If you were to look at Microsoft’s active user figures that are regularly announced throughout the year, the question of the best collaboration solution for businesses may seem like an easy one to answer.
After all, numbers rarely lie and hundreds of millions of active users on a daily basis can’t all be wrong surely?
Turns out they might. According to Iain Sinnott, Sales and Marketing Director at VanillaIP, there is a huge opportunity being missed in the communications market, with many businesses being offered simple, inexpensive solutions that do the job.
“When these basic solutions are sold there aren’t really any winners,” said Sinnott. “From the buyer’s side, sure they get an effective solution, but they are cheated out of a platform and system that helps them be more productive.
“On the other hand, when salesmen do not explore the options properly, they miss out on higher profits and customer satisfaction. That can have long-term effects on the business, affecting their perception in the market and customer retention.”
Mentality
Sinnott pointed to a “rip and replace” culture within sales teams as a key reason why only the most basic solutions were being supplied, adding that there is a lot of technology that is not being explored.
As a result, businesses are missing out on solutions that are tailored to their needs and instead are given a bland platform that is useful but doesn’t make the most of the technology that is available.
“We all know the pandemic forced almost every business to adopt a cloud collaboration solution, if that hadn’t done so already,” said Sinnott. “Now they have adjusted to life working from home, decision makers want to make the most of the technology on the market.
“But that isn’t what is happening. Instead, this rip and replace culture within sales departments means that a lot of businesses end up with many smaller basic solutions that are cheaper but doesn’t meet all the requirements across business processes, employee productivity and customer engagement in a hybrid setting.”
Appreciation
The answer, according to Sinnott, is a longer consultation process and more effort being put into solutions that are proposed. With this tactic, businesses will be more appreciative of the time taken to service them, increase customer satisfaction and lead to more sales in the future.
“Customers appreciate the time you take when the solution is the right one,” said Sinnott. “Giving decision makers a few options for how to upgrade their systems means that they can decide to go for a simpler option, rather than a salesperson saying ‘this is the only way.’
“Resellers need to be able to have a wider conversation about all solutions available to their customers. Giving businesses options is appreciated as a lot will not be informed enough to make a good decision.
“Demonstrating how some of the more expensive solutions can be more cost effective in the long term will lead to greater satisfaction as a lot of businesses will see short term expense for years of efficiency as a good deal”
