How important do you think technicians are to an integrator’s brand?
On this episode of The Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by Brad Dempsey, CEO at Solutions360 to discuss how technicians are important to the brand of an integration company.
This topic is going to be essential as we come back to work, and we’re coming back to work.
“Often I see a big gap between the execs and people in the office, versus the techs out in the field,” says Malone.
Technicians are the face of the company at the customer site. They’re making things happen, and they’re interacting with the people who are going to be using your products.
In some cases, your techs are your customers’ first touch with people from your company. So, techs are critical to your brand.
“If the company itself believes that their techs are their brand, then let’s have the right uniform that’s clean, and let’s present ourselves professionally,” Malone continues.
“I have seen so many times that when an integrator has pride in their techs, the techs have pride in themselves.”Brad Malone
As an owner how do you create that atmosphere?
“Our first message should be that we’re a team and we have the technicians’ backs,” says Dempsey. “You don’t want people out in the field feeling like they’re isolated or they’ve got the weight of the world on their shoulders, because that’s a kind of stress that can make people do things that are a bit out of character.”
Secondly, it’s talking about culture and values on a frequent basis and making sure that the people you hire are all singing the same song.
It all starts with culture.
“You should hire people for culture,” Malone advises. “If they don’t have a gleam in their eye that matches yours, it doesn’t matter how smart they are.”
Post-COVID, people are looking at things differently. It’s about culture more than just having a job.
The most mature integrators understand that without the labor in the field, their company isn’t anything. Conversely, those integrators that are still product-based, and they see their labor as a necessary evil, this value inhabits the entire company.
