Customer Experience Nirvana when Delivering IT Solutions: Is it Possible?
Do you remember the days of arriving at a hotel and spending an hour trying to get onto the company’s network to pick up your email? Things are much simpler these days. But are they really? The technology is much more sophisticated and powerful, but it changes rapidly, and while network access is easier, other burdens are placed on the user. To get WiFi for our household Internet my service provider brought a modem, installed it, and ensured that signal was available. But then I was on my own to select a WiFi router, install it, and make the magic happen. Easier said than done. Once I ran through the configuration and got it fired up, I connected the first computer and all went well. Next, I added the printer (well, after a handful of video tutorials and troubleshooting) and then the laptop. But my wishes did not all come true, as reception in parts of the house was poor. So much for a great customer experience!
The IT Challenges Enterprises Face
Ramp that story up several magnitudes and you can imagine the challenges enterprises face. Most dread upgrading their computers or networks. They may have new offices to connect, with some solutions running on a cloud, some in their local networks, and others in data centers. They worry about how to best enable the productivity of mobile workers. They expect a device will work when it is connected to the network. And if it doesn’t, which of the many hardware, software, and services vendors involved will be responsible to fix it? Did I mention security? We don’t dare ignore that. Thank goodness for IT Solution Providers who live with these technologies and challenges every day. Their job is to convert an enterprise’s requirements into deployable solutions that address the enterprise’s needs. “Netformx solutions improve employee and customer experience as we enable the Workplace of the Future and keep pace with our customers’ digital transformations.” Stuart MacIntyre Director of Optus Business Technology.
Pitfalls that Impact the Customer Experience
Even for experienced and talented Solution Providers, this task is daunting and complex. Technologies are evolving quickly and vendors regularly bring new solutions to market, which can introduce new deployment models, risks, and benefits. A solution provider typically runs through 10 solution design iterations to create a comprehensive proposal that includes costs, diagrams, and designs. Then they hopefully arrive at the finish line and win the bid. Every iteration can introduce errors that can result in deployment delays, revenue loss, and poor customer experience.
Maintaining Profitability and Quality in the Delivery of IT Solutions
Complexity is driving Solution Providers to add services to their hardware sales. And, since commoditization is shrinking IT equipment margins, higher margin services are a key component of profitability. So it is important to ensure that appropriate services are included in solution designs. Solution Providers become trusted advisors, supplying knowledge and expertise to their enterprise customers. To maximize profitability, they need to rely on validated reference architectures and designs they successfully used in the past. At the same time, they need to leverage their buying power to optimize cost, lead times, and availability. Adding another layer of complexity that significantly impacts profitability are programs and promotions such as vendor or distributor rebates, discounts, and bundles.
Automation and Analytics Save the Day
To ensure deployability, scalability, consistency and—most importantly—to focus on profitability at every step in the sales process, Solution Providers are turning to sales enablement platforms, such as the Netformx Ecosystem as a Service (ESaaS), that incorporate automation, analytics, and collaboration into the sales process. Analyzed data from vendors, distributors, and internal systems such as CRM and ERP provide business intelligence and actionable insights that can make the difference between profit and loss on each deal. Accurate proposals that can be delivered quickly to enterprises and implemented without a hitch make for happy and loyal customers. The result for Solution Providers: profitable, growing business.