Rethinking Digital Transformation: Why More SMBs Are Leveraging Custom Technology Solutions

"Are your business processes stuck in the past, costing you time, money, and growth opportunities?”

If you’re a…

• Director of Transformation

• CIO

• IT Director

• Operations Leader

…an SMB, you’re likely tasked with modernizing operations to stay competitive. Digital transformation—the process of using technology to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and drive value—promises to get you there.

But too often, common solutions like…

• off-the-shelf SaaS tools

• in-house tech teams

• expensive consulting firms

…lead to slow progress, ballooning costs, or unclear ROI.

The good news? You can achieve digital transformation with bespoke in-house solutions that are fast, cost-effective, and deliver measurable results—without the usual headaches.

Let's break down...

• Why bespoke solutions are the key to successful digital transformation.

• The pitfalls of common approaches

• How Benmore Technologies uses AI to deliver optimized, scalable solutions.

• A real-world case study showing this approach in action.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear roadmap to transform your business with tailored solutions that avoid the traps of traditional methods.

Why Custom Solutions Are the Future of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is about reimagining how your business operates using technology—whether it’s automating workflows, unifying data, or improving decision-making.

Bespoke in-house solutions, tailored to your unique needs, are the most effective way to achieve this. Here’s why:

1. Perfect Fit for Your Business: Unlike generic SaaS tools, bespoke solutions are designed to match your specific processes, ensuring seamless integration and maximum efficiency.

2. Scalability and Control: You own the solution, allowing you to adapt it as your business grows, without being locked into rigid vendor platforms.

3. Clear ROI: Custom solutions focus on high-impact problems, delivering measurable savings and revenue growth, unlike sprawling consulting projects with vague outcomes.

But many businesses shy away from bespoke solutions, fearing they’re too risky, complex, or costly.

Instead, turning to alternatives that often fall short.

Let’s explore these common approaches and their pitfalls.

The Pitfalls of Common Digital Transformation Approaches

Most technology initiatives fixate on one of three paths for digital transformation, each with significant drawbacks:

1. Off-the-Shelf SaaS Tools The Problem: SaaS platforms like Salesforce or Monday.com promise quick fixes but often don’t align with unique workflows. You end up paying for unused features, facing integration headaches, or needing costly workarounds. For example, 41% of SMBs report feeling lost in the maze of SaaS offerings, unsure which tools fit their needs. The Impact: Misaligned tools lead to low adoption, duplicated efforts, and ongoing subscription costs without solving core problems.
   

2. Hiring In-House Tech Teams The Problem: Building an in-house team sounds appealing, but if tech isn’t your core competency, it’s a recipe for trouble. Recruiting skilled developers, managing projects, and keeping up with trends is expensive and time-consuming. A study found 54% of organizations struggle with a lack of technical skills for digital transformation. The Impact: Projects drag on, costs escalate, and you’re left with solutions that may not scale or integrate well.
   

3. Expensive Consulting Firms The Problem: Big consulting firms like McKinsey or Bain offer expertise but often deliver slow, costly projects with unclear ROI. Their recommendations, like installing CRMs or hiring Chief Digital Officers, can feel generic and disconnected from your reality. The Impact: You’re stuck with never-ending engagements, high fees, and solutions that don’t fully address your needs.

These approaches share common issues: they’re too slow, too expensive, or fail to deliver clear value.

So, how can you do better?

How Benmore’s AI-Driven Bespoke Solutions Solve These Problems

At Benmore Technologies, we use AI and a lean, iterative approach to deliver bespoke solutions that overcome the pitfalls of SaaS, in-house teams, and traditional consulting firms.

How We Do It:

• Lean MVPs: We build Minimum Viable Solutions that solve one high-impact problem first, delivering value quickly and scaling later.

• Human Oversight: Our expert team refines AI outputs, ensuring solutions are practical and aligned with your goals.

• Agile Iteration: We deliver incrementally, incorporating feedback to keep projects on track and within budget.

This approach is faster, cheaper, and more effective because it’s built for your business, not a one-size-fits-all template. Let’s see how it works in practice.

Case Study: Sun Theory’s Digital Transformation with Benmore

Let’s look at how we helped Sun Theory, a cannabis retailer and wholesaler, achieve digital transformation with a bespoke solution.

The Problem: Sun Theory operated multiple retail locations and a wholesale division but struggled with fragmented data across systems:

• Their wholesale POS (LeafLink) didn’t connect well to Power BI, limiting analytics.

• Retail data from FlowHub was siloed across locations, making unified reporting impossible.

• Manual order updates between LeafLink and Pipedrive caused delays and errors.This cost them hours weekly and hindered data-driven decisions.

Our Bespoke Solution: Instead of recommending SaaS tools or a massive process overhaul, we built a tailored, AI-assisted solution:

• Database Migration: Moved their Postgres database from DigitalOcean to Azure MySQL for better Power BI compatibility.

• LeafLink-Pipedrive Integration: Used Django webhooks to automate order updates, syncing statuses (e.g., “Shipped” to “Delivered”) in near real-time.

• FlowHub Aggregation: Deployed Azure Functions to pull retail data from FlowHub every two hours, consolidating it into a single MySQL database for Power BI.

• AI Acceleration: AI-generated flow diagrams and mockups streamlined planning, while our team refined the solution for accuracy.

The Results:

• Efficiency: Automated order management cut manual work by 90%, saving 15 hours weekly.

• Visibility: Unified retail and wholesale data enabled real-time Power BI dashboards, improving decisions.

• Scalability: The Azure-based architecture supports future integrations, avoiding vendor lock-in.

• ROI: Delivered in 2 months with a payback period of 3 months, compared to years for consulting-led projects.

Why It Worked: Unlike SaaS tools (misaligned), in-house teams (lacking expertise), or consulting firms (slow and costly), our AI-driven bespoke approach was fast, tailored, and ROI-focused.

Here’s how we compare:

Your Roadmap to Digital Transformation with Bespoke Solutions

Here’s a 5-step plan to achieve digital transformation with bespoke solutions, inspired by our work with clients like Sun Theory:

Step 1: Identify Your Core Challenge(s)

Pinpoint one high-impact process to transform. Ask:

• What’s costing the most time or money? (e.g., manual reporting, siloed data)

• Where would automation or integration deliver quick wins?

Step 2: Audit Existing Systems

Map your data sources, workflows, and tech stack.

• Identify integration points (e.g., CRMs, ERPs, POS systems).

• Assess compatibility with analytics or automation tools.

Step 3: Build a Minimum Viable Solution (MVS)

Develop a lean, bespoke solution targeting your core challenge.

• Focus on must-have features (e.g., Sun Theory’s webhook automation).

• Avoid “nice-to-haves” like advanced analytics until value is proven.

Step 4: Pilot and Refine

Test the solution with a small team or department.

• Gather feedback on usability and impact.

• Iterate quickly to address issues.

• Track metrics like time saved or revenue gained.

Step 5: Scale and Optimize

Once proven, expand the solution to other processes or systems.

• Add features based on team needs.

• Integrate with tools like Power BI or Salesforce via APIs.

• Reinvest savings into broader transformation goals.

Your Turn to Transform with Bespoke Solutions

Digital transformation doesn’t have to be slow, expensive, or uncertain.

Custom in-house solutions, built with AI-driven efficiency and human expertise, offer a smarter path—unlike the misfit of SaaS tools, the complexity of in-house teams, or the bloat of consulting firms.

Now, think about your current operations:

• What process is holding you back?

• Where could a bespoke solution unlock efficiency or growth? That’s your opportunity to start.