switching-cost-evaluation

Switching Cost Evaluation

Understand the real cost of switching — it's never just money.

How to use

/switching-cost-evaluation Apply switching cost constraints to this conversation.
/switching-cost-evaluation <from> <to> Evaluate switching costs between two specific products.

MUST assess all five. Most teams only think about the first.

Financial: remaining contracts, migration costs, duplicate subscriptions during transition
Technical: data migration, integration rewiring, custom config loss, API changes, learning curve
Operational: team retraining, process changes, productivity dip, documentation updates
Political: who championed the current tool, executive approval needed, blame risk if switch fails
Emotional: familiarity, identity ("we're a Slack company"), fear of the unknown, vendor relationships

Rate each type 1-5 (1 = negligible, 5 = could prevent the switch)
Total score out of 25
5-10: low. Compete on product merit. Easy to win, easy to lose.
11-17: moderate. Need clear ROI story and migration support.
18-25: high. Need a compelling event (contract renewal, failure, leadership change) to create an opening.

SHOULD offer free migration tools or import-from-competitor features
SHOULD time outreach around contract renewals and competitor price increases
MUST build a clear ROI case: (new product value - current value) > total switching cost
NEVER assume product quality alone overcomes high switching costs

SHOULD increase healthy switching costs through deep workflow integration, historical data, and team expertise
NEVER increase switching costs through toxic lock-in (hard-to-export data, hidden cancellation, contract handcuffs)
Goal: be hard to leave because you're valuable, not because you've trapped them

Only evaluating financial costs and ignoring the other four
Assuming switching cost is zero because your product is better
Using lock-in tactics that breed resentment and eventually backfire
Ignoring political dynamics — the person who championed the old tool has veto power