Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I am currently working with another Business Partner, why would I want to engage Champion?
A. 95% of our customers work with other business partners for their maintenance. We have found that many are not able to offer you:
- Contract consolidation studies
- Tools to manage your inventory and contracts
- Cost reduction strategies
We are not looking to replace or compete with your current partner. We are looking to assist your organization in having a thorough understanding of your:
- Hardware and software environment
- The impact of your current coverage on your business
- And make recommendations based on our work with your organization
Q. Why wouldn't I work directly with my manufacturer(s) to clean up my maintenance contracts?
A. As you can imagine, IBM does not have the resources to pull all the information together into a comprehensive package and currently do not offer a consulting document that provides:
- A clean inventory view
- Review of the impact to your business
- Recommendations on lowering your costs
CSG will offer an independent analysis and review with no bias based on potential revenue reductions. It is imperative when working with partners to always “trust but verify”, wouldn’t you agree?
Q. We have an employee that does this full time, why should I work with Champion?
A. One person cannot match the years of experience nor does this person have the tool-sets, methodologies and processes that are key components to the Four Pillars of Lifecycle Contract Management. Our collaboration will allow them to operate more efficiently and take on additional tasks within the organization without increasing the organizational cost.
Q. I don't believe that you could save me any more money on my maintenance?
A. Many of our customers have had doubts in our ability to save them money. It is possible that our complimentary recap will reveal that you are receiving the best baseline price available. However there may be ways to cut costs further through:
- Service level adjustments
- Contract construction
- Contract Management practices and more
That will allow you save even more money.
Q. I already have an accurate assessment of my maintenance contracts and warranty end dates, why would I want to engage Champion?
A. Many of our customers believe they have accurate information and a few do. We can confirm the basics in our initial complimentary recap by providing:
- A review of the maintenance contracts
- Warranty dates
- A synopsis of the impact to your organization based on that data
- Recommendations to reduce risk of exposure and lower your costs
The portal offering allows you to ensure that your information:
- Continues to be accurate and well-maintained
- Alerts you proactively through an automated process when a decision on any given piece of equipment may become necessary
Q. None of my equipment is exposed?
A. Many of our clients have expressed that same confidence only to find out through the initial complimentary recap that their vendor has not managed their inventory as thoroughly as they initially thought. A note of the total number of exposed items is part of the complimentary recap and can alert your organization to any exposures before there is an issue and for NO COST!
Q. We don't want third party companies to see our assets?
A. We will certainly provide a non-disclosure document that prohibits the exchange of confidential information for both parties to sign or can simply sign one that your organization may already have approved. Champion manages more than $150 million in Maintenance Contracts and Software licensing Contracts – many of these organizations are subject to compliance regulations like SOX and HIPAA.
Q. My company policy is not to share our financial information?
A. We certainly understand and share your company’s policy. Many companies we work with have similar policies. When we receive your information, it will not include any financial data on your organization. It simply provides the:
- Equipment details of type
- Model
- Serial
- Install address
- Install date
- Warranty end date
- Service level coverage
Q. How do I know that the information you gather will not be shared with anyone else?
A. This has been a concern voiced by other customers in the past. We will certainly provide a non-disclosure document that prohibits the exchange of confidential information for both parties to sign or can simply sign one that your organization may already have approved.
Q. What makes your methodology different from my current business partner?
A. Our methodology is not designed to lead to sales results, but rather to offer you a comprehensive and empirical study of your environment, the impact of your current coverage and recommendations for maximizing your coverage options, minimizing your risks and decreasing your cost of maintenance. Virtually no other company has the blend of tools, processes, and experience to match that of Champion’s MMS Lifecycle Contract Management methodology.
Q. How do you know you can save me money without my financial information?
A. With 25+ years of experience, our teams will review a number of variables that give us the ability to determine if there is an opportunity to save you money, including looking at:
- Contract Structure
- Business Partners Engaged
- Services on Individual Contracts
- Service Levels
- And more…
Q. I don't even know what I have let alone what is on my maintenance contracts. How can you help me?
A. You are not alone. This is a pain that over 70% or customers are experiencing. Champion will offer you in our initial complimentary recap:
- Comprehensive listing of all IBM contracts
- Contract start and end dates
- Contract billing frequencies
- Number of items on each of the contracts
In addition, the comprehensive study provides:
- All items on warranty with a warranty end date
- Status on warranty items
- Expiration, exposed equipment installed <36 months
- Exposed equipment installed >36 months
- Associated services detail
- The impact of your coverage options on your organization
- Recommendations for streamlining the contracts, better management and cost reduction and control
Q. Is there a big ROI and how long will it take to realize it?
A. Our customer’s feedback has been that in almost every instance where a complete enterprise assessment is performed, the ROI is greater than the investment for the study and often times is realized immediately. In many cases, the complimentary recap opens a view to options for cutting cost and risk.
Q. Do you have any clients?
A. Yes – we have many clients who have found this offering to be of substantial benefit to their organizations.
Q. Do you have any testimonials?
A. Yes – We can provide you with testimonials and have also posted a few on the previous web page.
Q. How long does an initial inventory pull take?
A. The initial pull is usually received in 3-5 days and the assessment can be completed within 48 hours of that receipt. You should have initial results of the recap within 5-7 days of your concurrence.
Q. Who else in my organization should I involve in this decision?
A. Generally, we recommend a CIO or Director of IT; the individual who currently handles the contract and inventory management duties within your organization and a procurement officer.