Start with the Assessment
Hourly T&M · 2–3 weeks · 70–120 hrs
We tell you exactly what migration would cost, what it would save, and whether it's viable. If it's not, we say so.
Before you sign that renewal.
Whether it's your CRM, ERP, ITSM, or any other enterprise platform, you're about to commit to another 1, 2, or 3 years of the per-seat tax. That's a choice, not an obligation. Here's what it costs, and what the alternative looks like.
The Numbers
What you're actually signing.
Most renewal conversations focus on the per-seat price. Here's what the full commitment looks like over the life of the contract.
| 3-Year Renewal | Deconvert Instead | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 cost (500 users, moderate add-ons) | ~$1.35M | ~$800K (build + setup) |
| Year 2 cost | ~$1.46M | ~$50K (maintenance) |
| Year 3 cost | ~$1.57M | ~$50K (maintenance) |
| 3-year total | ~$4.38M | ~$900K |
| No per-seat pricing after migration | No | Yes |
| Vendor controls the roadmap | Yes | No |
| Next renewal negotiation | Required | None |
Illustrative figures for a 500-user deployment with moderate add-ons; actual figures vary by organization.
The gap at the end of the contract: approximately $3.5M. And you're still paying the ransom, plus a $550/user/month premium AI seat upgrade, plus a required data-infrastructure tier, plus per-conversation and per-action fees, for the AI that's supposed to replace it.
The Pattern
What vendors do at renewal time.
(This applies across CRM, ERP, ITSM, HRIS, and the other major enterprise SaaS categories equally.)
They raise prices.
A leading CRM vendor raised prices 6% in August 2025. The first increase in 7 years was framed as routine. It won't be the last.
They bundle in AI add-ons.
Premium AI seat tiers run $500–$550/user/month, on top of a required data-infrastructure tier ($65K–$175K/year typical) and per-conversation or per-action usage fees. The pitch: you need AI to stay competitive. The reality: you're paying for AI layered on top of infrastructure you've already overpaid for.
They extend the lock-in.
Multi-year contracts with early termination penalties. More integrations. More customizations. More switching costs, all accumulated while you're deciding.
They send your account manager.
The renewal conversation is a sales conversation. The person across the table is compensated to maximize contract value, not to tell you whether it's worth it.
The Double Ransom
Now they're charging you for AI too.
For example, one leading SaaS vendor charges a premium AI seat tier at $550/user/month to put agents on its platform: a $3.3M/year seat-license upgrade for a 500-user deployment, on top of the enterprise license you already pay. A data-infrastructure tier becomes required agent infrastructure at $65K–$175K/year typical, with action-based credit consumption on top. Then conversation fees at $2/conversation on Standard+ or $0.10/action on Flex Credits. Before you've even rolled out the AI.
One ITSM vendor's AI add-on adds 25–60% on top of base pricing. A major ERP vendor requires a full platform re-migration to access its AI. Every vendor took the technology that should lower your costs and turned it into their next revenue line, because architecturally, the AI had to be built as a retrofit layer on top of systems that predate LLMs. They're charging you for the AI AND for the software the AI is supposed to replace.
In an agent-native system, the same agent capability runs at compute cost, measured in cents per interaction. No seat upgrade. No required data-infrastructure tier. No per-conversation or per-action fees. No vendor metering your AI usage.
The Abandoned Platform
They Stopped Building. They Didn't Stop Billing.
One major ERP vendor is forcing its legacy-suite customers onto a new platform by 2027, a multi-million-dollar migration to a newer, more expensive platform, because they've stopped investing in the one you're running. Another major vendor is doing the same with legacy deployments. Older legacy instances get security patches and nothing else.
These systems won't get agent capabilities. They won't get modern APIs. They won't get the architecture that the next decade of business software runs on. Your vendor stopped building your product. They didn't stop charging you for it.
Instead of paying to migrate from one vendor prison to a newer one, migrate to a system purpose-built for your business.
The Alternative
What deconverting instead looks like.
You don't have to decide everything at once. Here's how companies start.
Migrate one module
Hourly T&M · 4–8 weeks · 445–890 hrs
Replace one domain (CRM core, deal management, support desk) while your existing platform keeps running. First real savings realized.
Cancel the subscription
When you're ready · Not before
When the new system is live, validated, and trusted. Incremental, module-by-module migration: the incumbent stays live until the replacement is proven.
You don't have to cancel your renewal to start. Many clients begin the Assessment while still under contract, so they're ready to act the moment the renewal window opens.
Why Now
Why the renewal window is the right moment.
The renewal conversation is the one moment in the contract cycle when the vendor needs something from you. It's also the moment when the cost of the next 1–3 years becomes concrete, and the alternative is easiest to evaluate. Companies that use the renewal window to commission an Assessment consistently discover the same thing: the savings are real, the risk is manageable, and the only question is whether to start now or after the next renewal.
Your renewal doesn't have to happen.
The Assessment takes 2 to 3 weeks. It will tell you what deconverting instead would cost, what it would save, and what staying costs you over the life of the next contract. Fee is sized to the scope and confirmed in the intake.
We only take engagements we believe are winnable. If migration isn't right for your organization, we'll tell you.