How IT service providers can come into harmony with customers

… In recent years, many providers of IT services have succeeded in evolving the support break / fix to managed service providers and are already beginning to see the financial benefits in making this transition. And to succeed in this, it is assumed that they are working in harmony with its customers. Ie are delivering the support that customers need, while they are developing steadily supply to provide more strategic services.

However, things may not be as simple as they seem. With the technology industry in a high state of flux, IT departments have a number of tactical order of problems to face. Many are turning service providers managed in order to get rid of the reactive technology issues on a daily basis in order to focus on more strategic issues.

Strategic effort

This is the core of the existing disagreement today among managed service providers and their customers, as recently shown in our annual report “Harmony Report”.

In all eight surveyed countries, many IT departments have proved frustrated with losing focus of its suppliers, because they are placed in the position of an outsourced CIO, rather than focusing on immediate needs. These frustrations should be recognized and seen so that they can establish harmonious relations between them.

The report surveyed more than 1,300 IT departments and 700 service providers around the world, focusing on what the departments want and need from suppliers and what actually is being offered. There were three main areas of contention: sales, relationship and managed security.

Discordant sale

The report found that providers are failing to not focus on the priorities of IT departments and are forcing them to take strategic commitments too early. Initially, IT departments seek service providers to address the immediate needs and business critical. In response, providers try to immediately offer a wider service consulting. IT departments put these services at the lowest position of his priorities, so that the forced offer this type of service is frustrating for them.

The Relationship obstacles

The survey also found that there is considerable disconnect between managed service providers and their customers about how their relationship should evolve. In the UK, for example, 67% of IT service providers have proved eager to see the relationship with your customers moving to a level of strategic consulting and knowledge-based services (on a global level, this percentage drops to 64% ). But only 9% (13% globally) of IT departments had the same perception, while the rest was divided between not wanting changes and, in fact, want more focus on technical and tactical support.

In a way, it is worrying that the overwhelming majority of managed service providers are making a misinterpretation of what customers want from them – or they are simply trying to get an accelerated evolution in the market. By forcing the bar and take their clients to a direction on which are not yet convinced, they run the risk of never being nothing more than a mere supplier.

Poor assessment of managed security

Security breaches are becoming commonplace and this has led many IT departments into a state of paranoia and introspection. As a result, managed security is now one of the largest areas of opportunity for managed service providers.

However, when asked what the managed security offerings should improve, IT departments said they wanted an improvement in the security of e-mails, web and virus protection. On the other hand, managed service providers were planning to prioritize consultancy focusing on safety and offer more proactive system upgrades and patching. This is indicative of more discord among providers of IT services and their customers.

Harmony urges patience

It is very easy to see the results of a search as broad and highlight the negative aspects, but all that has been shown, there are also positive aspects in this kind of relationship. In each country, there is a strong tendency for the continued outsourcing of technology services as well as managed services most significant in the place holder break / fix.

The issue here is the amount of potential revenue that is set aside as a result of the mismatch between the priorities of providers and customers. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be easily addressed by providers of IT services.

Discord in all three areas is caused more by anxiety on the part of providers. To have focused on the early strategic consulting in the relationship, they give the impression that underestimate the immediate concerns that weigh more in the minds of customers.

IT departments engage with managed service providers because they have a particular problem that needs to be addressed and must be addressed first. Then, they now have a foundation on which to build a reliable, long-term relationship. And then they will be able to start presenting the idea of ​​more strategic services, at a pace that is best suited to customers than to their own business plans.

Full article: http://corporate.canaltech.com.br

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