Choose The Right Communications Partner: 4 How-Tos
HEY! What is the most important thing in a relationship? What is it about a partner that makes you want to DRT (determine the relationship talk)? Sure, flashy cars, fine dining, a million-dollar smile, and ridiculous good looks grab your attention. But what happens when life happens? When your dog dies, or you get awful food poisoning from that posh eatery they took you to, leaving you in the bathroom for no less than 24 hours. Are those pearly white teeth offering to hold back your hair? Gosh we hope so! Really when it comes down to brass tacks, what we really want is a partner we can TRUST. One we can lean on and grow with. A partner who understands our needs, who is there for the celebrations and holds our hands through the tough times. If trust is paramount in our personal relationships, wouldn’t just make sense that it should also be key in our business partnerships as well? You trust your accountant, you trust your attorney, you trust your mentor. You should trust your IT and Communications partner too!
Building trust takes time, and just like in your personal friendships and partnerships, sometimes you have to kiss A LOT of frogs before you find your perfect partner. Technology vendors hold the key to your company’s success in the palm of their hands. Their expertise, support, and reliability (especially in the post covid space) will make or break the trust of your staff, and your customers. Technology partners are literally the only business partner that can directly impact the success of your business and how it makes money. SO why are you still viewing technology and communications as a commodity? As an acquaintance or a one-night stand? There is a massive amount of fish in the technology sea, not all are keepers.
We’re going to let you in on all of the GREEN FLAGS that you need to watch for when searching for your IT/Communications Life Partner.
Let us fill you in on something you don’t know (sarcasm…) the pandemic has forever changed the workplace. Companies are transitioning to either permanent work from home or hybrid models. To support this new, scalable and flexible work model for all employees, companies will need a modern unified communications system, and IT environment. In the industry we refer to this as Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C). A solution that up until 2020 was only something that innovative, cutting edge companies bought into. Now it’s imperative for every businesses sustainability no matter size, location, or industry.
Discover The Next-Gen Workplace >
However, implementing this solution based on the lowest bid from any vendor is likely the biggest business killer of this era. Lowest price is fabulous until it’s not. Flashy promises of easy customer service is heartwarming until you’re on hold for 3 hours after being transferred 5 times only to have the call drop. Million-dollars are pretty until the only time you can reach the company is when you need to purchase new licenses or add to your contract.
So don’t find yourself in a messy breakup with all of your business pals saying “I told you so” Ask hard questions, take it slow, and never kiss on the first day.
Here are the green flags that mean go!
- They have happy customers
A vendor’s reputation in the marketplace is one of the best indicators of trustworthiness. How happy are their current customers with the quality of service and support? Do they have a good track record for building lasting relationships? How are they ranked in the marketplace among other providers? Case studies are another great resource for gaining deeper insight into how companies in your industry have benefitted from a specific unified communications solution. Ask potential vendors if they can share real-world examples including hard data and customer testimonials. Always ask for references!!!
- If you don’t need it, they’re not selling it
Solutions are never cookie cutter; they are highly customizable and should be engineered to your company’s particular needs. What works for one organization won’t work for another. A partner should take the time to learn about your company’s communications needs. Is an on-site or cloud solution better? Or perhaps a hybrid model is the best place to start. Do you require integrations with third-party applications? A trusted partner won’t try to sell you more than you need in order to get started. They’ll even help you leverage your investment in existing technologies rather than rip everything out if that’s the right approach at the time. Then, as you’re ready to progress, they’ll support you as your needs change with a scalable and flexible solution. If a salesperson say’s “we’ll ship you the equipment and you just have to plug it in!” RUN…FAST
- They Make It Easy
Implementation is always a bumpy road, no matter how organized or prepared you and your partner are. It’s technology folks! A great partner makes that bumpy road a little less stomach tossing, but keeping you in the loop. Anticipating hiccups, answering questions in a timely manner, and offering logistic solutions. Project management is a very strong sign the provider is a proven and reliable leader in the marketplace. When implementation is completed, is it easy to get ahold of an account manager, your project manager, and your service team? It should be, and it should be a quick response time!
- They’re Ride or Die
A trusted partner does more than support your communications needs today—they stay ahead of the curve and prepare your business for the future. They know your company’s network environment, and help you prepare for new innovations. Great partners will also work with your other vendors to ensure that your business is holistically taken care of, and everything works in harmony. Outstanding partners ensure that your business can flex and remain agile. They’re just as concerned with the health and growth of your business as you are.
So, there you have it! In the world of technology, flashy cars are the equivalent to lowest bid, fine dining is cookie cutter, and million-dollar smile means that you’ve been sold either the wrong solution or way more than you need. Look for the green flags, and settle down with a partner for life!
And…Who Knows maybe Towner is the best Communications Partner for you!
