Why Consider a Technology Advisor?
As someone who has been on the business development side of the telecom and IT fields for over 30 years, I realized long ago there was a space between the solutions providers and the customers where I could add value. I’d seen how this works having started and run various indirect channel groups in my career, but it wasn’t until I made the leap to being a Technology Advisor on my own that I really examined how helpful one could be to a strategic procurement.
The naming of Converge IP is predicated on the notion that digitization continues to cause more areas of a business to be data driven- and this typically means more systems for the IT staff to inspect, select, connect, and protect. Effectively and as always, do more with less.
With the ever increasing span of control of the IT department, it’s ability to really dig into a strategic procurement or perform an in-depth audit of network expenditures, for example, often diminishes even in the most well-staffed organizations. They can be very time-consuming, especially if its something that’s done infrequently by a staff that is typically more technically oriented than procurement-driven.
This is where the role of a Technology Advisor can pay dividends to an organization. Our purpose is to be an extension of the IT staff or leadership team, helping our clients adopt and utilize collaboration, connectivity, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions.
Clients provide an overview of what they want to achieve and we run with it. We take the majority of the front end work associated with a strategic procurement beginning with client discovery and needs analysis. We then identify potential providers, engage with them through qualification process, narrow the field, and schedule presentations with finalists while updating the client yet minimizing their needed involvement.
While we facilitate the provider engagement, drive the flow of needed information, and provide our opinions; the decision always rests with the client. Once made, we secure contracts providing business level comments, participate in the cutover process, and remain involved for the long term with bill reviews, service escalations, and contract renegotiations.
In summary, we simplify, accelerate, and amplify their projects. Let’s further explore how we do this while highlighting some reasons why one might consider engaging with a Technology Advisor such as Converge IP for the next IT or Telecom project.
Simplify
At the heart of Technology Advisor utilization is simplification. The client gets a partner who is an experienced, complementary, and integral part of the team, offering personalized recommendations tailored to the client's specific objectives based on knowledge gained through consistent work on projects of similar scope. Specifically, the procurement can be simplified through the following:
Gain a Trusted Advisor: When utilizing a Technology Advisor such as Converge IP, the client gains a partner who understands the unique challenges with these projects and works to achieve the client’s goals. Seasoned experts work alongside the client to craft strategies that deliver results.
Secure a Single Point of Contact: With a Technology Advisor, the client will have a dedicated resource who very often manages multiple relationships. The client is able to lean on the TA to get things done across many provider and technology solutions.
Develop a Long-Term Relationship: Unlike carrier sales reps who frequently change companies, many Technology Advisors like Converge IP achieve success through long-term client relationships. We buffer the hassles created by constant provider sales turnover.
Obtain Personalized Strategy and Solution Planning: Our experts live and breathe telecom and cloud integrations. Because we often manage multiple areas of the tech stack over the long term, we naturally have a greater visibility on the clients’ overall environment and carefully construct plans designed around their specific needs.
Accelerate
Speed and efficiency are critical in today's IT and Telecom landscape. The use of a Technology Advisor accelerates project success by:
Gaining Access to Unlimited Supplier Options: We have over 200 suppliers in the portfolio with the tools and vendor-agnostic experts to quickly filter the best telecom and cloud providers based on client objectives and respective strengths of providers.
Taking a Holistic Cross-Vendor Approach: Converge IP offers a big-picture perspective, seamlessly integrating solutions from multiple suppliers when necessary, providing an end-to-end approach.
Eliminating the Pressure of Quota-Based Salespeople: Unlike supplier direct channels, good Technology Advisors have no quotas to fill, especially for a particular provider. Recommendations should be entirely unbiased, driven solely by client needs.
Acquiring Greater Leverage: By consistently dealing with these companies, the strong relationships formed with top cloud suppliers and telco carriers are leveraged to negotiate contracts with better terms and prices, and to resolve service issues in your favor.
Amplify
An often overlooked aspect to the Technology Advisor engagement is the ability to amplify the efforts of the IT staff by allowing them to be better focused on their core strategic strengths. This is done by:
Unlocking Value of Current OPEX: Through thorough auditing and aggressive renegotiation, we often free up 20-30% of a clients current spending, allowing them to invest those funds in achieving better results elsewhere.
Recovering Lost Hours: By outsourcing the time-consuming and often tedious tasks of a strategic procurement, a client can regain the time it would have spent analyzing and auditing bills, vetting providers, and negotiating contracts.
Focusing on What You Do Best: A good Technology Advisor such as Converge IP adds a team of experts to your roster, increasing efficiency and effectiveness around procurements, so you can concentrate on charting the next strategic business initiative.
Staying Cutting Edge on Technology: Clients benefit from a Technology Advisor who is immersed in the ever-evolving and broad cloud and telecom solution provider landscape. As a result, clients may be exposed to solutions they might otherwise miss performing limited research on their own.
In a landscape where success hinges on innovation, efficiency, and strategic decision-making, a Technology Advisor such as Converge IP stands as a client’s partner in achieving business objectives. We simplify the complex, accelerate the projects, and amplify the outcomes, all while offering a trusted, unbiased perspective. When it's time to take on the next IT and/or Telecom project, have a conversation with a Technology Advisor such as Converge IP to explore how they may help take it to the next level.