By Heath Huxtable, Managing Director of Braintree
“Think small” is the tagline of the world’s most famous advertisement for one of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers – VW – that has changed advertising and the brand forever. Today, Volkswagen has 6% of the global market and its luxury car, Audi, is considered one of the 10 most valuable brands. The “small” VW campaign proved that creativity and innovation aren’t about size. Gaining ground in competitive markets means listening to people and creating solutions that solve their problems. It means thinking small when it comes to personalised service and collaborative customer relationships but thinking far beyond the box when it comes to technology solutions, innovation and growth.
This is something many technology companies have forgotten – the human element of service delivery amid the rush to create new solutions and implement new technologies. The pressure to drive sales often overshadows the importance of understanding what a business actually needs.
The most successful technology partners are built on shared growth and understanding. This is reflected in research that shows how the relationship between the service provider and the customer is one of the single biggest determinants of success. It is also the customer’s experience throughout the technology implementation and support phases that defines the longevity of that success. Service providers need to take the time to understand the business and design solutions that will evolve with them.
It's not lip service that makes technology last – it's time spent sitting inside the depths of the organisation and ensuring the technology fits the problem. This approach is in stark contrast to the “whole pie in the first bite” strategy that can be used to describe many technology implementations.
Companies don’t want to feel as if they’ve been thrown into a den where every employee is fighting for their share of this pie – they want to feel as if the person selling the solution is interested in more than the signature on the invoice. Adopting the alternative approach – building genuine, long-term relationships – is a long-tail strategy that delivers better results for both parties.
Another often overlooked factor is the relationship between talent retention and service quality. Investing in the right people and fostering a culture of innovation has a direct impact on how satisfied a client feels. When technical teams combine ingenuity with engineering expertise, the results often exceed client expectations. However, retaining these teams and this talent means prioritising relationships within the business as well. Customers know when the services they receive are from people who love what they do.
The most effective partnerships between service providers and organisations rely on deep marketing understanding, consistent service delivery, investment in talent, long-term relationships over quick wins and adaptive solution design. This ensures longevity and success, which are becoming increasingly important in the highly competitive market. The most valuable partners – those that hold onto customers – also remember what it’s like to think in terms of scale and growth but to start small. Starting small means remembering the value of providing solutions that answer very real business problems and don’t rely on hype to get in the door.
As companies continue to navigate digital transformation, it has become increasingly important to choose the right technology partner. Differentiation as a business doesn’t just rest in having the best technology but in a relationship with a service provider that prioritises the right investments and solutions to help you better overcome your challenges and build exceptional market share.
