It’s easy to say that you have a client-centric approach; it’s something most shops tout and genuinely strive to achieve. U.K.-based Logicalis, our first featured 501-er of 2020, actually has the stuff to back up that claim, putting the customer at the core of everything it does.

President Mike Houghton sat down with us this week to chat about the company’s unique, distinguishing customer approach, collaborations and overall growth. 

Channel Futures: How does your organization differentiate itself from other MSPs?

Mike Houghton: Customer results and customer-centricity drive our strategic direction and overall approach to business.

Logicalis’ Mike Houghton

Through this approach, Logicalis distinguishes itself in three ways: our outcome-based solutions, which put client centricity at the core of the delivery model; our people; and our partnerships. We believe that a positive client experience is the key to growth and stability in the marketplace.

As such, we realigned our approach to focus on customer-centricity, leveraging our expertise across each of our key verticals and practice areas. In doing so, we have been able to drive business transformation that delivers extraordinary user experience and value. This model enables Logicalis to capitalize on both the deep-dive expertise of our practice area leaders, and the vast knowledge of our teams, to provide the best, most customized and successful solutions for our customers.

We have seen immense success since implementing this approach, which is underscored by our continued industry recognition, successful partnerships (such as that with Trevecca Nazarene University, which we just celebrated 15 years of collaboration with, or Desert Radiology, where we helped complete a total network overhaul), and overall growth.

CF: What is one thing you wish vendors would do to maximize the relationship?

MH: Trust in us. We are your partner — and your customers’ partner too. We are here to meet your organization’s IT needs and help achieve your goals. So continue to lean on us in the areas where Logicalis has made significant investments to bolster your company’s portfolio. We leverage our vertical expertise, services strength, and our global capabilities to enhance our partners’ vast capabilities. 

The more we work with each other, the stronger our offerings will be — both Logicalis’ and that of our vendors.

CF: It’s a new year, with new opportunities and goals. Where do you see your biggest growth areas in the next 12-24 months?

MH: At Logicalis, our focus is on our core practice areas, which include IoT and analytics, security, and cloud. These fast-growing technologies each present immense opportunity for growth.

We leverage these practice areas and our deep vertical expertise as part of our customer-centric approach. Our client teams act as true partners, working to understand not only the immediate challenges, but also the ultimate business outcome for our customers. From there, we identify how and where a particular technology or solution can help drive efficiency and overall success. We then leverage our expertise across these practices, work alongside our strategic partners in our 10 nationwide regions, and implement one of three consultative engagement models, which focus on customer-centricity, industry expertise and a consultative approach, to ensure this growth.

Overall, it is all about the customer, and where we can leverage each of our team members’ unique and cutting-edge expertise to provide them the best outcome. We don’t want to just be a salesperson to our customer; we want to be a trusted partner. We are certain that tying together that partnership and dedication with our expertise in these emerging technology practice areas will help drive growth not just for Logicalis, but more importantly, for the companies we serve.

CF: Have you done anything recently that created ripples? Did you execute a successful pivot? Build a business during the Great Recession? Weather a natural disaster? What makes you interesting as a company and a business owner?

MH: Logicalis helped build a “classroom without walls” at Youngstown State University in Ohio. The initiative brought …

… collaboration technology to a university that truly aimed to break down the barriers of distance that can limit education, enabling students to attend class, no matter where they are.

With this new system, educators at YSU can teach, meet and interact with students virtually. Each station features an enterprise video conferencing solution with on-demand collaboration, meeting, and web and video conferencing capabilities. 

Leveraging our expertise in higher education and the broader GovEd sector, Logicalis facilitated the installation and networking throughout YSU. The technology utilizes Logicalis’ agnostic and easy-to-use network to power the cloud-based system, ultimately bringing educators and their students together both in and out of the classroom.

Funded through a grant from a university donor, YSU launched the first three collaboration stations in the Fall 2018 semester, including in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and the College of Education. As of the start of the Spring 2019 semester, 11 stations (six classrooms, five administration rooms) are installed throughout six colleges in the university, enabling thousands of students to take advantage of the collaborative technology.

This initiative with Youngstown State University underscores our commitment to customer engagement and our goal to be a true partner to all of our customers. Logicalis makes it a priority to identify areas where Logicalis’ deep vertical expertise can improve business outcomes, especially when – such as with YSU – those outcomes stretch beyond the clients and to the students of today and tomorrow.