http://www.thenational.scot/business/engineering-solutions-firm-4cornernetworks-helps-boost-job-satisfaction-by-paying-the-living-wage.20926
The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union on June 23rd and we’ve heard all about the impact on International stock markets, multi-conglomerates, worldwide economies and not very much about the little guys – small businesses.
Much doom and gloom has surrounded the Brexit vote, primarily due to the multitude of legal and financial uncertainties. There is no doubt that the UK leaving the EU carries risks, but counteracting those risks are an equal amount of opportunities.
This blog will explore the influence of the Brexit vote on an SME in the IT sector offering Cisco Professional Services. We will objectively explore any negative and positive impact the Brexit vote has had on our company, our finances and business operations.
As a Cisco Professional Services organisation, 4CornerNetworks specialise in the provision of Cisco Engineers making our business model dependent on market prices in the recruitment of Cisco Engineers. We operate Internationally, often employing Engineers from the EU and USA where the performance of the Pound Sterling causes both negative and positive currency fluctuations.
Currency Fluctuation
Post Brexit vote in the UK caused major currency fluctuations on the Pound Sterling against the US Dollar and Euro. Let’s look at the currency fluctuations of the Pound Sterling vs the US Dollar and the Euro from June 23rd, the day of the Brexit vote.
£ Pound Sterling to the $ US Dollar
$1.48 to £1 23/06/2016
$1.33 to £1 03/08/2016
$1.29 to £1 08/07/2016 = 28.12% fluctuation from 23/06/2016
The pound reached its lowest point on 8th July trading at $1.29 to £1 and its highest point of $1.48 to £1 on the 23rd June resulting in a 28.12% fluctuation. Today the price is $1.33 to £1 where the fluctuation from 23rd June is 22.2%.
£ Pound Sterling to the € Euro
€1.30 to £1 23/06/2016
€1.19 to £1 03/08/2016
€1.16 to £1 06/07/2016 = 18.2% fluctuation from 23/06/2016
On June 23rd the Pound fluctuated by 14.3% against the Euro against today’s price of €1.19, and reached a low of €1.16 to £1 on July 6th resulting in a 18.2% fluctuation.
(source: http://finance.yahoo.com/chart/gbpeur=x?ltr=1 )
Price of Doing Business
The average salary of a CCNA in USA is $72,039. At the current exchange rate of $1.33 to £1 is £54,165. On 23rd June the exchange rate was $1.48 to £1 meaning the same CCNA Engineer would cost £48,675 which is a cost of £5,490 for the salary of a single Engineer. (source: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Cisco_Certified_Network_Associate_(CCNA)/Salary )
A CCNA in Europe (Take Germany as an example) earns an average salary of €45,562. At the current rate of exchange €1.19 to £1 is £38,287. On 23rd June the exchange rate was €1.30 to £1 meaning the same CCNA Engineer would cost £35,047 which is a cost of £3,240 for the salary of a single Engineer (source: http://www.payscale.com/research/DE/Certification=Cisco_Certified_Network_Associate_(CCNA)/Salary )
However, fortunes are reversed when we receive payment from organisations in Europe or USA. If an invoice for $10,000 was received on 23rd June, this would have been worth £6,757 but the same $10,000 invoice today would be worth £7,519, a surplus of £762.
A €10,000 invoice on 23rd June would have been worth £7,692 but the same €10,000 invoice today would be worth £8,403, a surplus of £711.
The currency fluctuations can be equally negative as they are positive which results in the solidification of uncertainty and therefore a cautious approach must be taken when dealing with international clients, currencies and projects. Operating in volatile market conditions is a business challenge we must accept face on, but remain equally cautious.
Any International growth ambitions small businesses have must now be placed on hold, but for how long? Planning to set up new offices, employ new staff and trade internationally with multiple currencies fluctuating by up to 30% in a matter of weeks presents too many unknowns and a period of stability must be reached before the UK’s small businesses can shake off the shackles and grow. It all depends if you see the glass Half Full or Half Empty?
*Please note the rate of exchange is at 03/08/2016 and will vary
https://www.pcr-online.biz/2016/05/17/bings-blanket-ban-on-tech-support-ads-is-lazy-and-idiotic/
Your Pain Points when working with a Supplier of Cisco Engineers
“They” say that 98% of published statistics are made up, and people will think that when market research doesn’t provide them with the answers they anticipated. Conducting market research with a 3rd party will help to eliminate subconscious bias when asking questions and help to provide a survey format whereby respondents submit honest and detailed responses. Here at 4CornerNetworks, that’s exactly what we did when partnering with CRN Channel Web as we embarked upon a quest to understand client experiences, good and bad, when engaging with a supplier of Cisco Engineering Resources.
We Asked…
C-Level Executives, Operations & Project Managers from Telecomms, Managed Service Providers, ICT Providers and Cisco Channel Partners were asked about their experiences when utilising Cisco Engineers from a 3rd party vendor.
You Said…
Engineering Availability
We asked, the channel spoke and specified that a lack of available Cisco Engineers and High Costs were the two primary concerns. 40% of C-Level Executives stated that they used more than one supplier of Cisco Engineering Resources, with 45% of those respondents doing so due to a lack of engineering availability. A lack of available Engineers will naturally occur when external partners fail to understand your everyday business requirements. Where are your clients located? When do you experience dips or peaks in client demand? How quickly can your external partner process your request? – All these questions impact on Engineering availability and all can be avoided by planning, integrating processes with your external partner and studying previous trends to ensure that you can get Cisco Engineering excellence, where you need it, when you need it.
Access to Cisco Engineering Skills
2/3 of Telecomms, MSP’s, ICT & Cisco Partners utilised the services of a 3rd party vendor to gain access to specific Cisco Engineering skills not available in-house. However only a fraction, 7% of all respondents concluded that when hiring an external Cisco Engineering partner, that costs were a benefit of any such relationship – that’s 93% of hiring companies NOT completely satisfied with the costs they are being charged.
Almost half of all respondents expressed their concerns with the experience and qualifications of attending Engineers. Often the end client provides feedback on how each Engineer performs. How long it took them to perform tasks, their customer and communications skills and their overall technical ability and expertise. If an attending Engineer takes twice as long to perform tasks due to their lack of experience or because they are not adequately qualified, then costs increase and the quality of workmanship will reflect poorly on your Brand.
Peek-A-Boo Charges
Peek-a-boo charges were the main cost concern when hiring a Cisco Field Engineer from an external partner. Upon opening your invoices, all of a sudden, peek-a-boo! Out pop charges for account set up, account maintenance, minimum booking time of 2-4 hour slots (when you only need an Engineer for 1 hour) and being charged for a CCNA, when all you got was a technical courier. Such charges make financial budgeting and forecasting almost impossible when you have no idea how much additional costs will be added to your invoice.
We Listened and…
We understood what problems your organisation faced when working with 3rd party suppliers of Cisco Engineers and what solutions will help to alleviate your pain points. More transparency, greater Cisco Engineering availability, consistent pricing and a select partner to work in tandem with your current business processes, ethos and culture.
SMART Onsite Service from 4CornerNetworks implemented by a customised Partnership Portal provides a solution to each and every pain point.
Transparent Billing
No set-up fees and no account management fees will ever be charged. We do not believe in winning new clients, then charging them for the privilege of being our client. Securing clients in a mutually beneficial long-term relationship will always be a main objective of 4CornerNetworks. Financial planning and budget control is now placed firmly back in the hands of our clients as a set monthly fee is charged by Direct Debit making forecasting easy and accurate because you know how much your bill will be every month.
Ease of Booking
S.O.S is only available to clients who outsource their requirements for Cisco Field Engineers of 500+ hours annually. You will be able to access the exclusive Partnership Portal of 4CornerNetworks where booking an Engineer when and where you need them is quick and easy to use. Simply choose the date, time and location of where you require an Engineer, provide a brief scope of work to gain instant access to Cisco Engineers where you need them, when you need them. This results in less admin time to source Engineers and less time and cost when working with an external partner.
Cisco Field Engineers Availability & Quality
Have you ever found yourself questioning the certifications and experience of an attending Engineer? Have you experienced Engineers turning up onsite late, unprepared and lacking in both customer and technical skills?
With S.O.S you will be able to view the details of Engineers, their Certifications and previous Quality Assurance scores. Therefore any Engineer you book will firstly need to satisfy your exact requirements and those of the end client. As a result of this function, the quality standards of your organisation will be significantly boosted brining you and your clients’ complete piece of mind.
Sourcing Cisco Engineers from a 3rd party supplier has thus far caused many organisations to seek alternative solutions to their Engineering requirements. Many existing suppliers of Cisco Field Engineers have caused customers to switch suppliers in search of transparent billing and certified Engineers. Perhaps the lesson to learn is to view your clients as partners and understand that there is a direct correlation between fair pricing, quality standards and long-term relationships.
Monitoring, managing and maintaining IT Networks has evolved in recent years with innovations in network management tools, cloud storage and Software Defined Networking. Solar Winds seems to be the network management tool of choice and the recent $67Billion Dell-EMC acquisition shows the market focus on cloud storage is altering the landscape for IT Networks. Such advancements in methodology and technology has led to the demise of in-house Field Engineering teams. MSP’s, Cisco Channel Partners and Telecommunications & ICT Providers have all reduced their focus and expenditure on their in-house Cisco Field Service capabilities.
However not all network upgrades and faults can be rectified remotely. Network management tools are limited to identifying bottlenecks, firmware upgrades and faults, but at some point your clients will need the expert help of Cisco Field Engineers. Until network management tools or SDN can develop Artificial Intelligence, grow legs and hands armed with screwdrivers to rack and stack, people need people to solve network issues.
Expansion of Capabilities
Austerity and cost-cutting are best of friends and many Enterprise companies and SME’s have not only reduced their Field Engineering Services but their NOC’s and Technical teams too. IT Networks require Cisco Engineers with specialist skills in Security, Wireless and Collaboration, to name but a few. Employing such a vast range of specialist Cisco Engineers may no longer be cost-effective, but the demand for boots on the ground remains buoyant. If the end client is situated in a challenging postcode, remote location and/or requires a specialist Cisco Engineering track, you can choose to send your own in-house Engineer half way across the world, or you can work in partnership with a reputable supplier of Cisco Field Engineering Services.
Strategic partnerships between MSP’s, Channel Partners and Telecomms providers must be complimented by external providers of Cisco Field Engineering Services. The newest advancements in methodologies and technologies may reduce the demand for Cisco Field Engineering Services, but it will NEVER make them obsolete.
Integration
Forming a strategic partnership requires an alignment of capabilities, complementary services and, most importantly, sharing knowledge. You could chose to form a simple client/customer relationship, but the benefits of integrating organisations help to deliver market-leading service delivery and customer service.
When an MSP, Cisco Partner or Telecomms/ICT provider employ the services of an external Cisco Field Support company, those two companies need to deliver services as one entity. Both organisations need to integrate departments, processes and technology. Departments integrate when Project Managers, Account Managers, Operations Co-ordinators and Cisco Field Engineering Teams align objectives and targets. Define duties, roles and responsibilities and always assign a designated contact and point of escalation within each organisation. Frequent and open communications is a tangible asset and must not be underestimated or undervalued.
When ICT/Telecommunications providers, MSP’s and Cisco Partners reduce their in-house Cisco Field Engineering Team, a gap in the market opens up for providers of Cisco Field Support. Apply the same principal to providers of Cisco Field Engineers, they cannot gain access to such lucrative clients on a mass scale. The truth is that neither company can achieve growth, amass industry & operational knowledge & skills or service the end client without the help of one another.
In the IT channel, Strategic Partnerships are commonplace, most notably with the recent collaboration between the two technology giants, Cisco and Apple. The Apple & Cisco partnership is a perfect marriage, Apple gain access to the Enterprise market, whilst Cisco benefit from iOS and facilitate Apple’s entry into the Enterprise arena. But, what exactly is a Strategic Partnership?
Price Waterhouse Cooper define a Strategic Partnership as:
“A strategic partnership involves some shape of formal agreement between two or more parties that have agreed to share finance, skills, information and/or other resources in the pursuit of common goals.”
Sharing
Before a Strategic Partnership has been formalised, firstly ensure that all parties share the same expectations of the outcome of such partnerships. Start by clearly defining shared business objectives, you both might want to achieve A or B, but can you achieve them together? Strategic Partnerships are generally triggered by the existence of shared objectives. For example a Managed Services Provider or Cisco Channel Partner may need Cisco Technical Resources worldwide due to a lack of in-house specialist Cisco Network Engineers. Therefore there exists an implied shared objective, prior to a formalised agreement being signed.
As highlighted in the PwC definition, a successful Strategic Partnership can only be achieved by sharing resources, finance, information and skills. Each company will have a unique strength which the other lacks, therefore combining capabilities allows both partners to access new markets, increase product/service offerings, increase revenues and embark on a mutually beneficial knowledge sharing relationship. Strategic Partnerships are a viable alternative to traditional growth strategies including organic growth, angel investors and borrowing.
Culture & Values
A 2013 CIPD survey showed that 60-70% of Strategic Partnerships fail, often triggered by a mismatch in culture and company values. The lesson learned from this statistic is to choose your partners based on common shared values and company culture. If your company has an aggressive sales culture who earn their competitive advantage via low prices, then your ideal partner isn’t a company who values quality of service over price.
Achieving a cultural fit where both parties share values, should not be underestimated. A written agreement will specify relevant KPI’s including volume of sales, quality of service and conflict management. However, in the blink of an eye, the days and months of negotiations can be destroyed with a cultural faux pas. Obvious cultural differences occur when partnering with an international partner in body language, linguistics and beliefs. However, more subtle factors like equality, gender balance and employee & stakeholder engagement can contribute to a failed or successful Strategic Partnership.
Ease of Integration
After agreeing on shared objectives, resources and culture, integration is the next step before the partnership is good to go. The theory of how companies form a partnership is the easy part, now it’s time to fit the final pieces together.
Integration is the point where 2 (or more) companies in a Strategic Partnership become one entity. What type of information is shared between parties? What processes should be implemented to directly deal with joint customers? What systems are implemented to process enquiries, sales and communications?
When a Cisco Channel Partner or ICT Provider, needs to book a Cisco Network Engineer from a Cisco Professional Services partner onto a client site, there needs to be a unified and coherent system used by both parties. A scope of work will be agreed along with timescales, prices and quality standards. Mapping systems would be in place so all partners can identify where Network Engineers are working and how and when to book the next available one: all contributing to a seamless synergy between Strategic Partners.
Have you experienced a Strategic Partnership where only 1 party truly benefits? Have you been involved in a Partnership where you value quality of service but your partner values low price more? Tell us your horror and success stories 🙂
Many VAR’s, Channel Partners and MSP’s are responsible for allocating the correct technical resource to monitor and manage their client’s IT Networks. Do they hire an external Cisco Network Engineer or allocate an in-house generalist IT Administrator?
IT Experts and Network experts have distinct specialisms and require the application of a significantly unique set of skills. IT Administrators tend to a multitude of IT duties ranging from desktop support to software installation & configuration. Cisco Network Engineers on the other hand are more specialised with typical duties ranging from VPN tunnelling to intricate network designs.
Organisations can be reluctant to hiring external experts as they prefer to assign generalist in-house IT staff to attempt complex networking tasks, often to the detriment to the end client.
Limited Internal Resources
Ask an IT/Systems Administrator for almost any VAR, MSP or Channel Partner what their duties are, and their answer will be “Everything!” They need to monitor & fix, software & hardware, back up data, enhance performance, security, storage and the list goes on. Internal IT & Engineering Departments are generally lacking in specific IT specialist functions. It would sink many businesses to the bottom of the ocean if they had experts in Cisco, Juniper, F5, Microsoft, Dell and Citrix who all need regular work. Not only do you need vendor specialists, you also need to have them situated in every single country where your clients are located.
It is therefore imperative to realise the limitations of the technical resources you have at your disposal in-house. You can hire an external expert in Cisco Networks or you can muddle along with what you have.
The Problem with Muddling Along
Round pegs fit into square pegs no problem, but they don’t stay there as the wrong tool has been used for the job. Holding your extremely expensive network together with sticky tape and a few short term fixes may solve an immediate problem, but it will simply add to the magnitude of problems brewing underneath those sub-standard fixes.
Systems administrators or IT generalists may be able to maintain and manage basic network functions, but complex configurations and designs MUST be left to the experts. If you need a CCNP Wireless, then hire one, if you need a CCIE Security, hire one. Prices from one Cisco Engineer to another varies depending on individual skill sets and market experience, where that experience should not be underestimated or undervalued. Technical couriers are often hired by organisations instead of paying the market price for a CCNA Engineer in an effort to minimise the cost of technical resourcing.
Muddling along might save you a penny or two in the short-term, but if I was your client, I certainly wouldn’t be satisfied that my critical business problems are solved with inferior solutions. Clients pay a premium price to have their networks maintained and managed, subsequently only premium solutions will suffice.
Quality of Service
Cisco certifications are highly regarded by Enterprise organisations, VAR’s, MSP’s & Channel Resellers, yet lower prices too often take precedence over quality of service. Cisco hardware is the backbone of all networks in almost every Enterprise organisation, which requires the application of Cisco best practises at all times to guarantee quality and continuity of service.
Here I’ll be bold and hail Cisco Certified Engineers as the best the market has to offer, no other certification comes close. When a CCNA or CCIE Engineer is assigned to complete a specific Network task there is no other IT Expert or Technician more qualified, experienced or skilled to successfully do so: round pegs for round holes.
By allocating anything other than a Cisco Certified Engineer to tackle a Cisco Network task is prioritising price over quality of service delivered. Cisco experts may be more expensive than the cheaper in-house generalist option, but if you think experts are expensive, wait and see how much amateurs cost you.
Sell more and sell more now! Do as I TELL you. Listen when I bark! – We’ve all had horrid bosses like this, imparting their aggressive nature and sell-at-all-costs attitude which manifests into a toxic culture of bullying, aggression and arrogance. Working in an environment with a poisonous culture negatively impacts productivity, staff morale and business operations. On the other hand, focus on creating a positive culture which is people-centric and your business can build a substantial competitive advantage over market rivals.
Training & Development
In the year 2015 Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, smartphones & smartwatches, bigger memories, and bigger processors, faster machinery – none of which have any importance or relevance to your company culture and therefore highlighting that your employees are your most valuable asset.
Dedication to learning is an essential element in any successful company culture. Learning needs to be a continuous company process encouraging all staff members to embark on a quest for knowledge. Gathering professional qualifications is par for the course, but the value of soft skills shouldn’t be underestimated. Communications skills, work ethic, transferable skills and leadership qualities can all be nurtured from personal development training both in-house and externally. It is necessary to create a training and development plan with formalised processes by following the diagram below:
Flexibility & Trust
The last time I looked, all my colleagues could tie their own shoelaces, vote, earn a degree and passed the interview that got them their respective jobs – so why do some company cultures insist on babying their staff? – 2 minutes late and you’re reprimanded, wear a tie, ask for permission to make a cuppa, get in your cubicle and don’t get ideas above your station. When written down it seems ridiculous, but such antiquated cultures are commonplace. People daily dread getting up to go into their jobs, another groundhog day – if your staff think like this, then your culture needs addressing and quick!
Don’t make your staff fear for their jobs, create an environment whereby they have no fear and are free to take risks and make mistakes. Improvements can only be made by taking risks, challenging norms and pushing boundaries. Demonstrate trust in your staff, be flexible with breaks, start and finish times. If your employee perhaps has been working late, then allow them to come in late to recuperate and don’t try to squeeze every last morsel of productivity from them. Happy staff are productive staff. Grant your staff the freedom to make a cuppa as and when they please, start late or finish early occasionally, let them work from home, or check their phones for messages during company time. If your recruitment process was thorough enough and your company culture applies flexibility and trust, then you’ll successfully build a progressive culture with loyal and productive employees.
Company Values
A company with an ingrained culture is a living breathing entity, and like people, can have a unique personality. Employees and stakeholders need to be able to identify with who your company is and what you stand for. Create a vision, mission and values statement to support company values – words on a piece of paper mean nothing unless there is a clear and defined strategy to implement & follow. Once company values have been installed into your everyday working environment, your staff and stakeholders can begin to buy into the values and beliefs you promote. Creating company values which resonate with the beliefs of individual stakeholders imparts shared beliefs and shared efforts to achieve a common goal.
Competitive Advantage
Strategy guru, Michael Porter identifies 2 main types of competitive advantage, cost and differentiation. Gaining a competitive advantage through cost measures simply enters companies into an overcrowded race with competitors. Buying newer, faster machinery is easy, but you’ll always be part of that race to the bottom. Cut costs by swinging the axe, make employees work twice as hard to compensate for the axe-wielding, but humans burn out. The solution to creating a sustainable competitive advantage can only be achieved by delivering superior added value compared to your competitors.
Companies providing services rather than products can utilise their employees to help bring their services to market quicker than their competitors. Those employees can respond quicker to customer trends and demands by offering customised solutions not freely available amongst market rivals. Quality of service delivery must always be a priority over achieving the lowest price. When your company culture focuses on cheapness, cheaper costs, cheaper products then most likely your company culture is just as cheap. Implementing a superior quality of service comes from employees taking pride in their jobs, taking pride in satisfying their customers and pride in the company they work for. Try giving your staff no creative freedom, no trust, no flexibility and an obsession with cost cutting – do you think your employees are proud? If you want happy customers and stakeholders, join the culture club 🙂
Can you imagine being a Female Network Engineer? Experiencing wolf whistles daily, earning far less than male counterparts and making the cups of tea – Well, sorry to disappoint but this simply isn’t true. Women can rack, stack and mount just like any other male Cisco Network Engineer and are generally treated just like any other Engineer. I wanted to cause a stir with this blog by highlighting the gulf between male and female Engineers, but despite some vocal opinion in social media circles, I found more equality than inequality.
An interview with Female Cisco Network Engineer Christine Bowman-Jones (CCNA R&S) was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of a day in the life of a female Cisco Network Engineer.
What or who was your inspiration to become a Network Engineer?
I was currently undertaking a PC maintenance course whilst working in a call centre. I have always enjoyed technology and decided a career change was needed. When the course was coming to the end, a lecturer - Mike Fitzgerald came into our class to give a talk on a foundation degree - Network Security Technologies. I found the talk captivating and the enthusiasm given by Mike was inspiring. I owe the path taken to Mike Fitzgerald, he was my true inspiration and gave me the knowledge and determination to succeed.
How many females did you have in your University/CCNA Classes?
When I first started my foundation degree there was one other female, however after a few weeks this female left the course, and then I became the sole female.
What skills/qualities do you think women need to become a Network Engineering Professional?
You need to work hard, the same as a male, you need to commit long hours to studying to learn your craft, you need determination as the path is not an easy one, however I would not say this is due to discrimination, although there is always that judgement in the background that you are a women initially.
Were there any groups or organisations to provide support for women in IT or women studying IT in the UK?
Not that I am aware of, however I never investigated this path.
Can you provide an example of when you’ve been treated differently to your male counterparts? If not, do you feel you’re treated as an equal by clients and fellow Cisco Network Engineers?
During my time at University I always felt like I was treated equally, in the workplace I rarely encounter other Cisco Network Engineers, however when I do I have never had an issue. I think you always get that initial 10 minutes whilst they get used to you being a female, however I really don’t see it as an issue.
When clients see a woman turning up on site to rack and mount, do you feel you’re being judged more than men, and why?
I have always enjoyed the surprised look by clients when a woman does turn up on site to rack and mount, and I don’t think women will ever escape that. I always get the offer of them carrying something for me etc., but I don’t see that as an issue, in fact quite enjoy it sometimes, however I never take them up on it.
Why do you think there are such small numbers of female Network Engineers or IT In general?
It can be an intimidating environment, and sometimes you do need a thick skin from the jokes. However once you gain that respect it doesn’t become an issue.
What would be your words of advice to young aspiring female Network Engineers?
I would say it will always be a male dominated environment and you have to be prepared for that. My advice is to be the best you can be, learn as much as possible, and know in yourself the abilities you have, and then you will achieve respect within the industry.
Starting your own business can be daunting, what gave you the confidence to pursue starting your own business?
I was working as a project manager with the threat of redundancy, not really undertaking a great deal of networking etc., the threat became real, and I thought to myself that I want to prove myself as an Engineer and had nothing to lose. I have never worked so hard in my life, however find it rewarding, and it’s that satisfaction that makes me carry on.
You’re currently CCNA R&S, what Cisco exams are next for you and why do you want to pursue this area in your career?
I am currently looking to complete my CCNP R&S, I have completed the routing exam and looking to undertake the switching exam shortly. I will look to become fully CCNP certified hopefully by the end of next year. I enjoy Cisco networking and get a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment out of it, I always enjoy learning new skills and developing existing skills.
Your quality of service and onsite professionalism is an area we understand many end-clients take the time to compliment you on – explain why your quality of service is exceptional?
My company reputation is the most important part for me, I will endeavour to complete a job 100% to my ability, I will always go above and beyond for a client and ensure they are happy when I leave site. I am always eager to wow a client and treat them with respect, return work and future projects are imperative for the survival of any company.
Conclusion
Full equality between male and female Engineers doesn’t exist yet, and it may never be the utopian vision some people crave. As Christine testified to in her interview, she sometimes works in an “intimidating environment” which is “male dominated” and where women need to have a “thick skin from the jokes”, but most importantly Christine feels like she is always “treated equally” in her job.
Equality, anti-discrimination and HR legislation exist to prevent Engineers like Christine from enduring inequality, yet it still exists. Some women may be intimidated to enter into a traditionally “male dominated environment” but unless more women challenge this “norm” then the landscape will never change.
So many companies strive to achieve growth to increase profits, benefit from economies of scale or for simple vanity reasons. However, being a big company doesn’t always mean that the company is more successful, being an SME can be equally beneficial. The nature of larger companies dictate that a more regimented approach to business is applied with rules, policies, procedures, processes, departments and red tape all helping to slow down business operations. With less traffic to fight through, SME’s have the ability to be responsive to the needs & demands of the market place.
Customisation
The single greatest benefit to being a responsive company is the ability to truly customise your products/services to the needs of your customers. When a company deals with customer numbers in the hundreds or thousands, the only way to efficiently deliver communications is via automation. Letters to customers are automated, offers are automated and every facet of communication between the human customer and robotic company ensues. As a customer, just make sure that any request you may have can be categorised into a pre-defined algorithm with an automatically generated generic response.
In the year 2015, customers demand what they want, when they want it, how they want it and SME’s are best poised to respond to, and satisfy such demands. Telling your customers they need “the standard package” or “the budget level package” makes them feel as homogenised as the packages being offered to them.
Lack of Hierarchy & Structure
The composition of big companies comprises of dozens of departments each with their own agendas, protecting their own budgets and results. Each department have employees, supervisors, managers and senior management which creates layer upon layer of hierarchy and internal structure. Therefore when a customer makes a request for a customised service/product, or a lower level employee needs to escalate a complaint or request, that information needs to navigate its way up the company hierarchy and back down to the customer again. SME’s on the other hand having fewer layers, departmental agendas and fewer employees & managers with vested interests are able to respond more expeditiously. Customer trends fluctuate daily, competitors improve & evolve and technology impacts market trends meaning the speed of response can only be effectively executed by SME’s.
Quality vs Quantity
SME’s are in a blessed position whereby their primary objective is to generate a higher quality of customer rather than a greater quantity (although increasing volume over time by sustainable growth). Big businesses may be able to boast that they can scale operations to achieve economies of scale, but at this point customers now become “just a number” which lacks genuine customer service. The final price offered by SME’s and big business is almost identical, the SME benefits from having a flat structure and low operating costs, whilst the big company still needs to absorb higher operating costs.
The key to achieving a higher quality of customer means chasing a higher quantity of customers must always be a secondary objective. Excellence in delivering a high quality of service breeds customer loyalty and customer retention. If more companies focused on quality over quantity, then perhaps fewer people would be brand-agnostic, obsessed by price or seek substitute products. As an SME, your company is born with a responsive nature, grow and this trait begins to dwindle – just keep focused on achieving quality over quantity.
SME’s strive to achieve growth to become a big business – grow employees, grow assets, grow profits or grow to be admired. Achieving growth so often kills the flexible responsive nature of an SME and big companies struggle to be responsive – so how do we successfully merge the two? By doing just that, merge big and small to learn from one another – knowledge share. Ensure the SME learns how to scale operations and define processes and procedures, same goes for the larger companies, learn what makes SME’s so successful, adopt their approach to excellence in quality of service by being responsive– just don’t grow and kill customer service in the process.
Cisco Systems Inc. is an awesome company to be affiliated with. Market leaders in Networking Equipment, thought leaders in the world of IT, innovators and disruptors – yet their partnership model may deter companies who’d otherwise be a perfect partnership match. If a company wishes to specialise in delivering Cisco Professional Services rather than Managed Services, Technology Solutions or the Networking Infrastructure – Then becoming a Cisco Partner may prove to be more restrictive than progressive.
Constricting Criteria
Cisco set strict criteria to prevent poor quality vendors being affiliated with the Cisco Brand, a commendable approach to ensure Brand consistency & quality of service. However in an era dominated by Technology, might it be feasible to consider that people and not technology may be at the heart of some business models? If a business places a greater emphasis on people (Professional Services) over technology (Managed Service Provider/ICT), then the Cisco partnership model just doesn’t fit.
For example if a company wishes to deliver Cisco Engineering resources in a number of regions, then that company MUST have at least 1 employee with a Cisco ID in each region they operate – If you want to offer Professional Services Internationally, be prepared to pay for employees you don’t need, but Cisco say you do. Some Professional Services companies operate in a variety of international regions, and do so successfully without the need to have an employee with a Cisco ID in each region. In fact employing someone with a Cisco ID in all the regions they operate may help to satisfy the Cisco partnership criteria, but would result in a tremendous increase in operating costs and may even turn a profitable company into a loss-making one. Cisco Engineers can be deployed from a remote location using a retainer or contractor model, so why the need to have a Cisco employee in each region?
Partners also need to have at least 1 specialisation linked to a Cisco product/solution – What if your specialisation isn’t related to a specific Cisco product or suite of products? Often Engineers are faced with a network comprising of HP Server Blades, Cisco Routers, Switches & Firewalls and F5 Load Balancers. Cisco’s rhetoric with partners is focused on providing solutions across the entire network infrastructure, but there’s often a need to have a multi-vendor approach to the network lifecycle. Offering solutions in Unified Communications & Collaboration, Wireless or Security is part of the business model for most IT Professional Services organisations, but if the solution offered is Certified Cisco Engineers, that’s not recognised – only hardware/software is a recognised solution, not people.
Hannah Breeze in a recent CRM article wrote that Cisco admitted their current partnership model & annual audits “Caused Partners a lot of hassle” and that the overwhelming consensus from existing Cisco partners asked Cisco to “Ease Up”. Enduring annual audits and submitting 10 customer satisfaction survey results twice annually soon starts to take a toll on your employees, time and capital.
You Don’t Need Tin To Win
Cisco Systems are market leaders in the provision of networking hardware, but not everyone wants or benefits from selling it. For a company specialising in Professional Services the lure of a 1-2% profit margin when selling hardware vs the profit margins available on deploying Engineers, making the decision to “bin the tin” is a no-brainer. Of course Cisco hardware is essential for the provision of Cisco Engineers, clients continuously demand the best networking hardware, and Cisco duly obliges. However for a specialist Professional Services Company, selling hardware is simply an exercise in generating revenue rather than profits – vanity over sanity.
Power to the People
Cisco Systems Inc. is renowned for their market leading position in the provision of networking equipment, their innovations with smart cities and the Internet of Everything – but the key strength of Cisco is their people. No other vendor offers qualifications held in such high-regard across international borders, everyone knows and values Engineers with a CCNA, CCNP or CCIE certification. Cisco Certified Engineers have an excellent understanding of multiple vendors, their equipment and the network infrastructure – all a result of the quality of training and examination needed to earn a Cisco Certification.
Regardless if you offer Professional Services, Managed Services or Networking Solutions, the essential ingredient is Cisco Engineers – the people. As an organisation Cisco Systems create their own industry – distributors selling hardware, colleges selling certifications and partners selling Finance & Services. Diversification and growth is achieved through careful acquisitions and Cisco is a darling of the NYSE – their plans for the future are solid. However a plan is useless without successful implementation and this is where Cisco excels. Achieving the vision of the future with the Internet of Everything, hardware needs to be installed and maintained, Consultants need to design networks and the Cisco wheels need to keep churning – There is no future without Cisco Engineers.
Sitting on the Fence
For organisations choosing to specialise in Professional Services, sitting on the fence may be the best strategy to adopt. Becoming a Cisco Partner may result in dangerous levels of exposure, too many employees, too much capital expenditure or being forced to adopt a precarious infrastructure that lacks the flexibility to respond to market demands. Therefore by electing to be a Cisco-centric company, but not becoming a partner ensures continued success. If close affiliates to Cisco can create and prove a profitable business model, with exponential growth which is outside the realms of their partnership criteria, then reciprocation is needed to establish a functioning partnership.
The purpose of this blog article is to open up debate surrounding the Cisco partnership model. Do you think Professional Services as a business model can work without being a Cisco partner? If you’re a Cisco partner what would you recommend? Feel free to comment on this article – musings, rants and opinions are all welcome.
White Labelled Services is when a product or service from a manufacturer/producer is repackaged and sold by another company who then applies their own brand to it, and re-sells as their own service. The end client assumes the seller is selling its own product. The procurement of White Labelled Cisco Professional Services is predominantly from VAR’s, Managed Service Providers, ICT Companies and Cisco Partners who often require additional Cisco Engineering support to deliver their core services.
To be a successful provider of White Labelled Services, the key is to appear to not exist at all – be the invisible company.
Partnership Collaboration
As a company purchasing White Labelled Cisco Professional Services, it is vital to choose your partnering company wisely. The first rule is to ensure there is no conflict of interest. The White Labelled Service Provider should not have business relations with your end clients or any of their close competitors; it must be a non-competitive relationship.
A partnership isn’t a partnership unless there is a genuine mutually beneficial relationship between both parties. It is essential that the white labelled provider develops an understanding of your strategy and culture. What do you demand from your existing employees? Do you have a code of conduct you issue to existing staff? What core values do you empower your staff with? – By integrating company strategies, cultures and demands the quality of service received by the end client will always be impeccable.
Capital, skills, knowledge and certifications are all tangible resources shared between the collaborating parties which result in a successful partnership. The white labelled provider bears the costs and time of employing the Cisco Engineers. Certifications, passports, CV’s and references all need to be verified – quality of staff = quality of service.
Branded By You Delivered By Us
If you’re the company purchasing outsourced White Labelled Cisco Professional Services, it’s important that your end client thinks “what outsourcing?” The client shouldn’t be fooled, but if they notice 2 different companies, if they notice a difference in the quality of staff and service, then you’re not delivering truly exceptional white labelled services.
How else would your company gain access to ALL the Cisco certifications available? You’ll need Cisco certified Engineers in ALL of your international & regional offices, those Engineers will need to be experts in R&S, Wireless, Security, Collaboration, Service Provider and Data Centre. If you can’t afford to employ Cisco Engineers in all your offices, then at some point you’ll be sending them on an all expenses trip around the country/world – shame on you for your impact on the environment!
As the procurer of white labelled services it should be your logo, company name and quality standards that must be adhered to at all times, in essence it needs to be Branded By You, Delivered By Us.
As a White Labelled Cisco Professional Services provider you sacrifice the glory of gaining a prestigious client, you sacrifice the praise of delivering an exceptionally high quality of service. You truly are the invisible company, you don’t exist – and if you do your job right, being invisible is all you need to aspire to be.
