We get asked a lot about our “competitive advantage.” Prospective customers want to hear some techno-mumbo-jumbo answer about self-healing code or receive a laundry list of certificates the team has accumulated; and they are often surprised to hear one of my answers: Institutional Knowledge.
This past weekend, our support team came in on their own time to work through some scenarios with Call Manager, specifically, building one out and running simulations on trouble shooting.
We’ve built a culture where all is greater than some. We’ve created an environment where our team understands that a rising tide raises all ships. We don’t hoard information nor do we reward (or retain) team members who do.
We’re not that different than a sports team. On a sports team, there are back-ups to every position. And those back-ups have the same opportunity to learn how to work within the team as the starter. Because if that starter goes down?
You want your back-up ready.
We recognize that it’s not that different in a business. People move on. People quit. People get sick. And we need the next person in line to step up in those cases.
Yet, time and time again, other service providers will bang their chests about how someone on their team has this great list of certifications! Ask them what happens when that person leaves. Or gets sick. Ask them how they will continue to support you. You may be surprised.
One of our greatest competitive advantages is that our “back-ups” are always ready to go. Our “starters” go so far as to come in on their day off and teach their back-ups what they know. When you engage with us, you have a library of knowledge at your fingertips, not just one person who knows your environment.
Isn’t that why you hired a company in the first place?
