Have you ever considered what makes someone choose one company over another? Is it the exclusive line of products they offer? Is it their customer service? How about their installation team, are they top notch? What about training after the sale? We all know there are always many things to consider when you are making decisions about doing business with a company.  Those elements become even more crucial when you are considering a complex system solution at an enterprise level. 

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Let’s dive in and pull apart the complexity of a system sale:

Knowledge of solution: One thing we have seen is someone comes to us with a solution already in mind and discovers later that their initial idea does not meet all of their goals.  A good vendor is going to walk every client through discovery and discussion to ensure that their first solution is truly the best for their whole body of needs.  In order to get the most out of this time, you want to have a firm grasp on your goals and needs, as well as an understanding of who is going to be involved in the project right from the start. Knowing these things allows you to keep the project on your best timeline.  Your number one job during this process is going to be to: Ask questions, ask questions and ask more questions. You’ll know you have the right vendor when they take the time to hear your questions and help you find the best answers.

What are the lamp lit questions? Have you walked into making a decision and sometimes not know what questions to ask? Make sure your vendor has a history of education and support. Nothing is worse than installing a system that is orphaned in a couple years. Unfortunately, we see that scenario all too often.

Education is key: Make sure you understand the vendor’s approach to education. For example: Do they offer a consultative educated approach to complex systems? Do they understand how multi-faceted this sale is? Will they integrate the  involvement from multiple departments? At IMS, we pride ourselves in navigating this sale and even take that expertise one step further by understanding how the clinical interfaces work for the end user to keep solutions operating 24/7.

Experience:  To save yourself unnecessary complications, you should do your research on the front end. Do you know the reputation of the company? Have you spoke to their references? The right vendor should be proud of their work and want to show it off.

Integration: Technology changes so frequently, is the vendor working with the latest technology? Are they quoting a future-proof system? At IMS, we find it is imperative to keep current on all existing technologies. We understand evolving technology and weave them together on one platform to make it work as seamlessly as possible. Nothing is more cumbersome than trying to navigate a system that has been pieced together.

Support and On-Going Training: Does your vendor intend to be with your after the initial install? One of the most important pieces to ongoing success is a commitment to resolving issues on a 24/7/365 basis and offering a seamless transition to new workflows and procedures. 

Pricing: Understanding cost of ownership is key to making a decision with multifaceted complex system sales.  It can be short sighted to only consider the upfront cost of your system, and you can find yourself in a situation that is going to cost more down the road, even if the initial cost was the best you could find at the time. Factor in everything you hope to get with your solution and make sure you look out into the future for both cost and savings.  Making an economically conservative decision that is effective often requires you to consider long term investment strategy.

At IMS, our tagline is “In Healthcare we make it all work together. Making complex systems seem simple through education, experience, integration, and support.” These core competencies have given us a solid reputation of integrity with our customers for over 30 years. We welcome the opportunity to work with you, let’s talk about cost of ownership and let us ask the “Lamp Lit Questions.”