The recent celebration of our 20th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on what has made us successful. I believe the biggest challenge facing organisations today – public or private - is not the development of strategy but the execution of strategy.
That’s where most organisations stumble, and it is where many clients have turned to SMS for help.
For most of the last 20 years, SMS was one of the best kept secrets in the management services field. But with our success on the ASX in the last few years, the secret is out.
So what is the secret? Quite simply, people and culture are at the core of the quality of our Management Services, whether IT management or business consulting. It’s true we have invested a lot in training and support systems and have given our people the best tools and access to a world class knowledge base. But the most important factor by far is embedding a customer service ethic into the culture of SMS; a culture where people truly care about delivering quality and exceeding the client’s expectations, not because they are financially rewarded to do so, but because professional pride and the SMS way demand it.
The last 20 years are characterised by repeat business and enduring relationships. You can’t get that unless there is a mutual benefit in the relationship and you are adding true value to your client. When we opened our doors in March 1986 our first client was the ANZ Bank; I am proud to say that the ANZ still uses our services today. We may not be their biggest supplier, but we retain a trusting and effective relationship that spans 20 years. And that goes for all of our clients; once we work together the relationship sticks because we deliver tangible benefits.
Tom Stianos
Chief Executive Officer
SMS Management & Technology