For many businesses, technology vendor management feels like a constant headache. There are contracts to juggle, troubleshooting to handle, and often, you’re left wondering if you’re paying for features you don’t even use. Sound familiar? 

So, what is a technology vendor? At Access Tech, a technology vendor is any company providing the hardware, software, or services your business relies on. Our clients typically manage around 10 technology vendors, from tablet providers and software developers to cellular services and cameras. Every piece of this technology needs to be closely monitored to keep operations running smoothly. 

When done right, technology vendor management reduces costs, boosts efficiency, and makes troubleshooting easier. Here’s how we handle it at Access Tech:

Communicate with Your Vendors

Clear communication is key. At Access Tech, we schedule weekly meetings with vendors and clients when issues arise that require more than a quick fix. These check-ins help move the troubleshooting process along faster. 

Pro tip: Always get agreements or changes in writing. After a solution is proposed, we follow up with an email that include detailed meeting minutes, outlined next steps, and the next scheduled meeting.  

Leverage Vendor Relationships

Good relationships with vendors go a long way. Recently, we convinced a large corporate vendor to fill out a form they normally wouldn’t—simply by explaining the needs and reassuring their account manager in a face-to-face call. Treating vendors as partners, not just service providers, can unlock benefits you didn’t expect.

Document Everything

We keep detailed records for every client’s technology infrastructure—everything from training materials and meeting minutes to hardware serial numbers and software licenses. Recently, this documentation helped us quickly spot issues with a client’s software and scheduled a tech to come out and resolve the issues.

Negotiate Contracts

Negotiating is critical. Recently, we renegotiated a client’s contract after weeks of emails, reducing their pricing and improving terms. This back-and-forth saved money and made sure everything was properly documented to avoid any confusion later.

Plan for Downtime

Outages happen, but planning helps minimize the impact. For a new client, we worked with their vendors to set up a backup internet connection. Now, if their main connection goes down, the backup kicks in, allowing operations to continue smoothly. 

Unsure where to start? Reach out! As an MSP, we specialize in vendor management—from contract negotiations to disaster recovery planning. Let us handle the details so you can focus on growing your business.