28 Nov 2022 by Andrew Spicer
Partnering helps us deliver industry-leading quality of service
I’m a firm believer in the old adage: “Two heads are better than one”.
In my previous blog post I wrote about the benefits of Realtech being a boutique player in the SAP ecosystem. It means customers can rely on us to take a genuine interest in their business and suggest ways to help them achieve their goals.
But being focused on our key areas of SAP expertise also means that we can’t always do everything ourselves. Trying to do so would just result in dissatisfied customers and staff.
It means that we are regularly seeking out partners with the skills and expertise to complement our own capabilities. I consider our success in forging strategic partnerships to be a core strength of Realtech, and a browse of my inbox confirms the virtues of partnerships built on trust and common goals.
Delivering for customers
“Thank you team for completing this work over the weekend. Big congratulations for the smoothness of the cutover and the continuity of our systems. Really great to have that one behind us! Well done,” wrote one customer earlier this month.
“The explanation and assistance from Dirk was A+. The business was very happy with this,” was the feedback from another.
“I wanted to convey my thanks and appreciation to the team that assisted in getting things ready for a new starter in my team. There is a laptop ready to go for her for Monday and her SAP access has also been organised. Your wonderful team has made that happen,” was the note from yet another happy customer.
Recently we helped a customer set up an analytics system to draw business insights from their SAP platform. Realtech was the lead consultant on the project, but we also partnered with a data analytics specialist as well as a Microsoft Azure expert to make sure everything worked smoothly on the customer’s cloud platform of choice.
The project was a great success, with Realtech being the single point of contact, responsible to the customer for delivery. This is how we work on the majority of our projects. While partnerships are nothing new to the IT industry, it's worth considering what makes for highly successful partnerships that add value for everyone concerned.
Five things that make for great partnerships:
Here are five key things that we focus on to ensure our partnerships in the SAP ecosystem are successful:
1: Identifying the gaps: We have deep expertise in most things SAP, but the world’s most popular enterprise resource planning system doesn’t exist in isolation. It interacts with a vast range of applications and platforms. Every customer’s needs are different and knowing where we can deliver in-house and where we need to reach out for help is a crucial part of our project scoping and planning. We never try to bluff our way through, claiming we can cover all of the bases. We are proud to partner with the best in the industry and to make a selling point of this with our customers.
2: Understanding shared goals: Sometimes we will have three or four partners involved in various capacities on an SAP project. Before we get the ball rolling on any project, we are careful to make sure all of our partners are clear about the customer’s goals, including the milestones we will aim for on the way to helping them achieve their goals. But Realtech and each partner has their own goals too. It might be to give new staff experience, display capability in a new area, or undertake the work in a set time period that accommodates their work schedule. Knowing these shared goals and understanding what is important to each other is crucial, particularly in a multi-partner relationship.
3: Leveraging our strengths: Each partner has clear strengths. When we leverage all of our strengths collectively, we can deliver innovative solutions for the customer and provide industry-leading service. This is why we spend a lot of time getting to know prospective partners. We do our due diligence and invest time with them to figure out where they really shine. Then we look for opportunities to leverage their strengths. Numerous Realtech projects have exceeded our customers’ expectations due to our drawing on the incredible capabilities of our partners.
4: Being clear on accountability: It’s obviously frustrating when a hold-up with a partner’s work stalls an entire project. We strive to make sure that doesn’t happen. Realtech is ultimately accountable to the customer. We will never make excuses or throw a partner under the bus. If there’s a problem or a delay, we will work collaboratively to fix it and, in turn, make clear where partners are accountable in the work they are bringing to the project.
5: Communicating effectively: Realtech values effective communication over just about everything else. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and that there is no light between Realtech’s work and that of our partners. It makes for informed, confident and happy customers. It builds trust and means there are no nasty surprises for anyone involved.
We’ll continue to deepen our relationships with partners in New Zealand’s vibrant SAP ecosystem and beyond. In our experience, it is the only way to work if you are truly taking a customer-centric view.
For over 22 years, Realtech has been helping New Zealand organisations get the most from SAP. Talk to our experts to find out how we can assist with your business transformation, service and support needs.