider building or buying a remote photo capture workflow. We’ll lay out the options and run a cost-benefit analysis to help you make the best decision for your organization.

Build Your Remote Photo Capture Workflow

There are two ways to build: You can cobble together some tools by yourself, or you can call in some backup and ask the engineers to build your perfect workflow.

Build solo

Building a solution by yourself seems like a great option. You have more control over the project as a solo act, which can speed it up because you're the only stakeholder. Most people use existing tools like their email client, spreadsheets, and forms to set up their workflow. Unfortunately, the costs tend to outweigh the benefits. It’s time-consuming to drive a project to completion single-handedly. There’s no guarantee the project will work, and if it fails, you are the one holding the bag. Assuming success, you’re left with another pet project to maintain. Finally, and most importantly, you badgeholders will have a poor experience because spreadsheets and emails are not meant to deliver quality id photos. 

Build with internal engineers

Building a solution with internal engineering resources certainly has appeal. The two biggest reasons organizations build remote photo capture in-house are customization and perceived cost savings. There’s no doubt customization is easier to achieve building internally. The team starts with a blank canvas and has sole control over where they take the project. Unfortunately, more control introduces more risk. In fact, 19% of software projects fail, 52% are challenged (over budget, late, lacking features), and only 29% succeed. As it turns out, building something new is a challenge. Not to mention the looming inevitability of maintenance and employee turnover, which decrease the total return on investment after the product is running in production. 

Let’s examine the perceived savings a little more closely. Unfortunately, the math suggests organizations will spend more time building and maintaining a solution. Here’s a chart to help you think through it.

Buy Your Remote Photo Capture Workflow

Purchasing a solution off the shelf is an excellent option for most organizations. Customers who purchase from a vendor take a long-term view of the problem and solution. They recognize the downside of losing flexibility and control, but the upside more than makes up for it. Their decision to work with a vendor usually occurs because of the following reasons:

Trust & Safety

An off-the-shelf solution is a tried-and-tested way to alleviate the stress of capturing quality ID photos. Building a solution with engineers or on your own is far more uncertain than working with a provider that specializes in delivering quality ID photos. They know the product will continue improving as time goes on, bringing excellent security.

Customer Experience

They care deeply about the customer experience. For employees, students, and contractors, the photo capture experience is often their first interaction with your organization. An exceptional first impression goes a long way.

Leadership

They see themselves as leaders in their organizations who implement best-of-breed solutions. They take a holistic view of the organization and advocate for solutions that will make the most positive impact on each stakeholder.

The decision to buy or build a remote photo capture workflow is not easy. There’s a lot at stake, and it’s important to make the right decision. We would love to be a helpful resource as you weigh all your options. And don’t worry - we don’t do pushy sales to get you to buy our product. We’d just love to connect with you and have a conversation. There’s a good chance we can help you feel confident in your next steps. Here’s a link if you’d like to schedule a chat with us.