Over the last 15 years, I have had the pleasure of working with some brilliant companies both as a supplier and as a consumer. It made me think recently, what is the importance of relationships and expectation? The companies that really stick in my mind though are the smaller organisations fighting for their market share and really caring on an individual level about how they are perceived and the value and application of their products.
These companies create real personal relationships with their clients. Their clients know that if they want something done or something needs to be addressed, they can speak to “Mike” or “Claire” and get a quick answer or an immediate idea of when they might be able to gain what they are looking for. Often it doesn’t matter if the answer is “two hours” or “two weeks” it having a plan and being confident that it will come to fruition.
As a consumer in this world of instant response and information having your expectations set by someone or a group of people you have faith in to deliver is a key element of the daily transactions, we take part in. Outside of my working life, I am currently working with an organisation where every element of our business is conducted via WhatsApp. Our interactions are short, sharp and to the point, we work quickly and make decisions on the fly but then back them up with evidence and prototypes before finally agreeing on our preferred course of action together. These interactions though are underpinned by trust in our personal relationship between myself as a consumer and another individual on the supplier’s side. This trust is founded by having my expectation set in terms of when things will be delivered and what is and isn’t possible, no veil, no smoke and mirrors, just facts and delivery.
At Premier IT, we have long-term staff who over the years have forged relationships with our clients and who care about their struggles. Are we perfect? No, and I would hazard that no organisation is, we are human, and our journey is always evolving and adapting. The key is that we are always striving to be better for our clients and working to make our products more applicable to delivering their goals.
Have a think about the best organisations you have worked with and what is it that made them great.