You're investigating third-party software support and may have doubts. That's natural, especially when it involves your vital Oracle ecosystem. Based on thousands of conversations with sceptics, this guide answers the most frequently asked questions using facts, examples, testimonials, and recommendations. Read on for next steps you can take and recommendations for how to win over other sceptics. Unlock the other sceptic topics to get answers to more questions, and/or download the entire guide and pass it on!

Recommendations for How to Win Over Other Sceptics

So maybe we’ve won you over with our responses or you weren’t a sceptic from the start. If you’re a third-party support champion, then you still may have to sell this to your Oracle user and IT team.

Here are some suggestions that have worked for other organisations:

Start early to identify the sceptics. Each department or individual may have a separate set of concerns. The sooner you can identify these, the more time you’ll have to address them. Companies that do not convert sceptics soon enough may miss contract deadlines and even see their support initiative stumble or fail.
Understand how much – or little – your team has been actually using Oracle support. Gather a two- to three-year history of tickets issued to Oracle (types, priority level, etc.). This data can support your cost/benefit analysis, substantiate claims of poor support, and be used for the third-party support discovery phase.
Be familiar with your Oracle software licensing. As your procurement or sourcing department will tell you, Oracle contracts are nothing if not complex. Gather specifics of your software application landscape: product lines that are in scope, language requirements, countries requiring tax and regulatory updates, used versus unused licenses, etc. Know your rights, end-of-maintenance dates, and how to cancel precisely as contractually required by Oracle. This information will help eliminate surprises and build your case for leaving Oracle.
Build consensus on what is most important to your organisation. Organisations that choose to move to third-party support fall into one or more categories: they want to sustain their existing products, they eventually plan to migrate to a new system, or they are in financial distress. Be clear on what the drivers are, and make sure that it’s first and foremost in your discussions. This focus can counter minor concerns that sceptics can use to try to derail your decision.
If it helps, just lead with price. If you’re struggling to win over sceptics, then focus on the hard cost savings and show them that it doesn’t pay to be a sceptic! In fact, the IT department and organisation can use these savings for what they most want, whether that’s digital transformation, additional staffing, managed services, new IT initiatives, or simply applying the savings to improve the bottom line.
Share this guide with everyone who needs it. Whether they are in IT, legal, procurement, or senior management, you can win over the sceptics.

Still Looking for Answers?

Remember: It’s okay to be a third-party support sceptic. If we haven’t covered your particular area of uncertainty – or haven’t answered one of these questions to your satisfaction – feel free to search through our blog site. We add new topics and examples to that forum on a weekly basis.

RESOURCE: Spinnaker Support’s Blog Site