The Importance of Availability on Implementation Time and ROI

Spring is here and with it, what many would say, is the best time of the year in sports. March Madness is in full swing, Major League Baseball players have reported to spring training, and the NBA and NHL playoffs are just around the corner. We follow these highly skilled athletes as they finish or prepare for their season, and there is always a focus on the best players and what they do to contribute and lead their teams. As good as some of these players are, I'm often reminded of a quote from legendary and Hall of Fame Minnesota Vikings former Head Coach Bud Grant when asked about the ability of his most important players. The traditionally stoic coach simply stated, “the most important ability is availability.” No matter how well an athlete performs or how important they are to the team, if they're not on the field, court, or ice for the big games, it doesn't matter.

When choosing a technology partner, the criterion of availability is often marginalized and, at times, completely overlooked.

A critical success metric often minimizes the time to value when investing in an application, solution, or platform. Once a purchase decision has been made, your ROI frequently depends on timely implementation. Your Professional Services consultants and internal team need to be ready to go quickly and begin working on implementation tasks. They likely have the resources with the exact skills and expertise to get the job done. You wouldn't have selected them otherwise, but are they available? How long can you afford to wait? The "game" has started, and you need players and the team to start performing now.

And after the successful implementation, whether it's a day, a month, or a year, an issue will arise, an enhancement may be required, or a question needs to be addressed. You pick up the phone, send an email, or submit a ticket to their Customer Success team. Do they know your implementation details? How quickly do they respond? Are they available? You don't want to wait for a response. When it's "game time," it's critical that your vendor partner's Customer Success or support team is available.

At Genus Technologies, we are always here to help. We won't send you to a robot or force you to submit a form before resolving an issue. When you call, it's our direct line with a person ready to help on the other end.

We care about our customers and treat them as we'd like to be treated; we don't make you sit on the sidelines. Our Professional Services team is there not only to create and customize a solution for you but assist during implementation and beyond. We'll get you up and running promptly and keep in touch to tell you the latest updates when the plays change. And if you ever run into difficulties, our Customer Success team is right there waiting to answer your call.

We all know it's essential to choose a partner with the skills, resources, and capabilities that match our needs but don't overlook availability. When it's "game time," you may realize it's the availability you appreciate the most.