One of the essential parts of my consulting practice is vendor identification, evaluation, selection & transition. Typically, a lot of the time needed for such an engagement is the development of the requirements document … an attempt to document every possible feature a client might need in the operations area being addressed.
But there is more to such an engagement than the rather mundane process of listing the set of feature requirements, and comparing it to what each prospective vendor claims they can provide.
An article in Multichannel Merchant, just today, makes this point well. Entitled, 5 Tips for Choosing an Ecommerce Technology Provider , click to read it for yourself.
Matching up with the features & functions you need is an important place to start. But as Raj Kumar Waghray writes, there are other broader, and ultimately, even more important factors:
- evaluating your existing partnership
- understanding your unique needs (my emphasis on understanding)
- serving your needs?
- collaboration quotient (not only theirs, but yours as well)
- eager to serve mindset
There is a business culture component to matching up technology users with technology providers — don’t ignore it. It is often the biggest factor of the long term success of your business relationship.
Filed under: Direct Commerce, Opinion, culture, ecommerce, multichannel merchant, requirements, systems, technology, vendor evaluation, vendor selection
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