In an industry awash with technological parity, clambering for 'me-too` status, one of the hardest challenges of all is to find a differentiating factor which will consistently set your IT company apart from the rest.
Anil Pema of Aptronics, a local fully integrated IT solutions provider, believes he has found the key to what, for many other similar companies in today`s rocky IT environment, remains somewhat elusive territory to conquer.
"Client service, commitment, trust. One hundred percent, no questions asked. Total dedication, on an on-going basis. Beating your own 'best practice` standards."
This is according to Pema, who as managing director of Aptronics has not only nurtured the company from its infancy, but also maintains a huge involvement in day-to-day operations, particularly client relationship building and client service issues.
The long-term payoff of this zealous attitude is borne out by the strength of Aptronics` client relationships, of which SA Eagle, with whom Aptronics enjoys a preferred IT supplier status, is an example.
SA Eagle, which is the one of the three largest short-term insurance companies in SA, and a member of the Zurich Financial Services Group, has outsourced selected hardware and software installation and integration capabilities to Aptronics for over eight years.
"This ranged from the sale and supply of the former AS 400 terminals and emulation boards and Compaq PCs in the early 1990s, to assisting with SA Eagle`s local area network environment and latterly, their storage area network and the move towards mission-critical Compaq file server based systems," explains Pema.
"To keep pace with our constant striving to deliver better service to our own clients out there, SA Eagle`s IT environment has evolved quite significantly over the past eight or nine years," points out Keith Newnham, IT production services manager at SA Eagle in Gauteng.
"Throughout this period, which has been hallmarked by constant and often rapid technological and business changes, Aptronics have stepped up with the energy and enthusiasm to meet, and indeed grow, with each new challenge that presented itself," Newnham adds.
"Furthermore, Aptronics, unlike many IT suppliers, has worked very well and synergistically with other official outsourcers. They have consistently, effectively and efficiently delivered the support, service and advice that we as the client have needed," he concludes.
Share
Editorial contacts