Corporate Culture Risks With Third Party Vendors

Like any partnership, you need to be comfortable with the people you work with. The same applies to the Cloud or Software as a Service Provider you choose.

If the CSP does not operate the way you do, doesn’t have the same ethical standards you do, or doesn’t respond to problems in as timely a manner as you do, you should consider other providers.

Heck, if you just don’t get along with the key personnel you’d be working with, why put yourself through that for the 1-3 years you might be signing up for?

This can be one of the trickier elements to deal with. The culture at tech companies and non-tech companies can differ radically even when the product or service fits well.

SaaS companies typically have younger workers than non-tech companies.

Personality clashes and changes in key personnel can derail a working relationship as much as technical difficulties.

The insurance agency I referred to in earlier blogs faced that dilemma.

During the demo with its leading candidate, the SaaS provider’s hyper-cheerful, over-enthusiastic salespeople induced some early eyerolls from the older, more cynical insurance agency employees.

As the salespeople worked through the demo, however, the insurance agency staff and I became more comfortable with the younger SaaS staffers as we recognized their competence and grasp of the insurance industry, and the SaaS employees became less salesy.

In the end, the agency chose that SaaS provider for that reason, as well as a couple of others that had nothing to do with the software, which had already been selected as the best fit earlier in the process.

To set up a Reference Interview on the questions you have about investing in new technology for your business, contact me at 302-537-4198, ericm@edminfopro.com or our Contact form.