When introducing Unified Communications (UC) to your organization your goal should be to select the right technology that best meets the needs of your organization and its users.
However…
What’s equally necessary (yet almost always overlooked) is the importance of choosing the “best” vendor to implement your desired UC solution. Choosing the right vendor will increase your chances of having a successful project and should help you realize your return on investment.
Let’s face it… I’m sure you’ve started an IT project anticipating a smooth implementation process… and you expect to reap the benefits of the IT solution right off the bat.
But more than likely, the journey to your desired end state is a nightmare of delays, frustration, missed deadlines and a disappointing end user experience.
You see, the majority of these problems are due to the vendor you’ve chosen (to implement the solution) who does not possess the skill or experience required to do the work. This is why it’s crucial that you choose the right vendor for your organization to work with.
So, what should you look for to choose the “best” system integrator?
Well, here are a few of the things I look for when I am selecting a vendor to integrate a solution for any of my clients…
Here are my…
7 Tips You Can Use to
Find the Best System Integrator…
Tip #1:
Previous experience completing similar projects in size and scope using the same (or very similar) type of proposed solution. Also, their experience should be in the same (or very similar) industry that your organization is in. Make these requirements mandatory!
For example, if you’re a hospital you need a vendor with experience in multi-site campus deployments within the healthcare vertical.
Tip #2:
The integrator’s proposed team of resources should have necessary skills to match the size and scope of the engagement. I suggest you get written confirmation of the integrator’s team member names, roles, certifications and previous experience working on similar projects.
To protect yourself, it never hurts to insist on reserving the right to request that any personnel providing services on your project be removed and replaced if (in your opinion) their personnel do not measure up to getting the job done!
Tip #3:
Test and ensure your system integrator’s understanding of your project’s size and scope of work. How do you do this? Simple…
Ask your system integrator to create a Scope of Work document. This document must demonstrate their understanding of your project with descriptions (and samples) of each of the tasks required to ensure a successful implementation.
Tip #4:
The systems integrator should produce a detailed project plan that shows the strategy for the solution deployment. You should request to see samples of project plans from their previous client engagements.
They should also include details of their project management methodology which should include (at a minimum) processes for status reporting, issue management, project change control and risk management.
Tip #5:
I cannot stress strongly enough about the need for you to actually check the integrators client references. Follow-up with their references by actually calling on them!
Why?
Because more often than not… you’ll find significant gaps between what the integrator thinks they have implemented (as well as what their client thinks they’ve implemented) versus reality. Talking to the system integrator’s past references is about the best way to remove any doubts you may have about their suitability for your project.
Tip #6:
If you have the right internal resources within your IT organization you may have a strong desire to ‘manage’ the solution after it has been implemented.
To help your staff come up to speed it’s important to understand how “Knowledge Transfer” will be accomplished between you and the integrator’s team. Insist on having a detailed knowledge transfer plan put in place prior to hiring the integrator.
I’ve witnessed unfortunate situations that can seriously impede your IT staff’s ability to “come up to speed” on managing the newly implemented system. One such instance of a poor “Knowledge Transfer” consisted of an offer (by the integrator) to just simply allow staff to “look over” the installation tech’s shoulder.
That’s a pretty poor knowledge transfer!
How to Apply These Tips
To apply these tips you need to make them mandatory requirements in your RFP to select a solution and “best” systems integrator… and I mean mandatory! If you want a successful project don’t be that person who states in their RFP that “References of similiar size and scope are optional”… make them required!
For best results make each of these recommended tips a mandatory requirement. Again, I cannot stress this enough.
If you’d like to learn more I’ve put together a short (but highly informative) video on the importance of qualifying your vendor here:
