You called to ask your service provider a question and found out the company had merged or been acquired by another company. You can't remember the name of the provider you started with 5 years ago because it consolidated with another provider, and then it merged with another organization, only to be acquired by yet a different provider.
As a customer of a company that merged or acquired by another, changes are inevitable. Many times the customers' needs are not considered by merging companies.
Your productivity could be greatly affected because a merger or acquisition. There are many questions that arise when a service provider has been involved in a merger or acquisition. Will you experience service interruptions? Will there be a new account representative or technical staff? Will any services or product offerings change or be eliminated? There may be other concerns that develop over time.
Service providers are chosen based on value, product, service, and reputation. Any consolidation may lead to changes in service or product availability. Each provider and customer builds customer relationships over time. Many times with mergers & acquisitions, some of the support people you have known for years will become collateral losses of the consolidated organization. What does that mean for your expected service level?
Mergers & Acquisitions not only affect your current situation, but also can affect you in the future when making decisions on which providers to choose for your service needs.
When looking into a service provider, take into consideration how long they have been in business. Take time to investigate if they have merged or been acquired by another company within the past eighteen months. Check on the median tenure of technical personnel and daily hours that support is provided to ensure you will receive the highest level of service. Inquire about the company's reliability and level of downtime during the past 5 years. You want to ensure you are with a company with the highest uptime in their industry.
Making the decision to choose a service provider that has been in business for many years, under the same ownership, and with a strong support team, will provide you with the most stable investment for your service requirements.
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