Jason James, HellermannTyton's
Don't over-promise and under-deliver, HellermannTyton's technical director advises
What does your company do, and what is your role there?
Founded in 1988, HellermannTyton Data is an established leader in the design, development and manufacture of innovative network infrastructure solutions for LAN and WAN environments. The company offers a broad range of quality, high-performance structured cabling products. It is based in Northampton, and is part of the global HellermannTyton with operations in 38 countries worldwide.
As HellermannTyton's technical director I wear several hats on a day-to-day basis. These are mostly forming our business direction on the introduction of new products and our company's IT systems and services. With a manufacturing workforce of 70 people and back-office operations of 30, the requirements are not enough for a dedicated role and with my background in software and all things "techie", my position here allows me to practise what I preach and preach what I practise.
What traits do you seek in your IT suppliers?
Given that I am not 100 per cent dedicated to a single role, one of the main traits I look for in any supplier of IT services is flexibility. This is key to helping the business join the dots between what we have, what we need and how we're going to get there. Our requirements span local and cloud infrastructure, wireless and wired connectivity, desktops and handheld devices.
We always strive to build a great relationship with IT suppliers who are versatile enough to fill the gaps we require, are highly knowledgeable of our products and have a broad understanding of our business requirements. Our IT suppliers must be patient and supportive with other third parties providing the physical infrastructure of our business, and be willing to be both a generalist and specialist in their area.
What are your main dos and don'ts for resellers and other IT suppliers when they are selling to you?
Building a mutually trusting and respectful relationship is essential for us. Once we have built a strong relationship with our suppliers who are familiar with the data, our processes and way of working, it becomes a much easier relationship to manage.
A big don't is to not over-promise and under-deliver on their offerings. This can be frustrating and damaging to the relationship we have built. Also, making sure that IT suppliers answer the questions I might have forgotten to ask is a big positive and can cement my decision in purchasing their services.
We are keen for suppliers not to treat us as guinea pigs for their new systems or procedures, but rather offer a personal experience with services tailored to our needs.
How can IT suppliers best influence you early in the sales cycle?
Of course, price does have a part to play in the sales cycle, but suppliers must be willing to sell us what we need, rather than what they think we need. Having a clear understanding of what we do is essential, as well as how and why. Also demonstrating that you have the flexibility and capability to react to our requirements.
Can you give an example of a project where an IT supplier has really impressed you? What did they get right?
We have been very impressed by Datel, which supplies our Sage 200 ERP system. From the beginning, Datel didn't treat us as guinea pigs for someone else's unproven solution. Datel waited for us to get our prerequisites in a row first. We implemented Datel's ERP system as part of a new project. Datel staff were present at all our planning sessions, and fitted in nicely with other existing and new IT solutions to ensure a seamless transition between the hardware and software.
Our relationship with Datel is built on a mutual understanding of our business requirements and their complete dedication to supporting us from initial installation through to this day.
Do you generally prefer to procure as many IT goods and services as possible from a single supplier, or work with multiple specialists?
My ultimate preference would be to have one supplier for everything who understands the interactions of all our systems. This means I would only have one number to call if any issues arise. But given that this sadly doesn't exist at the moment, my preference is to keep the pool of suppliers as small as practically possible.
Some requirements are broad and fairly generic while others are very specialised and mission-critical. The business-critical and specialised function of our ERP system, including our bespoke requirements, are a perfect example of where all our eggs are in one basket; or at least a basket that is managed by a single point of contact.
We have other specialists that look after our datacentre as well as others providing building services, connectivity and security. If we can find the right partner that can work with our in-house team as well as our other service providers, then I feel that the best of both worlds is possible.