In 2005, Managed Enterprise Technologies (MET) and Technology Installation Services (TIS) were unaffiliated businesses located in central England that each faced the same challenge: How to differentiate from price-aggressive competition in the UK’s price-sensitive market.
Earning what is now the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ credential helped them differentiate the quality of their services and set the stage for their future partnership, which has since resulted in more than £1 million in new business.
“The IT industry in the UK is extremely competitive,” said Ian Vickers, managing director of Birmingham-based Managed Enterprise Technologies (MET), which serves large, multinational corporations as well as small- to medium-sized businesses. “There are literally thousands of companies all bidding for business and it’s difficult for end-users to differentiate between good companies and bad companies.”
Russell Dodd, general manager of Shropshire-based Technology Installation Services (TIS), a division of the electrical and mechanical contractor Dodd Group, added, “Especially in this present climate, you can lose projects purely on price.”
In 2007, both MET and TIS participated in a UK government and European Union project to develop the Accredit UK standard, now the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+, in which independent audits validate that information and communication technology (ICT) suppliers employ industry-leading practices and offer state-of-the-art performance. The credential certifies businesses in five industry segments: communications infrastructure, software product design and development, ICT consultancy, solutions and support, and e-media and e-commerce.
Applicants must undertake a self-evaluation and then work with an onsite auditor to compare their delivery and operations, customer relationships, and business generation, management and direction to industry best-practice standards. MET and TIS were among the first companies to earn the Trustmark+; TIS in communications infrastructure and MET in solutions and support. “We always promote the credential and the fact that it sets us apart from other suppliers in our region,” Vickers said.
The evaluation and audit can require 120 to 160 work hours over a six month period. “We found that the whole process of being assessed quite painless, as we had previously attained the ISO 9001 and Investors in People accreditations,” Vickers said. “The CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ is more relevant to our industry sector and therefore a significant benefit to our future success.”
A Foundation for Collaboration
The CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ helped the companies vet each other as business partners. “When we first entered into the accreditation scheme, we were looking for a partner for infrastructure delivery,” Vickers said. At the same time, TIS was looking for a partner for IP networking and active network management capabilities.
Prior to establishing a partnership with TIS, MET had both positive and negative experiences working with other infrastructure companies and occasionally had been frustrated by inconsistent work from the same company.
The CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ assured MET that TIS had high standards, and TIS became a trusted partner. “TIS have never let us down,” Vickers said. “Both our companies are of a similar standard and ethos.”
From the start of their partnership, both businesses benefitted. They’ve won large flagship projects, including IT infrastructure and services for The Cube and The Mailbox, two skyline-altering, mixed-use developments in Birmingham.
Aligned as partners, the companies offer their respective clients a single point of contact and the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ assurance of high standards alongside the expertise of their complimentary businesses. They bid on projects jointly. “The partnership works far better than trying to do things in-house that are not your core expertise,” Dodd said.
Vickers hopes that more companies take advantage of the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ as a tool for identifying partners for business collaboration. “Our partnership with TIS has truly enhanced the confidence with which we can bid for work, knowing that TIS will do an excellent job.”
How It’s Used
MET and TIS promote the Trustmark+ in their marketing materials, on their websites and in conversations with current and prospective customers. “The Trustmark+ is a great way of explaining to customers that you have high standards,” Vickers said. “The client is not going to believe you unless it is independently measured and scored.”
The CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ compliments their ISO 9001 quality management certifications. “When we’re trying to win business, we talk about Accredit UK Trustmark+ as a ‘bolt-on’ to the ISO 9001, a quality standard that’s monitoring our technical competence at the end of the day,” said Dodd.
CompTIA acquired the credential in October 2012, and Trustmark+ holders like MET and TIS can now include the CompTIA trademark in their marketing materials. Vickers believes that will add more value. “CompTIA as a brand is globally recognisable.”
In addition, he said, “Access to the CompTIA channel community is a huge wealth of information and advice.”
Click here to learn more about the CompTIA Accredit UK Trustmark+ and get started on earning it today.
