Buy vs. Build: You Could Build It—But Should You?

10 April

Posted at 07:45h in by

A Smarter Path to Tax Notice Compliance

 

When companies reach a certain volume of tax notices, one question always comes up:

 

Should we build something in-house or invest in a platform that’s already built for this?

 

At first, building internally might sound efficient. You know your team. You know your workflow. But tax notice compliance is more than workflow—it’s logic, documentation, jurisdictional knowledge, SLA tracking, and audit readiness. And that’s where most builds break down.

 

This post explores what tax, finance, and IT leaders need to consider before investing in a build—and why buying often leads to better outcomes.

 

Why Teams Consider Building

You’ve got tech resources. You understand your notice process. Maybe you’ve already digitized a few parts of it. The thinking is simple:


“We just need to automate what we already do.”

 

But compliance doesn’t stand still. Tax rules shift. Notices vary. What works for one state today won’t apply tomorrow. And if you’re not building for scale, you’re building in circles.

 

What Gets Missed in Internal Builds

Here’s what internal projects typically underestimate:

 

  • Multi-jurisdictional logic across 10,000+ agencies
  • Automated notice routing by threshold, state, or complexity
  • Standardized form letter libraries for consistent responses
  • IRS-specific attachments and tracking
  • SLA visibility, audit trails, and real-time dashboards
  • Role-based access, vendor permissions, and approval workflows
  • Security, integrations, and support after launch

 

Internal builds often launch with momentum—but over time, scope creep, shifting priorities, and support demands start to surface. Without a dedicated roadmap or product team, these tools plateau—leaving teams with something functional, but far from scalable.

 

Integrate with What You Already Use

 

With NOTICENINJA’s Open Endpoint API, integration isn’t a project—it’s already in place.

 

Native integrations include:

 

  • Salesforce
  • ClientSpace
  • Office365
  • MasterTax
  • Network drives, cloud folders, and more

 

Need custom logic? We support it—with configurable workflows and affordable customization options tailored to your needs.

 

What Industry Leaders Are Saying

 

In a recent ScaleUp: AI panel, leaders from Salesforce, Dell, and A.Team shared how they approach build vs. buy in high-stakes innovation.

 

Their key message?


Build where you differentiate. Buy where scale and reliability matter.

 

Tax notice compliance is critical—but it’s not where your business differentiates. It’s where you scale, protect, and stay ahead.

 

Why NOTICENINJA Is Different

 

Our platform wasn’t adapted from ticketing software. It was built from the ground up by people who’ve handled audits, POAs, refund notices, and amended returns.

 

Platform Scale & Performance

 

  • 8M+ notices processed
  • 98% OCR accuracy
  • 100+ prebuilt agency form templates

 

Customer Impact & ROI

 

  • 50K+ hours saved across clients
  • Configurable dashboards and workflows
  • Role-based permissions and vendor-specific access

This is more than software—it’s expertise, automation, and scale, built-in.

 

The Strategic Move

 

If compliance is critical to your operations, don't build from scratch—invest in a platform that’s already proven.


But if your goal is to reduce risk, move faster, and free up your team—buy the infrastructure that’s already proven.

 

Let NOTICENINJA handle the platform. You handle the growth.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does NOTICENINJA automatically assign notices?

Yes, NOTICENINJA is corporate tax notice compliance software that automates key workflows including notice assignments. The platform employs a rule-based system that can manage multiple level rules and ensure notices are directed to the appropriate stakeholder. As a result, you’ll never have to worry about notices being misdirected or slipping between the cracks.

Can it generate reports to show how things are going?

Yes, NOTICENINJA’s dashboards and advanced reporting capabilities will give you a bird’s eye view of the tax notices your organization receives – and deep insight into liabilities and opportunities. With NOTICENINJA’s tax notice management and resolution software, you can accurately assess where notices are coming from and how much time and money you expend per jurisdiction. That insight will allow you to get to the root cause of your tax compliance challenges, so you can reduce notice volume and better manage workloads.

Does your company offer services to help with backlogs?

Yes, we do.

Backlogs are common and can create a vicious cycle. When organizations have a backlog of notices to respond to – and lack the manpower to tackle them – it’s easy for notices to fall by the wayside. When notices aren’t addressed promptly, issuing agencies will send duplicate or sequential notices, which exacerbates the existing backlog.

If your organization is struggling, NOTICENINJA can help close out your backlog of notices – and empower you to remain backlog-free. The platform’s automated workflows and due date tracking and document management functionalities enable organizations to resolve notices within 30 days, eliminating the cycle of follow-up notices and growing backlogs.

Can NOTICENINJA track agency agents (Contacts) by phone and email?

Yes, NOTICENINJA’s tax resolution software has a module that allows you to track and manage all agency contacts and other related information. Within the module, you can view contacts’ addresses, links and login information, which eases traditional change management challenges. Users can also include notes about specific jurisdictions and contacts to streamline notice resolution.