Vendor Credibility (cont'd)

The carrier then engaged a large systems integrator to either fix or replace the system, based on its promise to take rapid action on the problem. After six months of analysis, no changes to the system, and no tangible results, the integrator was asked to stop work.

These two failures - and the loss in credibility for the vendor and integrator - provided an opportunity for a small consulting group with limited experience to approach the carrier in a novel way. This group offered to work closely with the carrier in small engagements to understand and correct the most pressing problems. It would stop immediately if at any time the carrier believed it was not making measurable progress, or if it had made enough progress.

The scope of each activity was small, did not strain either party's abilities and thus each was a quick success that developed more credibility for the small consulting group. In the meantime, the original system vendor went out of business and the large systems integrator never did business with the carrier again. The small consulting group spent the next five years working with the carrier to extend and expand its solutions by consistently doing what they said they could do.

How Telecom Carriers Evaluate Credibility
Telecom companies evaluate potential and existing vendors pretty much the same way someone evaluates a car dealer, real estate agent, doctor, or insurance company. The carrier wants to know if it can trust what the vendor says about its product, if its product will do what the vendor says (not the same thing), if the vendor understands the problem and how to solve it, and if the vendor will be there to help when the carrier needs assistance. Some key questions carriers consider when evaluating any vendor include:

• Will this vendor company be around long enough to do what it says?
• Does this vendor company have enough money to do what it says?
• Does this vendor company possess the technical and business expertise to do what it says?
• Does this vendor have legitimate references for which it has delivered this specific type of work in the past?
• Will this vendor develop and support this product for as long as I will need it?

Just like anyone wants a car dealer to tell the truth about a new SUV, a carrier wants the truth about any product and its capabilities, and wants to believe that what is stated is actually true to the product. Just like anyone wants a real estate agent to deliver an offer on a house in a timely and accurate way, so do carriers want vendors to respond to requests for proposals, as well as simple inquires, in a timely and accurate way. Just like anyone wants a doctor to tell the truth - even if it is not necessarily good news - carriers want to hear the truth, good or bad, about vendors' products and how they will affect business. And just like someone wants an insurance company to be there to help when a tree falls on his house, a carrier wants to be insured that its vendors are there to help when a product has problems.

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