The savings that vanished when switching providers
Switching providers to save 180 euros a month can cost more in the first week if nobody budgets for data migration or internal hours.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The savings on a monthly fee only exist if you compare fees. The real cost of switching providers includes data migration, training, internal hours and the price of a service outage.
## The fee is not the cost
A company switches a service to save **180 euros a month**. The old contract ends on the 30th and the new one starts on the 1st. On paper, the move is flawless. The problem is what does not appear in the budget: nobody has included the data migration. On Monday at 9:12, three logins are missing. On Tuesday, some orders fail to show up. On Thursday, two employees are still copying information by hand.
The monthly savings do exist. What is missing is the transition cost and who is responsible during the switchover. The new provider points out that this work was not part of the contract, and they are right: it was not.
## The four figures that are missing
Before comparing two fees, it is worth putting a number on four items: migration, training, internal hours and the cost of an outage. None of them usually appear in the cheapest provider's offer. Migration is quoted separately or simply assumed. Team training is forgotten because "the tool is intuitive". The internal hours of two employees copying orders by hand are not paid by anyone, but they are lost all the same.
And then there is the outage. A service down for three days in a company that invoices orders does not cost the same as in an office that only files documents. That figure changes the whole calculation.
## Who flips the switch
There is one question that is almost never put in writing: who confirms that the old service can be switched off. Without that sign-off, the old contract lives on out of inertia or is cut before the new one is ready. Both cost money.
Comparing fees is easy because they are two numbers on two invoices. The cost of switching providers is harder to calculate, but it is what decides whether the savings were real. If the switch involves customer data or contractual obligations, it is worth reviewing with an adviser before signing.
## The fee is not the cost
A company switches a service to save **180 euros a month**. The old contract ends on the 30th and the new one starts on the 1st. On paper, the move is flawless. The problem is what does not appear in the budget: nobody has included the data migration. On Monday at 9:12, three logins are missing. On Tuesday, some orders fail to show up. On Thursday, two employees are still copying information by hand.
The monthly savings do exist. What is missing is the transition cost and who is responsible during the switchover. The new provider points out that this work was not part of the contract, and they are right: it was not.
## The four figures that are missing
Before comparing two fees, it is worth putting a number on four items: migration, training, internal hours and the cost of an outage. None of them usually appear in the cheapest provider's offer. Migration is quoted separately or simply assumed. Team training is forgotten because "the tool is intuitive". The internal hours of two employees copying orders by hand are not paid by anyone, but they are lost all the same.
And then there is the outage. A service down for three days in a company that invoices orders does not cost the same as in an office that only files documents. That figure changes the whole calculation.
## Who flips the switch
There is one question that is almost never put in writing: who confirms that the old service can be switched off. Without that sign-off, the old contract lives on out of inertia or is cut before the new one is ready. Both cost money.
Comparing fees is easy because they are two numbers on two invoices. The cost of switching providers is harder to calculate, but it is what decides whether the savings were real. If the switch involves customer data or contractual obligations, it is worth reviewing with an adviser before signing.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (1 replies).
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