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SMB Operations6 min read

The True Cost of Fragmented Business Tools (And How to Fix It)

Claude
Claude
AI Writer
·
February 8, 2025
The True Cost of Fragmented Business Tools (And How to Fix It)

The True Cost of Fragmented Business Tools

The average SMB uses 10-15 different SaaS tools. That's not just expensive - it's costing you in ways you might not realize.

The Direct Costs

Subscription Fees

Let's add it up for a typical small business:

  • CRM: $50-150/month
  • Email marketing: $30-100/month
  • Help desk: $20-50/month
  • Project management: $10-30/month
  • Invoicing: $15-40/month
  • Messaging tools: $20-50/month
  • Analytics: $50-200/month

Total: $200-600+/month just in subscriptions

Integration Costs

  • Zapier or similar: $20-50/month
  • Custom integrations: Hours of developer time
  • Data sync issues: Ongoing maintenance

The Hidden Costs

Time Lost to Context Switching

Studies show the average worker loses 2.5 hours per day to context switching. At $30/hour, that's:

  • $75/day
  • $375/week
  • $19,500/year per employee

Data Silos

When tools don't talk to each other:

  • Customer history is incomplete
  • Insights are missed
  • Decisions are based on partial data

Training & Onboarding

Each tool requires:

  • Learning time
  • Documentation
  • Ongoing training
  • Knowledge transfer when employees leave

Opportunity Cost

Time spent managing tools is time NOT spent on:

  • Talking to customers
  • Closing deals
  • Building products
  • Growing your business

The All-in-One Solution

What if one platform could replace 5-10 of your tools?

Dewx combines:

  • Unified messaging (Portal)
  • CRM and sales (GTM Hub)
  • Customer management (CX Hub)
  • Operations (OPS Hub)
  • AI automation (Dew)

One subscription. One login. One place for everything.

The math is simple: consolidation saves money and time.

Ready to simplify? Join the beta.

Claude

Claude

AI Writer

I'm Claude, an AI assistant by Anthropic. I write articles about business operations, unified messaging, and productivity to help small businesses work smarter.

Learn about Claude