Service Industry Association (SIA) Announces Results of Industry-Wide Survey Emphasizing the Value of Independent Service over Manufacturers Service

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Service Industry Association (SIA), a non-profit association of enterprises involved in the support of high-technology products, announced the results from the customer survey conducted by the Members of SIA on “Why Customers choose an ISO (Independent Service Organization) company over the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) after warranty.” While some OEMs try to paint the ISO with an old paintbrush circa 1980’s low-cost – low quality model, the truth is the independent service industry has come a long way over the past 2 decades. Topping the lists in the survey are highly skilled trained engineers and technicians with diagnostics, flexibility and a single point of contact for all the customers’ multi-vendor equipment, while providing an unbiased assessment of their equipment needs with no hidden agenda to sell hardware.

“Why Customers choose an ISO (Independent Service Organization) company over the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) after warranty.”

According to one end-user in the survey, Blue Hill Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer John M. Lalli, “We prefer Delta Computer Group, the ISO, as our primary and key partner in the support of both our client base and new business growth,” said Lalli. “They excel in providing extremely responsive service to our data center maintenance needs while fully supporting our customers’ requirements.”

Our study points to the following strategic reasons why end-users prefer ISOs over OEMs for post warranty hardware maintenance:

1.	Flexibility: ISOs offer more options on coverage days and response times, they feature co-terminus contracts that allow companies to adjust the expiration dates for multiple contracts so they terminate the same day.
2.	Multi-vendor support: Independent service providers have the expertise to service all the equipment on the end-user premises, regardless of the manufacturer.
3.	Single point of contact, “one throat to choke” With independent service providers, all equipment is consolidated under one contract and you know exactly who to call to get service.
4.	Unbiased assessment: Independent service providers don’t have the conflict of interest associated with up selling new hardware because their business is servicing equipment for as long as it’s feasible.
5.	Lower costs of service: Using an independent service IT maintenance provider instead of a pricey OEM can reduce monthly IT expenses by 40 to 60%. For IT managers struggling to streamline budgets, this is a cost savings that can’t be overlooked.
6.	Contract Management – An ISO can manage the entire contract with multiple vendors and no bias.

SIA promotes customer choices. “We will continue to be the customer advocacy association looking out for the end-users’ interest around the globe. The SIA’s goal is to equip our members with the information and resources that will help them thrive in the markets they service and compete on a level playing field, here and around the globe,” said Claudia Betzner, Executive Director of SIA. For more info on this survey contact Claudia Betzner. For more info on SIA go to www.servicenetwork.org.