i-Tech Support, one of our first Acumatica partners was recently listed as a Bob Scott’s Top 100 VAR. To celebrate their accomplishment, I reached out to Mike Augello, CEO and Founder, i-Tech Support, to get his perspective on the Acumatica community, partnering with APS Payments, and how COVID-19 has impacted their clients. Mike has been a key partner for us in the Acumatica community and he had some great insights to share. Watch the video or check out an excerpt of the interview below to learn more about our Partner Driven organization!
Tell us a little bit about iTech Support:
Our firm was created 20 years ago as a full-service IT provider. So this allows us the ability to provide a full spectrum of services to our clients. Many of our Acumatcia ERP clients are also IT managed services clients and entrust us to keep all of their systems (i.e. email, productivity tools, Acumatica ERP) and all of their locations up and running so they can concentrate on their business.
One thing I love about the Acumatica community is the willingness of partners to help each other out. What tips do you have for new Acumatica partners?
Acumatica is a Great ERP solution. If you take the time to dive deep into the product functionality and learn about all of the great Acumatica partners like APS Payments, you can offer your clients a turnkey business solution that will save them time & money and make their business run better.
What would you consider your 3 key drivers you need to win new customers?
First, the prospect needs to know that we truly understand their business requirements and can demonstrate how our solution can solve their business challenges. Next, we need to build a relationship with the prospect so they know that we will truly be a good long-term partner and support them long past the initial implementation. Then finally, we need to encourage them to speak to as many of our existing clients, as possible, so they will be comfortable that they are selecting the right software and implementation partner.
What do you consider as the key to building customer loyalty and retention?
We communicate regularly with our existing clients. We make sure that any support requests are responded to timely. We also reach out to our clients regularly to keep them informed as to any new updates with Acumatica or any of their ISV solutions. Most importantly, we treat all of our clients as if they are our most important client.
How has COVID changed your business? Are you seeing different needs from customers?
Initially, we saw a slowdown in activity as prospective clients paused their evaluation process and some of our existing client’s business contracted so they naturally cut back on some activities. Once businesses started opening again, we have seen some activity return to a near normal pace. Most of our clients were able to continue to manage many of their business functions with little disruption as the Acumatica software is cloud -based and easily accessible by employees working from home.
As we mentioned earlier, iTech has been an APS Payments Partner from the start. What prompted you to become a partner?
Early on we recognized that we would need a strong credit card payment processing partner for our Acumatica clients. We met APS Payments at the Acumatica Summit and after a couple of meetings we felt like this was a company that we could create a long-term relationship. Our primary concern is that we are comfortable that any solution provider that we present to our clients will be trustworthy and provide excellent support. Payment processing is serious business for our clients so having a tried and true solution is critical.
How has partnering with APS Payments helped you become a better business?
We have found that in almost all cases the APS Payments solution has provided our clients with a more cost-effective solution than their incumbent provider. Our clients really appreciate when we bring them a solution that can both; improve their business process and save them money. We often times lead with this solution as part of our sales process which helps with the overall ROI calculation leading to a better close ratio.
What is the best thing you like about being an APS Payments partner? Is there anything additional you wish APS Payments offered to enhance the partnership?
At this time, we just love the predictability of the relationship. We are very confident that our clients will be taken care of by APS Payments and that they will save on their merchant fees. It’s simple and it works!
