Switching suppliers can be extremely complicated, and many businesses stick with sub-optimal equipment simply to avoid the hassle. 

But what if staying with your current supplier is actually harming your business’s performance? And what if something as simple as changing the provider of your Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms  could have a significant impact on your bottom line?

In this article, we explore the dilemma contractors find themselves confronted with: when and how to change suppliers for key strategic equipment.

Why is switching suppliers difficult?

While every contractor will face their own specific difficulties, there are three key challenges all businesses face when switching suppliers:

1. Finding the right supplier

Finding the right partner to supply your Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms for your business is hard.|You want to source the best vehicles, but that isn’t the end of it. You also need to scrutinise the operating model of the supplier, including what kind of support they offer, how they interact with their clients and what level of expertise they can offer.

2. Managing the transition

Once you have chosen a new supplier, you need to ensure the switch is smooth and seamless. Even a few hours’ disruption can be detrimental to the outcome of a project, and managing the logistics so that the new supplier is available exactly when you need it can be very difficult.

3. Ensuring the supplier is reliable

Finally, you’ve got the new Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms on site. But what happens if there are technical issues or unresolved questions? You need to be confident that the new supplier will be reliably available to ensure that everything runs smoothly – not just during the transition, but at every moment of your project.

So why would you make the switch?

Given all of these potential pitfalls, it makes sense that so many businesses are hesitant to take the plunge. But there are plenty of extremely valid reasons why switching to a new supplier may ultimately prove less disruptive in the long run:

1. You need better equipment

Not all Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms are the same, and your business might simply require an upgrade. You might want to make use of more recent technology, change the specifications of your vehicles or simply improve the safety of your site.

2. You need more flexibility or control

Being locked into an undesirable contract can be a huge problem for contractors. But even if this isn’t the case, you may still want to change the length of your hires – or even experiment with leasing instead.

3. You need better technical support

If your current supplier isn’t doing enough to ensure their equipment functions effectively, it is more than reasonable to look elsewhere. Access vehicles require regular maintenance, and many suppliers don’t even properly fulfil their obligations in this regard – let alone providing the level of 24/7 support you deserve.

Is it time to take the leap?

Ultimately, the question to ask is not whether now is the right time to be switching suppliers. Instead, you should be asking yourself: what does my business deserve?

If you believe your business deserves true quality – both in terms of the Vehicle Mounted Access Platforms you use and the level of service and support you receive – then why settle for second best?

At Access Hire, we’ve helped countless businesses make a seamless transition. With the UK’s largest and youngest fleet, we provide the quality our clients deserve – along with inclusive maintenance, expert guidance and 24/7 support.

If you’d like to discover how we make those transitions happen, reach out to our team today.