Most UK businesses are frustrated by the level of
support they get from IT suppliers, a survey has
revealed.
Some 85% of IT directors said they would like greater access to
senior management and product development teams to influence them
or raise concerns.
The same proportion are unhappy about the tendency of IT
suppliers to withdraw or reduce support for older products that
still work well, after introducing new products.
Nearly half (48%) said IT suppliers were not taking customer
feedback onboard when it came to product development.
The findings indicate the role and importance of IT user groups,
said
Alan Bowling, chairman of the
SAP UK and Ireland User
Group that commissioned the survey.
"It is difficult for a handful of senior people to interact with
thousands of customers, but user groups can be a channel to
influence IT suppliers at a high level," he said.
Through user groups, businesses can communicate the challenges
they are facing and where development is required, he said.
Bowling is a member of a global federation of 12 user groups,
Sugen, that played a direct role in establishing a
set of KPIs to govern SAP's maintenance contracts.
The survey also revealed that 83% of IT directors felt they had
greater knowledge than their IT suppliers' support teams about
particular products and services.
Some 82% said they would like to collaborate with their peers to
discuss and overcome their IT challenges.
Earlier this year, another IT user group, the
Corporate IT Forum said IT
professionals are
increasingly turning to the practical experience of their peers
to help meet challenges in the economic downturn.
David Roberts, chief executive of the Corporate IT Forum, said
there is an increased demand for information about how other
organisations are tackling specific problems.
User forums made up of 20 people with 10 years' experience in a
particular topic in effect deliver 200 years of collective
experience, he said.
Bowling said user groups provide easy access to in-depth
knowledge of products, which consultancies and suppliers are often
unable to provide.
"Information on how to get the most out of a product in real
life situations comes from the people who use it," he said.