Many of the companies I work with and speak with are not always completely satisfied with the collaboration technologies that they deploy. In fact I’d say it’s rare for a company to say that they are 100% happy with everything that the vendor offers. The reality is that the words “perfection” and “technology” don’t really go that well together especially when considering that every company has different needs and expectations (as do individuals). The key is to understand and expect that this will be the case.
Sometimes a feature doesn’t work the way they would like it to, perhaps an integration isn’t that smooth, or maybe the reporting and analytics isn’t providing the insight and data that they are expecting (this is actually a very common issue). Most of the time what happens is…absolutely nothing. The company goes on in frustration with the team complaining and moaning to each other about how the technology doesn’t meet all of their needs.
Organizations need to speak up and communicate with vendors to let them know where they are lacking and what can be done to fix any issues. If reporting and analytics is an issue then pick up the phone and call the vendor and let them know what you need and see how they can work with you to provide that. Simply staying quiet and swallowing the frustration isn’t going to help anyone. Keep in mind that you are paying them not vice versa.
I’m not saying you need to be a jerk about it but there is nothing wrong with providing feedback to your technology vendor to let them know what they need to improve on. Don’t be scared to apply a little bit of pressure either, especially if you are working for a large or well known organization. Oftentimes these vendors will do whatever they can to keep your business.
It’s hard to find the “perfect” technology solution which is why you need to look at these vendors as types of technology partners who are going to learn and grow with you.
The worst thing you can do is stay quiet.
