Comparison
DIY vs Managed AI for Edmonton Small Businesses
When does it make sense to build it yourself, and when does a managed rollout save you time and rework? Here’s a grounded comparison for Alberta teams.
Head-to-head
Time to launch
DIY: 2–6 weeks if you learn tools and integrations yourself
Managed: A few weeks with guided setup and checklists
Internal time spent
DIY: 10–25 hours of learning, testing, and fixing
Managed: 3–5 hours of inputs and reviews
Common risks
DIY: Misrouted data, weak prompts, no fallbacks
Managed: Less—configs reviewed and logging added
Ongoing upkeep
DIY: You monitor drift, policy updates, and retries
Managed: Provider tracks changes and iterates with you
When DIY can work
- • You enjoy testing tools and can afford 10–20 hours of tinkering time.
- • You need a single use case (e.g., FAQ bot) and can live with occasional breakage.
- • You already manage your own integrations and logs.
When managed makes sense
- • You need dependable booking, reminders, or routing that can’t drop messages.
- • You want guardrails (logging, retries, permissions) handled for you.
- • You prefer 3–5 hours of inputs while someone else builds and trains your team.
Edmonton/Alberta context
- • Many local teams see quicker payback when response speed and scheduling are involved.
- • Privacy matters—keep PIPEDA in mind and avoid exposing customer data in public models.
- • Month-to-month tooling is available; you don’t need long contracts to pilot.
Quick recommendation
If you have time and curiosity, start DIY with a single FAQ bot. If you need reliable booking, reminders, or lead triage, a managed rollout over a few weeks often costs less than the hours lost to experimentation and misrouting.
DIY optionManaged option2–4 week pilotsPrivacy-minded
Plan your best-fit rollout