I spent some time this week presenting to a dedicated group of Mitel VARs that gather quarterly to share best practices. The meeting yet again confirmed my belief that economic downturns are tremendous opportunities for technology consultants and VARs that understand how their products and services can make significant, quantifiable and immediate impacts on the revenues and operating expenses of their customers.
One cannot help but read news of companies revising downward revenue and profit forecasts while blaming the credit crunch and global economic challenges. This is part of our current brutal reality. Ok, now what? Smart business leaders will use this as a catalyst to evaluate their business processes, make them more efficient and take premium care of their customers. (Really smart leaders do this continually!) They will not put their head in the sand and refuse to make decisions.
Well, IT's primary existence is to streamline processes, make business more efficient and help with decision making. Why would a good business not invest into technology that creates instant reductions in operating costs while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction and retention rates?
This is likely why the quality assurance / recording market grew at over 18% in the first half of the year (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Quality-ManagementRecording-WFO-Market-Grew/story.aspx?guid=%7B72BD5A9D-63D1-4782-B17D-02BCF8350FF3%7D). The products and services our industry provides create instant reductions in wasteful use of resources, enable continuous improvement of customer care and increasing customer retention rates. It seems this is the perfect industry in which to do business right now.
As long as we remember why this space exists and manufacturers, consultants and vendors can clearly articulate that to the ever-more-skeptical executives to whom we are selling.
One cannot help but read news of companies revising downward revenue and profit forecasts while blaming the credit crunch and global economic challenges. This is part of our current brutal reality. Ok, now what? Smart business leaders will use this as a catalyst to evaluate their business processes, make them more efficient and take premium care of their customers. (Really smart leaders do this continually!) They will not put their head in the sand and refuse to make decisions.
Well, IT's primary existence is to streamline processes, make business more efficient and help with decision making. Why would a good business not invest into technology that creates instant reductions in operating costs while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction and retention rates?
This is likely why the quality assurance / recording market grew at over 18% in the first half of the year (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Quality-ManagementRecording-WFO-Market-Grew/story.aspx?guid=%7B72BD5A9D-63D1-4782-B17D-02BCF8350FF3%7D). The products and services our industry provides create instant reductions in wasteful use of resources, enable continuous improvement of customer care and increasing customer retention rates. It seems this is the perfect industry in which to do business right now.
As long as we remember why this space exists and manufacturers, consultants and vendors can clearly articulate that to the ever-more-skeptical executives to whom we are selling.
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