Technology alone can’t deliver business success. In fact, you might not even know how vital your implementation partner can and should be to your entire business strategy and success. Whether you’ve worked with your partner for years or are looking for a new partner for your business solutions, here are five things they should be doing to give you the most out of your investment.

What should you expect from your technology partner?

Deploying business-critical technology doesn’t just start or stop with a one-off project. Success is a process—a journey—that involves an ongoing relationship with a trusted solution provider. You need a team of professionals dedicated to your business with the knowledge to ensure you have the technology, training, and support you need.

These five points are essential for a successful relationship with your technology partner:  

1. Experienced Project Managers committed to your success: A reputable solution provider will provide a dedicated project manager with deep knowledge about your products, business or industry, and objectives. They will align operational needs and technology expectations, provide consistent communication between all resources and stakeholders of the project, mitigate issues, and coordinate with any third-party vendors or resources. You should feel as though your project manager is a trusted liaison and advocate for your business, and they should work closely with you throughout the process to ensure an efficient project and successful outcome.

2. Dedicated Customer Account Managers for long-term business strategy: This is an important relationship and one that is essential to your short-term and long-term success. Having a dedicated account manager is like having an extension of your leadership team looking out for you. They understand your specialized operations and objectives on a deeper level and are able to recommend (or advise against) technology updates and upgrades that best match your goals and budget.

   Just as your business grows and changes, technology also evolves. Your account manager has your back at all times, ensuring your business technology continues to meet your needs and enable future growth. They should provide annual or bi-annual business reviews to ensure you are on track to sustain your success.

3. Deep industry knowledge to align the right technology for your requirements: Certain industries require highly specialized operations and technology, and that can become very complicated without a partner experienced in your industry. There are many powerful business systems available, but not all of them can support complex operations or customized functionality. With a deep understanding of industry-specific technology, the right solution provider will present options and continually work with you to make the smartest technology decisions for your business.

4. Experienced Application Consultants with broad knowledge: Every part of the deployment process is important, and your application consultants are the heart of your project. They should have a balance of both technical and business knowledge with attention to detail and big-picture thinking.

   We can only speak for Western Computer, but our application consultants work closely with each other to offer unique skills and perspectives for the shared goal of helping our clients succeed. Your consultants should strive to not only design the most effective solution for your business, but to help your team learn and grow with the system to increase user adoption and confidence along the way.

5. Efficient, knowledgeable support staff: The support you receive from your partner can vary widely in availability and cost. You should expect prompt, reliable, knowledgeable support from an experienced team. Be sure you understand when, where, and how you will receive support as well.

   At Western Computer, our clients appreciate having 24x7 access to an online support portal with automatic notifications and status updates. Behind the scenes we have a dedicated coordinator who assigns each support issue to the right person quickly—saving our clients a lot of time. You will likely want to work with a partner who offers flexibility surrounding your ongoing support needs.   

Your Partner Is Critical to Your Success

As you look at new, cutting-edge technology, don’t forget to put as much energy into researching partners to help you plan, deploy, and support that technology. You want a reputable, experienced company you feel confident will work in your best interests to ensure a positive return on investment. Western Computer is a proud 2022/2023 Inner Circle Member and finalist of the 2022 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner of the Year. We welcome your questions about how we support your business and extend the value of your technology solutions with superior service. Get in touch with our experts today.

About the Author

As Cloud Transformation Executive, Ryan evaluates client needs to strategize approach and demonstrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform solutions.

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