How do you feel about hiring an IT company?
Life today may revolve around technology, but the average Joe knows very little about exactly how all the pieces fall together to make life easier. That means individuals and businesses alike have to rely on an IT professional to keep it all going.
That can be an absolute nightmare. IT companies aren’t exactly known for their stellar customer service.
Fortunately, a new kind of IT crowd is emerging, and TWT Group is leading the way.
Having values results in immense value
Many businesses, especially in the IT space, are just in it to make money. That means hiring competent people to help their customers work through technical problems and maintain healthy systems. Although they get the job done, they don’t leave much of a positive Impact on their customers.
TWT Group takes a different approach. They’re an IT company that actually has values above and beyond their bottom line.
Shawn Freeman, the founder and CEO of TWT Group, says it’s their values that make them so different from other IT companies. Those values are:
- Relationships
- Innovation
- Doing what’s right
- Freedom
Although all their values are important, it’s their relationships that get the most attention from their team. Shawn clarifies this concept by saying, “Everything we do, our clients have to trust us. They really need to know that we got their back. Everybody nowadays, their businesses is their tech. If their data goes missing, they’re out of business pretty quickly. It’s a big deal and we take it seriously.”
Having strong values like these always translates to a business that has great value. Especially when they’re serious about those values. Shawn continues, “If you’re not willing to fire somebody over them, or let’s say you don’t have to work another day in your life. If you still wouldn’t live that value, then it probably isn’t a real value. We’ve gone through that process, vetted them out, and really nailed them down.”
TWT Group is more than just your run-of-the-mill IT company. They truly make their clients’ lives better and easier, saving them time and money while providing a smooth interaction that leaves a smile on their face. With that kind of service, word gets around quickly. That’s why Shawn is planning on hiring a couple new employees by the end of the year, with a plan to grow the staff by 50 percent within the next 12 months.
A brand that is just as emotional for its clients as it is for its employees
Developing an emotional brand can be quite difficult. However, it’s not quite so difficult for IT companies. But the emotional qualities they invoke are usually negative. It isn’t hard to imagine someone slamming the keyboard out of frustration over an uncooperative internet connection.
TWT Group has turned frustration and anger into a more positive emotion: relief. Relief that their tech is working the way it’s supposed to, and relief that they’re being treated with respect. And with relief in the tech space comes excitement. The excitement knowing that everything will go exactly how it should, and if it doesn’t, you’ve got a friendly, knowledgeable group of professionals who can help.
The emotional quality of TWT Group doesn’t end there. Working in their offices is quite emotional for the employees as well. That’s because they have the freedom to do what’s right both professionally and personally.
They focus on doing what’s right professionally. Even if it means losing a few clients here and there. Shawn elaborates by saying, “Do what’s right. That’s a no-brainer for us. Even if we’re taking a client on or looking at a prospect, we look to see if they’re asking something that we wouldn’t normally do, or that might interrupt our ability to have freedom.”
If it’s not right, if the client isn’t a good fit for their service, they simply say no instead of trying to make it work and compromising their values in the process.
Perhaps the coolest thing about working for TWT Group is the freedom employees have regarding their personal lives. There’s a no babysitting rule, which means employees enjoy unlimited vacation.
Just let that sink in for a minute and tell me you don’t feel emotional about it!
“We’re all adults. We all have lives. We all want to do things with our families, or just take a vacation.” Shawn says. “No one needs to save their two weeks to use around long weekends. Those are problems that people with limited vacation have. If somebody wants to go skiing on a Wednesday and they’re caught up on their stuff and there’s no big projects, they just do it. They just go.”
The freedom and trust that every employee enjoys seeps into everything they do, which makes for a better employee and customer experience.
Tackling challenges as they come up
Starting a business always comes with challenges, and for Shawn, the biggest challenge has been getting out of his own way.
“When’s the right time to hire? Am I ready to take that risk? How am I going to manage them? And getting out of your own way and figuring out whatever information you need to ease your mind about making those decisions.”
This was even a challenge as Shawn was starting his business. Leaving his job, he asked himself, “What’s the worst that can happen?”
His response? “You only live once. Let’s go for it!”
The hard part is that it never stops, “I’m still in that situation where there’s so much going on and I need to get out of my own way every day.”
It sounds like Shawn is living by the goals and values he’s set for his business each day. TWT Group is up for the Chambers Breakout Business Award and they’re planning on hiring more employees in the near and distant future as the company expands.
“We’re chasing new business, but at the same time, we’re focusing on our current relationships and making sure all our clients are happy.”
It looks like the TWT Group is going to be around for a while, coming to the rescue of any operation that could use the help of an IT crew that is as friendly and supportive as they are effective.
