September 8, 2023
When I work with prospective Managed Services clients, one of the things we always talk about is the level of interaction they can expect. This typically leads to a bit of a discussion on vendor relationships, partner relationships, and the difference between the two.
We don’t just aim to be a vendor to our clients. We look to be a partner. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.
Managed Services: Vendors or Partners?
First, I want to point out that both vendors and partners perform in the ways you’d expect a vendor to perform. That transactional element is present in either situation, but in the partnership, that’s not where things stop.
During those early conversations with prospective clients, I can get a pretty good idea of whether they’re looking for a vendor or a partner. And I let them know that while we fill that vendor role, when we’re brought in for managed services, we’ll act as a partner.
What Our Partnership Looks Like
Being a collaborative business partner means more than just meeting today’s needs. We focus on helping our clients optimize their decisions over time. We take stock of where a client is today and how we can support their technology right now, but we also look at where they want to be in six months, two years, and five years and help them make the right technology decisions to get where they’re going.
In an immediate sense, this might look like building out solutions to reduce the number of interactions their end users are having with our helpdesk.
By analyzing our ticketing software, we can see what reasons end users are submitting tickets, identify trends, and implement a solution to solve the greater issue. For example, end users may need more training on how to use a particular program or device.
How We Achieve True Partnership as a Managed Services Provider
Our team works hard to understand each client’s business. This includes learning what their drivers are, where the company is performing, and also where their organization has opportunities to improve performance. We view it as part of our responsibility to bring suggestions that will aid them in strengthening their business and achieving their strategic initiatives.
In fact, we have feedback and recommendations built right into the offering. Every six months, we hold a client business review. During this meeting, a client reviews their account with their account manager and discusses how everything is going. We also make sure it’s fairly easy to tell. For example, every time an end user submits a helpdesk ticket, they are sent a survey about their experience. It might seem like a small point, but we find that over time, clients understand that it provides a significant amount of value that’s very hard — if not impossible — to find through another provider.
If you’re reconsidering your relationship with a managed services provider that’s acting more like a vendor than a partner, or if you’re curious about the additional ROI our approach can bring, we’re here for it! Click the link below to connect with a specialist.
