August 12, 2025
Why workarounds aren’t saving you time – they’re quietly stealing it.
You’ve probably seen it in action.
- A sales team juggling spreadsheets because their CRM “almost” works.
- A support rep bouncing between three systems to answer one question.
- A process “upgrade” that somehow makes things… slower.
These are the quiet hallmarks of a half solution: tools that sort of solve the problem but still ask your team to do the hard parts manually.
At Switchbox, we define a half solution as any software that doesn’t fully support how your business actually runs. It looks fine on paper. But in practice? It creates bottlenecks, busywork, and burnout.
Why half solutions stick around
We get it, change is hard. Especially for companies with legacy systems and layered approvals. Ripping out software is messy. And risk-averse teams often default to “what we’ve always done.”
But here’s the truth: Just because a system runs doesn’t mean it’s working.
One client, a national medical supplier, invested in a top-tier temperature monitoring system. Sounds great. Until IT over-engineered the rollout, creating friction instead of flow. The result? A stalled project, wasted spend, and a frustrated team still stuck doing things the old way.
The real cost isn’t just money
Half solutions introduce small failures that add up fast:
- Manual entry that leads to errors
- Siloed data that delays decisions
- Clunky workflows that frustrate customers
And they quietly erode trust. Your team stops believing the tools will help. Your customers feel the lag. And your business misses chances to scale because no one’s confident in the system.
The fix? Custom tools that fit
Well-designed custom software doesn’t just digitize your process, it respects it.
- It mirrors the way your team actually works.
- It removes repeat tasks, not just reshuffles them.
- It flags problems before they turn into fires.
Look at Chipotle’s ordering app. It mimics the in-store experience almost exactly. Why? Because the software was built to match the business, not the other way around.
Start small. But start smart.
Joel, our CEO, gives clients the same advice every time: Don’t try to boil the ocean.
Find one high-friction, low-risk process and start there. Build a small, smart solution that earns internal trust. Use that win to build momentum and move on to the next challenge. This approach lowers risk and increases adoption, because people can see the impact.
You don’t have to live with half solutions
If your tools are duct-taped together and barely holding, you’re not alone. But you do have options.
Switchbox helps teams build systems that actually support the way they work. Not kinda. Not eventually. Fully.
Because you deserve more than a workaround.
Let’s replace the patchwork with a real solution.
