The mistakes Vendors make

At the end of this month I start a new chapter in my life - going on maternity leave and becoming a mum. Part of this process has been handing over the IT manager role to my relief person. We have loads of projects on the go for next year - including a CRM implementation, a VoIP roll out, a review of MFDs and a refresh of our dictation system. In between all that, we will be moving buildings. This, and also the handover itself, has meant that I have been spending a bit of time with various vendors lately. It's quite surprising, but many vendors make some really basic mistakes. Here's my list:

1. Not listening to the client
Very often you deal with a sales person who is so insistent on making a sale that they will blithely promise you that their product fits the criteria you need, when in fact it does not. They simply haven't listened. Vendors need to listen to clients and to realise that the client will know more about their business than they will. Of course, vendors should feel free to make suggestions on best practices etc. but if you don't listen to the client in the first place, they really won't be interest in what you have to say.

2. Handling redundancies & changes in staff badly
Many organisations are going through redundancies at the moment and IT services companies are no exception. Whenever a change is made an organised handover should be implemented as soon as possible. The IT grapevine (particularly in Brisbane) works fast and you are likely to hear about redundancies prior to the official announcements. Vendors need to stay ahead of the game and ensure that clients are taken care of, otherwise they will go somewhere else. This also applies to technical staff who may leave an organisation. Very often the reason that you use a particular company is because of that tech. Vendors need to act quickly to avoid the damage and assure their clients that they are well resourced. If they aren't well resourced, they need to be honest with their clients about this. If a client gets inferior service, they will move and they won't come back. If you are honest, you may still retain a client once the resource situation improves.

3. Getting behind on the paperwork (invoices, updates etc.)
Be on time with billing and provide break downs on each invoice. Some firms tend not to invoice for months and then invoice in large batches. This does not help your clients cash flow or their faith in your organisation abilities. Ensure that your client is up to date regarding the state of projects and budgets at regular, agreed intervals - this is so simple and so often ignored.

4. Stating that they will "align IT with the business" without thinking about what that will mean
Most vendors will tell you that their company will "align business strategies with IT" or some version of that buzz line. This is a good thing, but often its just something that is said for the sake of it. For this to work the IT team the vendor is working with needs to have a good understanding of the business strategy. Unfortunately this is always not the case. So unless you have access to someone who is thoroughly knowledgeable about the business itself, this isn't a promise you can fulfil. What some vendors try to do is then "make up" the business strategy - this is arrogant and completely outside the parameters of your role.

5. Over-contact / under-contact.
IT managers are busy. Particularly if responding to a tender, only contact them if you need information that has not been provided previously or cannot be located in documentation. If an IT team member says that they will contact you then honour that and don't keep ringing. This is most important if you don't already have a relationship with the IT manager. On the flipside, if you have an established relationship, ensure that this is nurtured. Organise catch ups as regularly as your client wants them to review projects and update them on new developments in the market. Be flexible with times - remember you need your client more than they need you.

6. Let go of the ego
If the client starts talking about something you haven't heard of - ask for it be explained. Don’t just assume that you know. This goes for IT managers as well. If a vendor talks about something you know little about, ask them to explain it. Pretending you know might save your ego, but it's not going to help your project and you aren't going to learn anything.

And my pet hate - if you are a cold calling sales person DO NOT leave a voice message asking the target to call you back. As a rule, I won't return unsolicited voice mail messages and I know many other IT managers do the same thing. We aren't being rude - we just don't have the time. Oh, and if you do happen to get through to us, don't get mad at us for having the audacity not to ring you back. I might hang up on you and I certainly won't buy anything from you.

What I want from a vendor is someone who listens, who is genuinely interested in being a business partner, who keeps me informed and gives excellent customer service.