In our previous article, we looked at the pros and cons of purchasing a Zendesk theme off-the-shelf. In today’s article, we’ll look at benefits and pitfalls of doing just the opposite: going in-house and building your dream theme from scratch.

Creating a Guide Theme in-house, from scratch

Pros:

Fully customizable

Going in-house means the sky really is the limit in terms of what’s possible for your theme. You can have the exact look, feel and function that you want, so long as your designers and developers can deliver! This can include custom behind-the-scenes code (such as Javascript) that allows you to tinker with how your customers can get in touch with you via the Guide. This is a huge step up from the limitations of buying an off-the-shelf theme.

Any design you like

Not only can you craft the functionality you need, you can also land on any design that works for you. This all but guarantees that your Zendesk Guide will stand out, avoid looking generic, and represent your brand well. A high-functioning, slick-looking, well-populated  Guide really can become a USP for your business.

Flexibility over time

Not only will your own theme allow you to design it as you see fit, it also ensures that should you change your mind about something down the line, you can act on it. You won’t be locked into a purchased theme with its rigid parameters.  For fast-growing businesses where it can be hard to know what your Guide will need to look like in two years time or after three more rounds of funding, this can be a real boon.

Cons

Expensive

This one is unavoidable. There is no doubt that building a worthwhile Zendesk Guide theme from scratch isn’t going to be cheap. Most will end up costing four figures, although losing a zero (or even adding a zero) isn’t impossible either. This will really depend on your requirements but I’d add that, unless you really are going for an ambitious design that’s going to make you stand out (which will take a lot of time/money), you may as well buy a theme from the Zendesk Marketplace. Thus, most companies who do decide to create their own themes will end up spending a decent chunk of cash on doing so, in the form of their designers’ and developers’ time.

Anything but quick

When you consider that a theme built from scratch requires scoping, designing, building and testing, and that each of these stages can take weeks or months, it’s not hard to see why building your own theme is not a good option for those who are in a rush. So it’s worth considering what timelines your company needs to work to before committing.

Dependence on your design team

You’re obviously going to be relying heavily on your design team to build your custom theme, so getting their buy-in and checking their availability is a must. But what happens if, one month into the project, a business emergency comes up and they're pulled onto another project that’s deemed more important? Or maybe they do complete the theme on time, but you then want to make tweaks further down the line? Having a custom theme leaves you exposed to potentially being without the support you need.

Difficult to maintain

Similar to the above, imagine this scenario: one year after your theme is completed and launched, you notice a bug with your Guide theme. Perhaps Zendesk has updated the core functions that drive Guide, and your theme is no longer compatible. Relying on in-house designers could leave you in a precarious position if they’re either unavailable or have left the business without properly handing over responsibility to a colleague. Off-the-shelf themes, on the other hand, typically come with a guaranteed number of years of support and updates.

In-house versus off-the-shelf: Choosing between the two

Now that we’ve covered the pros and cons of themes built from scratch in-house, as well as off-the-shelf themes from Zendesk Marketplace, it’s up to you to choose which is right for you!

Hopefully these guides have already given you a strong indication as to which is best for your needs, resources and priorities but, to make it easy, I’ve summarized the typical best approaches below, depending on your circumstances.

Start-ups and small businesses

If you’re after a quick solution that’s cost effective and all but guaranteed to work out the box, a Marketplace theme is probably going to be the option for you. Although lacking the full customization of an in-house theme, an off-the-shelf theme adheres perfectly to the old start-up adage that done is better than perfect. Choose a theme carefully and there’s no good reason you shouldn’t have a Guide that your customers and colleagues are perfectly satisfied with.

Larger businesses (or those with specific requirements)

For bigger businesses who know exactly what they need, and want to (or indeed are required to) have a Guide which meets the exact specifications that have been set internally, a custom theme is the way to go. Just as larger businesses are typically more likely to develop proprietary software or build their websites from scratch, investing the time and money in a custom theme is likely to be an investment that will pay off in the long term. With economies of scale on your side, a bespoke theme becomes a highly attractive prospect.

A hybrid option

The final option might be the Goldilocks Zone of Guide themes! If your business requires a Guide that’s up and running by the end of the week, but your budget is currently limited and/or you know you’re going to want extensive customization down the line, starting off with a Marketplace theme that you later shell out to customize is a viable option. Just make sure you’re aware to what extent your off-the-shelf theme will be able to be customized, and what the cost is (if any) of fully unlocking the theme.

Summary

Have a think about which approach will work best for your business. Is it a “just get it done” job or is it more of a 6-month project deliverable? Asking yourself questions around budget, customization needs and time-scales, along with carefully considering the discussed pros and cons, should help you pick the right Guide Theme approach for you and your business.