Signing on the dotted line is just the start: Post-sale service is the real test

Does this sound familiar? You’re looking for a product or a service, so you shop around and find something that seems the perfect fit. More than that, the salesperson is attentive. They take the time to understand what you need and answer all your questions, so you make the purchase.

Then, a few months later, something goes wrong. You call, email and log a ticket, only to discover that the great customer service disappeared as soon as the sale was made.

Technology is never just a purchase. It’s the start of a long-term relationship. Yet, far too often, all the effort goes into winning the customer, not supporting them afterward. The reality is that when something inevitably goes wrong, the technology itself becomes less important than the people who answer the phone, take ownership of the problem and stay with you until it’s resolved.

Service, not the product, is the differentiator

Products are important; I’m certainly not suggesting otherwise. But selling a product is often easier than building a relationship — and that’s where business is ultimately won or lost.

If you’ve ever experienced shoddy service, you’ll know exactly what I mean. How likely are you to buy another product from the same organization? Probably not very. And when the contract comes up for renewal, you’ll almost certainly start looking for another provider.

At NTT DATA, signing the contract is where the real works begins. That’s when our support team steps in, shifting the focus from making a sale to offering exceptional client service. Project managers, engineers, support specialists and service delivery managers (SDMs) work together to guide you through implementation and make sure you get the value you expect from your investment.

And our role doesn’t end once the technology is in place. Far from it; that’s only our starting point. From there, we’re there to answer your questions, proactively solve problems, bring the right people together when needed and keep you informed every step of the way.

Our team becomes your team

Strong partnerships are built on teamwork. We want you to feel that our team is an extension of yours.

That means you won’t be passed from one person to the next every time you need help. You’ll have a single point of contact backed by a team that gets to know your business, your people and the way you work. Your SDM understands your priorities, your engineers know your environment and your project teams understand what’s important to your organization.

Throughout the relationship, we prioritize open communication. You’re kept in the loop at every stage, and we actively seek and welcome your input. That creates a sense of shared ownership.

As the relationship grows, so does our understanding of your business. It becomes easier to anticipate potential issues and recommend changes that fit the way your organization operates, not just the technology.

We also ask for honest feedback at every stage of the relationship to help us identify where we can make meaningful improvements.

More than skin deep

Clear, open communication is just as important within our teams as it is with our clients.

We’ve built a culture that prioritizes communication between team members. Service teams sit together. Engineers, project managers and support specialists don’t have to rely on endless emails or Teams meetings. If someone needs an answer, they walk across the room and ask. Knowledge is shared organically, and everyone is up to speed on their clients’ status.

Less experienced team members learn from those around them, problems are solved together and decisions are made more quickly. It’s a straightforward way of working, but it helps us respond faster and deliver a better customer experience.

Signed, sealed and supported

Once you’ve signed a contract with us, you become a long-term partner of our organization. From that point on, our focus shifts to helping your business succeed. Naturally, we’d love the opportunity to support you in more areas over time, but that has to be earned.

By putting ourselves in your shoes, we can anticipate emerging needs and proactively bring fresh ideas to the table, whether through digital transformation strategies or innovative technology implementations.

I like to call it “reverse selling”. It’s about earning the right to the next conversation, not delivering the next sales pitch. If we’ve supported you well, kept you informed, solved your problems and built a relationship based on trust, we hope we’re the first service provider you think of when your next business challenge comes along.

That’s the kind of partnership we’re working to build every day.