checklist
Is your VMS provider a vendor or a partner?
How to tell the difference and why you should care.
If you use a vendor management system (VMS), you likely have strong opinions about its capabilities, functionality, and ease of use. But have you considered how your VMS provider perceives you? This is crucial because it affects their behavior towards you and the support your program receives.
If your VMS provider sees you as another manager among many who license their software tools, your relationship is likely transactional. However, if they view you as an innovative entrepreneur striving to meet your company’s talent needs in today’s on-demand economy, you’re probably seen as a partner.
If your VMS provider treats you like a partner, you should experience:
- System configuration and services aligned with your business processes and needs
- All necessary support to help you evolve and expand your program
- Regular communication cadence, with two-way conversations about program health, new product developments, growth initiatives, and more
- 100% client-involved technology roadmap that enhances your program
- Frequent delivery of innovations and enhancements that benefit your users
- Multiple levels of provider expertise you can readily tap into
- Formal and informal ways to connect (including executive access)
- Open lines of communication with all relevant parties, including MSPs, talent partners, and technology partners
- Ample opportunities to interact—live and online—with fellow system users to exchange ideas, experiences, and best practices
- Talent-focused R&D that anticipates global workforce trends and new technologies
- Quick response for short-term fixes and commitment to long-term solutions, with emphasis not just on making it work, but on getting it right
- Good cultural fit based on honesty, openness, and collaboration
These are just a few of the ways you can tell if your VMS provider is a partner or just a vendor.
Scoring guidance
Mostly checked (10–12 selected):
You have a collaborative foundation. Deepen your tech alignment and explore innovation to drive strategic outcomes.
Some checked (4–9 selected):
You have a solid base. Strengthen communication channels, tap into provider expertise, and align your roadmap.
Few or none checked (0–3 selected): Your provider is acting more like a vendor than a partner. It’s time to prioritize foundational relationship-building.
If your provider is acting more like a vendor than a partner, you may want to ask them, “Why?” If their answer is unsatisfactory, it may be time to switch.
Remember, the best VMS is the one that best fulfills the needs of your organization.