Collaboration is a
term we are hearing applied more frequently to help businesses resolve
difficult problems. While typically referring to efforts involving different
teams within an organization, collaboration can also be a very effective solution
when applied between vendors of complementary products.
Obviously, this kind
of collaboration is not the easiest thing to find. One VP of IT articulated
that, “...it was a great idea, but their efforts resulted in putting two alpha
dogs in a room and awaiting the winner.” Vendors who are considering
collaboration should investigate to assure values and cultures are aligned.
Communication needs to be open; focus needs to be on the client first; products
need to be complementary; and difficulties need to be shared without
finger-pointing or blame.
This is a panacea not
easily achieved and rarely executed. A forward-thinking business looking for
solutions to resolving significant problems, needs to search out the optimum
solution with complementary product vendors. Can a single vendor be the best at
everything? Perhaps vendor collaboration can result in more efficient product
sets, better customer service, and much more satisfactory results.
