The hidden costs of one-off service requests – and how to fix them

How many times have you needed a small tweak to your ERP system, only to get caught up in approval chains? 

Maybe you’ve had an urgent issue but had to wait while a new purchase request made its way through internal processes. It’s frustrating. It’s inefficient. And over time, it costs your business more than you might think.

One-off service requests might seem like a flexible approach, but they come with hidden costs - both in time and money. Here’s why, and how our Flex-Services offering is helping businesses move past these roadblocks.

The actual cost of ad-hoc requests

Every time you raise an individual service request, there’s an admin process behind it. Approvals, budget sign-offs, back-and-forth emails. It all adds up.

Then there’s the financial impact. In the year before moving to Flex-Services, one of our customers spent £6,985 on 17 separate service requests. Another business spent over £30,000 on 41 individual requests.

That’s not just a cost in pounds. It’s a cost in delays, extra admin, and lost momentum.

Why Flex-Services changes the game

Instead of handling each service request separately, Flex-Services gives you a prepaid annual subscription with service points you can use whenever you need them.

• No more waiting for approvals – once you’re subscribed, you just request what you need, when you need it.
• Cost predictability – you spread your costs across the year, avoiding surprise invoices.
• Priority access – Flex-Services customers get faster response times, so you can resolve issues or implement changes quickly.
• A dedicated contact – no more chasing different teams. You’ll have one Customer Success Representative who knows your business inside out.

Real savings, real impact

For businesses already using Flex-Services, the benefits go beyond just budgeting. Here’s what one of our customers had to say:

“The Flex-Services model really works for our business as it allows us to have regular contact with our dedicated account manager, who knows our business, for tailored advice on solutions to problems that meet our specific needs. These solutions can be implemented quickly as Flex customers are prioritised, and internally, we don’t waste time having to raise purchase requests and gain additional approval.” - Senior ERP Analyst, Tutti Bambini

Another customer highlighted how the spread-out costs make IT budgeting simpler, avoiding large one-off expenses throughout the year.

How much could your business save?

If you’re still managing your service requests one at a time, you might be spending more than you need to. Flex-Services offers a smarter way to access the support you need, without the hidden costs.

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