It’s been a few weeks now and that check engine light is still illuminated on your dashboard. Your car seems to be working just fine, but that little orange reminder is nagging at you to get your car checked out. Who do you take your car to? Mechanic A looks good enough, but can you really trust him? Mechanic B looks just as good as the first, but he has an official designation of quality – something you know means his business will be efficient and honest. It’s no brainer – you take your car to mechanic B and walk away feeling good about your decision.
While the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry is a little more complex, its customers still need to feel confident about their decisions – perhaps now more than ever. Enter the Accredit UK Trustmark+ (AUK), the latest addition to the comprehensive CompTIA Trustmark family, offering its holders a unique and distinguished mark of quality within the ICT industry.
AUK is a proven, strong, audited industry credential and the premier benchmark for UK-based ICT companies wishing to prove their business excellence and adherence to best practices. In order to receive this esteemed business credential, organizations show their ability to develop and deliver upper-echelon ICT solutions and services to their customers and prospects. We talked to three ICT firms who have achieved the AUK Trustmark+ to learn how going through the process has changed their businesses.
Let’s start from square one. Why pursue the AUK Trustmark+? Wynne Crompton, operations director at Accelero Digital, said the company set out to acquire the Trustmark+ to validate its software development and associated business processes by an external standards-driven body and publicly display that compliance. Accelero Digital just earned the Trustmark+ in January of this year.
Meanwhile, Tracy Pound, managing director at MaximITy, pursued the designation as a means of differentiation. “It sets me apart from my competition; demonstrates that I’m serious about running a professional business in a professional way; helps ensure that I have a structured and measured approach to growth; and makes me accountable for what I do to an external body,” she said. MaximITy has held the AUK Trustmark+ for nearly three years.
While the overall goal of the AUK Trustmark+ is to improve confidence in the ICT supply chain, an important side effect is an improved internal confidence. “We took the opportunity to recognize the better elements of our processes and to make sure that the team was aware of the good work being done,” Crompton said.
Applicants undertaking the credential enhance their organizational procedures and business acumen, creating greater operational efficiencies and revenue opportunities. Mostyn Thomas, technical director at Astrix Integrated Systems, echoed that sentiment. “The guidance and need to create proper systems that produce better and more measureable results has been a great benefit,” he said. Astrix Integrated Systems is a recent addition to the AUK club, having just earned the credential.
Pound believes the accreditation has enhanced the abilities of MaximITy overall. “There is a confidence in knowing that we’re externally audited and can prove that we have a structured approach to client work that is to the benefit of the client,” she said. Thomas agreed. “We are improving the feedback we give to clients; from initial business proposal to ongoing network monitoring reports,” he said.
That confidence naturally spills over into acquiring new and repeat business. Crompton said Accelero Digital has refined and increased documentation so that customers will see more formalization, thereby reducing the risk of misunderstandings. Thomas agreed. “New clients get to know what and how we will deliver,” he said. “Existing clients have more meaningful reports tailored to their needs.” For example, Astrix Integrated Systems has set up three monthly account management meetings that give the client the opportunity to let the company know what is working well and what is not.
According to Pound, AUK is highly recommended. “It facilitates growth,” she said. “It makes me review my business plan on a regular basis.” Crompton concurred. “Going through the process is useful provided it is taken seriously as a means to improve business practices and not simply as a means of getting a rubber stamp,” he said.
The AUK Trustmark+ is relevant to a wide range of ICT businesses, such as those engaged in:
- Communications infrastructure.
- Software product design and development.
- ICT consultancy.
- Solutions and support.
- E-media.
- E-commerce.
“Going through the process is hard work and will challenge you in many different ways,” Thomas said. “But the rewards will be worth it.”
More than 100 ICT companies have attained the Accredit UK Trustmark+. A complete list of credential holders is available on the CompTIA Trustmark Directory. Learn more about the Accredit UK Trustmark+ here.
