Are you satisfied with your… partner?
I don't mean your life or love partner, but your digital partner
The marriage
The collaboration between a company and its digital partner is very similar to a marriage:
you need each other and that is usually for a long time
there will be ups and downs
you trust each other and you can always count on each other
Unfortunately, this is reality:
“We just implemented a new ERP system, which cost us 100k and it still doesn't do what we need”
“We had a new website built but it is not flexible enough and in retrospect the platform turns out to be the most insecure on the market”
“We have chosen an application, but we do not use 80% of its functionalities and we are missing crucial features that we thought were available”
What is the role of a good digital partner?
Strategic thinking: technology must be implemented with clear objectives, so a good partner aligns this perfectly with your business objectives.
Sufficient expertise: technical knowledge and experience always play a role, but are of course not the only thing that is important.
Proper Implementation: even the most advanced software will fail if installed or configured incorrectly. So install, implement and maintain correctly is key!
MVP approach: feeling what you need from functionalities from day 1 and what can be added afterwards. An application or implementation is much more successful in the long term if you can get started with it in practice very quickly.
Training and Support: employees will not use the system effectively if they are not trained or provided with ongoing support. You have to respond quickly to questions or frustrations.
Integrate with other data and applications: many companies use multiple systems that have to work together. A good partner integrates them, which leads to even greater efficiency improvements.
Don't ignore change management: a very important, often minimized part of digital transformation is the people. A good partner will actively help employees learn to use new systems smoothly.
To remember:
a great digital partner can make even bad technology work well
a bad digital partner cannot provide a useful solution even with the best technology
Licenses <=> best solution?
As a company, you usually come into contact with a salesperson from an implementation company of one specific platform, for example:
in the ERP world: Microsoft Business Central, Odoo, ...
in the CRM world: Salesforce, Hubspot, Teamleader, ...
in the website CMS world: Wordpress, Craft, Storyblok, Webflow, Drupal, Statamic, ...
The seller tells a nice story about why their software or platform would be a very good solution for your company.
The problem here is that the seller's main goal is ultimately to sell you as many licenses as possible and not:
is this the best solution available on the market?
is this the best solution for your business processes?
does this connect well with your other systems?
In my humble opinion, as a company you need a long term relationship with a independent digital partner, who is not driven by pressure to sell licenses, but someone who thinks along, feels the pain points and really knows your business processes in order to put all the pieces of the puzzle together into a suitable digital solution.
Bottom Line
Even in today's AI-driven world, people, ongoing guidance and an understanding of the processes in an evolving market are much more important than the technology itself
=> it’s about having the best team to bring the technology to life!
