How can you effectively manage relationships with external service providers?

Communication is key. It takes time to build relationships with external service providers partly due to the element of trust when it comes to them delivering on their obligations. Once that relationship has been established and managed well through SLA’s, one can confidently say the relationships are effectively managed.

SMART inception that’s transparent with tools available for everyone to use and to show that they understand fully what is understood by the other team, be it on the external suppliers side or the end user of external suppliers There’s too many options these days and if options chosen by the teams are not aligned from inception they will always be a collision at the end sometimes a massive one Wrong or too complex IT solutions end up costing companies due to non alignment that leads to too many other even more complex factors Expectations of desired outcomes needs clarity from inception and possible remedies should things go wrong needs to be agreed prior and identified by all the stakeholders to minimise costs, time and waste

Communication is a widely spoken subject and yet an extremely complex one to implement because it involves personalities, cultures, modes of communication, emotions that vary by day, approach, language as well as the environment amongst many other factors Therefore one of the strongest currency to have as a skill for the future is to be able to communicate with diverse people at all levels and I mean practically all levels Because daily we learn, teach, listen, share and communicate with ourselves, others and observe as others communicate For many top leaders globally-it’s a lonely place up there, why? Is it approach? Incompatibility caused by what? It remains an intriguing subject to revisit all the time for improvement to be active

Aligning goals and values with external service providers is crucial for successful collaboration. Imagine working with a cloud service provider – your goal might be seamless data migration, and their value could be data security. By openly discussing and aligning these aspects, you create a shared vision. In my experience, when we collaborated with a vendor, understanding their commitment to data security aligned with our goal of maintaining customer trust. This alignment not only improved the partnership but also allowed us to confidently pursue innovative projects together, knowing our values were synchronized.

Fostering collaboration and innovation with external service providers is like building a bridge between two worlds – your internal team and the expertise of your partners. It's not just about getting the job done; it's about creating a shared space for ideas to flourish. For instance, in my experience, when we faced a complex IT challenge, we brought in our external partner for a collaborative workshop. Their unique insights sparked innovative solutions that we hadn't considered. This kind of collaboration isn't just a checkbox; it's the secret sauce for creating real value and staying ahead in the ever-evolving IT landscape.

Evaluating and improving relationships with external service providers is vital for ensuring the success of IT initiatives. Regularly assessing performance and satisfaction levels, comparing them against expectations, and leveraging feedback from both parties are essential steps. In my experience, we implemented quarterly performance reviews with our key service providers. This allowed us to identify areas of strength, address any concerns promptly, and collaboratively plan for continuous improvement. One specific instance involved enhancing communication protocols based on feedback, leading to smoother collaboration and better outcomes. Remember, an actively managed relationship contributes to mutual success.