Peter Clarke, CEO of LanDynamix. (Image: Supplied)
One of the biggest mistakes companies make when looking for an IT service provider is thinking we all do the same thing. This is according to Peter Clarke, CEO of LanDynamix – which positions itself as a leading South African cyber security solutions and managed services specialist.
“Experience has shown us that many businesses assume all IT service providers do the same thing and that is they fix computers when they break. Right?” asks Clarke.
“Actually, it could not be more wrong,” he says.
“Moreover, all IT service providers are purely reactive in nature and organisations only need to seek such services when things go wrong. Again, wrong. Business leaders need to reset their objectives and thinking when it comes to sourcing a provider for possibly the most business-critical aspect of their operations, namely their computer systems,” says Clarke.
He notes that when engaging in the search and selection process to find the right IT services provider, one of the key indicators to watch out for is: who is talking the most, the provider or the company seeking the service? “As the potential customer, you should be talking two-thirds of the conversation. The provider does not know your business and if the initial contact is one of being subjected to a monologue sales pitch focused on selling you their IT solutions, you can be sure this is not a fit for your organisation.” He emphasises the need for providers to ‘listen’ to the commercial challenges being faced by the customer and work with them to solve what is essentially a ‘business’ problem and not just throw technology at it.
He cites the following as an essential guide to establishing if a provider is asking the right questions during the discovery phase.
- Compare scope and value before price. Price matters, but it is meaningful only when you compare like with like. Businesses often compare providers’ prices without understanding the scope or value of their services. First, establish what each service does for your business, why you need it and how it will work. For example, a firewall is not merely a piece of technology; it protects users from dangerous websites, identity theft and payment fraud. Without context, cost comparisons are misleading. Focus instead on whether the solution suits your business and whether the provider can offer reliable, proven support.
- Choose a provider that understands your business. While technical capability is important, the provider's ability to add strategic value is more important. It must understand how your business makes money, where your operations are vulnerable and what your long-term objectives are. Moreover, when evaluating a potential IT partner, examine whether or not they are asking questions aimed at discovering how your employees can be empowered to work more effectively.
- Consistency. Good service providers employ technicians with varying skill levels and use processes to match each problem with the appropriate expertise. Without such processes being in place, providers set both themselves and their technicians up for failure.
To elaborate, inconsistency in flagging the level of a problem leads to cracks in the service provision. Best practice by a provider would be to have a documented technical failure or error escalation process that ensures that more complex issues are moved to the correct level of technician/technical experience.
This is extremely important because if junior technicians are left to handle complex issues because they have not been flagged correctly at the outset, the customer's perspective will be that the technician is incompetent. However, the truth is that the matter should never have been directed to that person at the outset.
Your IT problems are not technology problems, they are business problems. Select a strategic partner – if that’s what you need. Your provider should contribute to planning, challenge the norm, identify risks and help to connect technology to the business goals. Selecting a provider who can add business value to your decision-making processes is important. This responsibility should not be assigned as a secondary duty to a provider’s technician; at minimum, it requires someone operating at a ‘virtual’ CTO or CIO level.
“However, if you are just looking for someone to do day-to-day operations, then an internally sourced IT technician is probably a better option for you, but experience has shown us that this is rarely the case. Most customers actually require a strategic business partner.”
- Evaluate communication, accountability and transparency. Client dissatisfaction often stems from missed commitments, poor communication or unclear responsibility for resolving problems. Although a lengthy resolution may require significant work behind the scenes, clients may reasonably assume that no progress is being made if they do not receive clear, regular updates. Trust is built by honouring commitments and communicating promptly when circumstances change.
Clarke notes that IT is normally always someone's ‘second job’ within businesses with little to no representation at the decision-making table. “IT is a business enabler and a strategic advantage – this principle underpins every client approach we make. Two decades' experience in delivering mission-critical IT services to customers has revealed that all too often we find that they have nobody to answer for their IT. Or worse, someone without the necessary knowledge and expertise is often trying to answer on behalf of IT.
“This has prompted us to kick off our 21st year of operations with a new offering – that of a virtual CIO service where we become our customer’s IT voice in their business. Watch this space in early 2027 for more information on this exciting development,” concludes Clarke.
