Q&A with Lincoln Unruh, CEO and founder of RavnTech, on TC Communications' Consultants Program and working directly with TC
TC: How has the consultants program been helpful to you?
Lincoln: Having these resources in one place is really handy. It saves me time from having to search all over the regular TC website. In particular, it makes product cross-referencing easier if I’m on a call with a potential customer. The bid specifications worksheet and guide are also useful when writing bid proposals, which can be a pain getting all the little details right.
TC: What about the consultants website do you like or not like?
Lincoln: I like the website’s simple design; it actually makes it more helpful to me than an overstuffed site. Some pages might feel a little sparse or could be segmented more, but overall, the no-frills approach works for me. I also like that I can easily share content with customers, such as PDFs of the support contracts presentation and JumboSwitch network requirements.
TC: As a consulting partner, do you feel pressured to recommend TC solutions over others?
Lincoln: Absolutely not. I’m not being paid or nudged to push any products. TC offers me a free, useful toolkit for consulting, but any TC product recommendations are organic and based on whatever fits the customer’s needs best. TC has high-quality products, and in many cases, they may be the right choice, but there are no expectations that I will do anything in particular.
TC: How would you describe your working relationship with TC Communications?
Lincoln: To me, I view it as more of a partnership than a vendor relationship. I know not everyone’s looking for that, but for certain more complicated projects, being able to rely on each other removes some of the uncertainty in this business. My advice to the company: Don’t change your culture—it’s fantastic!