Park Place vs M Global: Why Bigger Isn't Always Better
5 Reasons Smaller Companies Have Better Service
It’s common knowledge that Park Place is the biggest fish in the TPM industry, and with the recent acquisition of Curvature, they’ve only gotten bigger. In comparison, we might be a relatively little fish, but we’re confident that our hardware support services can stack up pretty well against the big boys.
Sure, Park Place and other big companies offer some of the same advantages over OEM support contracts. They are TPM providers, too, and the nature of third party maintenance services means that they can offer things like lower prices, simplified contracts, and a fast quote turnaround just like M Global. But all that stuff is on the front end of setting up hardware support services. What happens when service has to actually be delivered?
Let’s take a look at 5 ways M Global’s smaller size works to our advantage and to yours.
Personalized Approach — Made Just for You
Out of sheer necessity, large businesses tend to have a one-size-fits-most mentality. Rather than a huge sales floor spitting out contracts that may or may not be a good fit for your needs and budget, we take a different approach to setting up hardware contracts.
Here’s a novel idea — listening. It may seem simple, but it makes a big difference in the end service that you will receive. We’re big on active listening and matching the contract to your needs. If you need specific parts to be stocked, a particular process to be followed, or other details arranged a certain way—no problem.
Drive for Innovation — Constant Improvement
What do I mean by that? Smaller companies have the ability to make strategic changes quickly based on areas that their competitors may be falling short or based on feedback from their own customers on how they can make improvements. It’s easier and more necessary to encourage creativity and out-of-the-box problem-solving. This comes into play a lot more in the service delivery aspect of hardware support. Sometimes sh** hits the fan, and unexpected problems come up. Having a team of people accustomed to innovating on your side can make all the difference.
Agility & Flexibility — No Red Tape
This leads us right into the next point. Innovation and creative thinking are all well and good, but if you have miles of red tape and bureaucracy to wade through, it won’t do you very much good. Most large companies find it difficult to shift gears quickly and react to a problem. It’s like a hippo trying to do a 180 in a tiny house. You’re welcome for that mental picture.
The reflexes necessary to take action and implement a solution now are rare in larger companies. Being nimble is an important quality and impacts the service we can provide. We’re big on finding a solution and making it happen.
Level of Care — White Glove Service Approach
The term “white glove service” stems from the idea of a company going the extra mile and not just delivering something to their customer but wearing white gloves while they do it. It implies special attention and meticulous care.
Relatively smaller companies, like M Global, can take this approach in part because of all the previous points we’ve talked about. When we practice active listening, create a contract that fits your actual needs and not the company template, we are able to attack issues that might arise with agility and speed. This helps us to deliver a level of care that can truly be called white glove.
Best Efforts Don’t Cut It — We Honor Our SLAs
Larger companies can hide behind “best efforts” policies, and the volume of clients means that a few angry and upset clients are not worth the energy and resources to placate. But that’s not how we do things. We deliver on our promises and honor our SLAs.
If we say field engineers will be at your site tomorrow, guess what — they’ll be there tomorrow. And they’ll actually know what they're doing. If we promise to stock that part for you, you don’t have to wonder if it’ll be there when you need it. We have dedicated stocking strategies for our clients, and you’ll be given a list of the specific parts we will be stocking for you.
Everything we’ve talked about so far plays a part in helping us deliver service we can be proud of, and our clients appreciate that we have the integrity to stand behind our word. You don't have to take just our word for it — the Forbes Coaches Council agrees with us. In a recent article, they outlined even more reasons smaller companies can have a leg up on larger companies.
We’re not here to bash anyone. If bigger is always better in your mind and you like being a number rather than a person, we probably aren’t the right fit for you. And that’s ok. But if there’s value for you in personalized service, flexible and innovative support, and a white glove approach, give us a call — we should talk.
Have questions? Feel free to contact us concerning any of your maintenance needs, we’re happy to help.
Author Note:
Written by Angie Stephens with contributions from M Global team members including SMEs, management executives, and more.
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