Madrigal Partners vs. Cognizant: Why Specialization Wins

The Acquisition Machine vs. The Lifetime Guarantee

Cognizant has grown through 70+ acquisitions, including Salesforce specialist Silverline. But does buying expertise equal having expertise? Let's see how their acquisition-driven model compares to Madrigal Partners' organic excellence and Lifetime Guarantee.

Understanding the Players

Cognizant

• $19.4 billion revenue, 355,000+ employees
• Built through aggressive acquisitions
• Acquired Silverline for Salesforce capabilities
• Offshore-heavy delivery model
• Standard 90-day warranties

Madrigal Partners

• Founded by Salesforce veterans
• Organic growth through excellence
• 100% Salesforce focused since day one
• Senior-only onshore delivery
• Revolutionary Lifetime Guarantee

The Acquisition Problem

Cognizant's Salesforce practice is a Frankenstein of acquisitions:

The Integration Nightmare:

• Silverline culture clashing with Cognizant bureaucracy
• Top Silverline talent left post-acquisition
• Multiple methodologies from different acquisitions
• Confused clients unsure who they're really working with
• Quality varies wildly by legacy team

Madrigal's Consistent Excellence:

• One culture, one methodology, one standard
• Team stability with minimal turnover
• Refined approach across 500+ implementations
• Clients know exactly what they're getting
• Quality guaranteed for life

The Offshore Pressure

Cognizant's Economics:

• Wall Street demands margin improvement
• Solution: Push everything offshore
• 75%+ work done in India/Philippines
• Onshore team just manages offshore
• You become the quality control

Madrigal's Value Focus:

• No Wall Street pressure
• 100% onshore senior delivery
• Direct communication with builders
• Quality built in, not inspected in
• Lifetime Guarantee eliminates quality concerns

Financial Services Cloud Deep Dive

Cognizant/Silverline FSC Reality:

• Lost key FSC experts post-acquisition
• Offshore teams learning FSC basics
• Cookie-cutter implementations
• Compliance gaps surface post-launch
• Fix costs not covered after 90 days

Madrigal FSC Mastery:

• Original team intact and growing
• Every team member FSC certified
• Tailored to your specific needs
• Compliance built into methodology
• Everything guaranteed for life

Real Project Comparison

Recent competitive situation - same client, two proposals:

Cognizant Proposal:

• Team size: 45 people
• Timeline: 9 months
• Cost: $1.8M
• Warranty: 90 days
• Annual support: $350K required

Madrigal Winning Proposal:

• Team size: 6 experts
• Timeline: 4 months
• Cost: $720K
• Warranty: LIFETIME
• Support: Optional at $100K

Result: Client chose Madrigal, saved $1M+, launched 5 months faster

What Happens When Things Break

Month 6 with Cognizant:

• Integration fails after Salesforce update
• Response: 'Submit a change request'
• Cost: $45K for analysis and fix
• Timeline: 4-6 weeks
• Blame: 'Salesforce changed their API'

Year 6 with Madrigal:

• Same integration issue
• Response: 'We're on it'
• Cost: $0 (Lifetime Guarantee)
• Timeline: Fixed same day
• Accountability: 'Our code should handle updates'

Innovation Capability

Cognizant's Innovation Theater:

• Innovation labs that produce PowerPoints
• Chasing yesterday's trends
• Risk-averse implementation approach
• Committee decisions on everything

Madrigal's Innovation Reality:

• First to production with new features
• Leading Agentforce implementations
• Calculated risks with guaranteed outcomes
• Fast decisions by experts

Client Satisfaction Truth

What Cognizant Clients Report:

• 'Felt like different companies working together'
• 'Quality varied by which legacy team we got'
• 'Massive team but few Salesforce experts'
• 'Post-warranty support was a profit center'

What Madrigal Clients Say:

• 'Cohesive team that knew their stuff'
• 'Consistent excellence throughout'
• 'Small team of actual experts'
• 'Lifetime Guarantee transformed our TCO'

The 5-Year TCO Reality

Cognizant (Medium FSC Implementation):

• Implementation: $1.5M
• Annual support: $350K × 5 = $1.75M
• Post-warranty fixes: ~$200K
• Platform updates: ~$150K
• Total: $3.6M

Madrigal Partners:

• Implementation: $700K
• Optional managed services: $100K × 5 = $500K
• Post-warranty fixes: $0
• Platform updates: $0
• Total: $1.2M
• Savings: $2.4M (67%)

Decision Framework

Choose Cognizant when:

• You need a vendor for multiple technologies
• Large team size impresses stakeholders
• Offshore delivery aligns with your model
• Budget for perpetual support exists

Choose Madrigal Partners when:

• Salesforce expertise depth matters
• You want accountability via guarantee
• Total cost of ownership drives decisions
• Senior expert delivery is valued
• Results matter more than headcount

The Uncomfortable Truth

'We went with Cognizant because they bought Silverline and we liked Silverline. Big mistake. The Silverline people we wanted had left, and we got Cognizant's offshore machine instead. After wasting a year and $2M, we hired Madrigal. They fixed Cognizant's mess and delivered what we needed in 4 months. The Lifetime Guarantee means we're protected forever. Lesson learned: you can't acquire expertise through M&A.' - CTO, Insurance Company

The Clear Choice

Cognizant bought their way into Salesforce. Madrigal built their expertise project by project, client by client. One approach leads to confusion and cost overruns. The other leads to guaranteed success.

Which path will you choose?

Ready for a partner built on excellence, not acquisitions? Contact Madrigal Partners today.