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"Opinions and needs of IT Specialists registered with B & M"
B & M Europe Limited is a specialist supplier of consultancy and technical support for z/OS and UNIX environments, including third-party systems software, open systems and networking connectivity. As part of its commitment to providing an exceptional quality of service to its specialists, B & M has carried out a survey of the opinions and needs of contract IT specialists currently registered with the company. The aim of the survey was to get feedback on B & M's services; to find out more about its reputation among IT specialists and to understand their wishes for future communications. This report presents an overview of key findings.
B & M conducted telephone interviews with a sample of specialists during May 2005. A total of 76 people were interviewed from three different categories of specialists registered with B & M, namely: 1. Specialists currently on contract for B & M ('B & M specialists') 2. Specialists who have been on a contract for B & M in the past ('past B & M specialists') 3. Specialists who may contract through B & M in the future ('future B & M specialists'). Researchers used a structured questionnaire to establish:
Those currently on contract through B & M were also asked about whether they were satisfied with the level of support they received from the company and all those interviewed were invited to make further comments and suggestions to improve communications from B & M.
Of the 76 specialists that were interviewed, 51 were based in the UK and 25 were based abroad in the following countries:
Those interviewed worked for large organisations in the following sectors: Finance The specialisations of those people interviewed are:
i) Sources of technical information or Internet information It was established that most people get information that they need from the Internet. The JobServe and IBM sites are the sites most visited by the specialists interviewed. The primary information that they are looking for is job opportunities, IT product data and trouble-shooting information. ii) B & M marketing communications The majority of B & M specialists and past B & M specialists have seen B & M Bulletin, although most admitted to not having read it fully. Fewer future B & M specialists said that they had seen the newsletter, compared with the other two groups. However, the majority who have seen the newsletter believe that it is a good way for B & M to stay in contact and almost everybody interviewed came up with suggestions for articles. iii) Contact approach Most of the specialists currently on contract for B & M believed that B & M uses the right approach to find them new contracts, send them on assignment and maintain contact. A few constructive suggestions were made on improving contact.
i) Sources of technical information or Internet information As expected, most people interviewed find information from the Internet. One of the sites most visited is JobServe, a site on which B & M advertises their vacant contract opportunities. ii) B & M marketing communications Although the majority have seen the B & M Bulletin, the percentage of people who have actually read the newsletter is low. Those specialists who have not yet contracted with B & M (and thus have a less established relationship) are less likely to read it, so B & M is assessing ways of promoting the newsletter more widely. Newsletters will also be available via the B & M web site, which is also being developed further to include far more dedicated information for specialists. iii) Contact approach It appears that B & M has the right approach as to how and when to stay in contact with its specialists; nevertheless, we recognise that it is vital to keep working on this aspect of our relationships. Some specialists have made suggestions as to how we can further improve our service and we are currently looking at these.
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