Third-party tech partners can help your business reach its goals, but certain behaviors should be avoided when seeking out and managing those relationships.
Tech partners can aid companies in embracing the fast pace of change in business technology and meeting business goals. However, certain common mistakes spring up when organizations are seeking out and then managing relationships with those third-party vendors that should be avoided.
“Technologies, integration, and open source tooling is all changing so fast that buyers need to look at how to embrace these relationships with a business integrator rather than a systems integrator,” said John Mullen, CEO of technology consulting firm Capgemini North America. “The rate of change is so high that it’s difficult for buying clients to stay ahead of change curves. They need that partnership more so than ever before. If you want the pay off, you have to figure out how to plan for change, and make decisions around technology faster and more efficiently.”
Here are 10 mistakes to avoid when it comes to finding and managing relationships with tech partners.
1. Treating all tech providers exactly the same
Third-party partners may include business consultants, technology consultants, software providers, and technology specialists. “Each of these providers have different backgrounds and focus. They can provide different services and outcomes to your organization,” said Julie Short, research vice president at Gartner. “They cannot all be managed in the same manner and with the same approach.”
2. Lacking transparency about your requirements and goals
Companies must be able to identify their business and technology needs, as well as their ultimate digital transformation goals, Short said. “Tech providers need as much information as possible to address client expectations and deliver outcomes,” she added. “If this information is not available, then that also must be shared with the tech provider.”
3. Expecting a vendor to be a silver bullet
Tech providers will not be able to solve every problem in your organization, Short said, and also lack insight into the various structures of your company. “Be realistic about your expectations with regards to tech providers,” Short advised. “Some can deliver significant value, and others may be only able to deliver on the tasks you have given them.”
