In a world redefined by a pandemic, thousands of organisations had to put thousands of people online and into digital working landscapes, at speed. They had to patch and cobble together cloud and platform and technology to create a workable solution that would get them through Lockdowns Five, Four and Three. The problem is that many companies grabbed hold of the biggest company they could find, thinking size defined success. Today, they are juggling infrastructure issues and messy applications because, as it turns out, what matters isn’t the size of the partner company doing the implementation but how well they understand your business.

In a McKinsey analysis as far back as 2016, the research firm identified the value of partnerships when it comes to IT service providers and implementing partners. As the firm points out: ‘When IT acts as a partner to the business, rather than as a technology consultant or supplier of IT services, the benefits are striking.’

This is a view shared by Gartner in a research paper released in 2019 that points to how important it is to build a partnership that drives customer experience and results. The research giant highlights how typical contract requirements are not the benchmark for success, that lies in collaboration and partnering for mutual success.

Small = agile

When it comes to implementing technology and infrastructure, finding the right service provider should not be a matter of ticking the box next to a big name. Often, companies choose their service provider based on their size – dismissing the smaller companies because they’re perceived as less serious, less capable. The truth is that the bigger the company, the bigger the paperwork, the delays and the waiting for the cogs of the machine to turn. Smaller companies are far more agile and flexible, capable of meeting very specific business needs easily and effectively.

Smaller service providers offer far more intimate engagements, and they are more likely to take on difficult projects that allow them to work more closely with the client and with the technology. The lumbering giants struggle to make the turns required in a disruptive and mercurial world, which makes it harder for them to deliver solutions that are genuinely relevant and sustainable.

Today, organisations need to work with companies that are interested in the long-term results of their investment. Will this platform scale? Will this hybrid cloud infrastructure adapt? How can legacy tech be bound onto modern to deliver a more cost-effective solution? These are the benchmarks of value that should define any engagement and implementation.

Small + agile = quality

Smaller companies are serious about customer service. They are also highly accredited and certified because they’re committed to sitting at the forefront of innovation and understanding so their service is always at the top of its game.

Organisations looking for reliable service providers should focus less on size and more on the following attributes: certifications, accreditations, customer reviews, implementation history and reputation, customer engagement, and industry support from companies like Microsoft, AWS and SAP. This is the checklist that will result in a solution that’s customised, unique, and relevant. Not an implementation that’s defined by how hard a company shoved a square solution into a round problem. That just leaves a mess that the smaller company will come in and fix anyway…

ETZ Global is a mid-sized company with a big footprint. Providing global organisations with quality service, solution implementation and support, ETZ Global has extensive qualifications and the partner backing of companies such as Microsoft, AWS and SAP. Contact us to find out how we can turn your business into a cloud-powered success story, collaboratively.