There are lots of reasons why event-technology companies fall by the wayside in the customer service department. Sometimes, they grow too fast and take on more clients than they can handle. Other times, they change strategies and your type of business is no longer a priority. No matter what the reason is, great customer service is the ultimate differentiator among competing companies. Here’s how to tell when your solution provider has moved on without you.

Unanswered phone calls. If you’ve left multiple voice mail messages or your emails never receive a response, either your customer service representative is no longer with the company (although a message to that effect would be nice) or you need to find another company.

All talk. No action. We’ve all heard companies promise that a certain feature or functionality - one that you really need right now - will be in the next version of the software. After a while, when versions come and go and there’s still no fix for your problem, you may have to rethink your relationship.

Slow technical support. When you take the time to contact tech support with a very specific question and it takes days to get a response, either the support team is overworked or the company is understaffed. It’s reasonable to expect some response within 24 hours of your request. Beyond that, you may have to take your business somewhere else.

Nobody to talk to. Every relationship starts out great. You get a project manager and maybe even a whole team to get your organization on board. But then, your point person goes away - on to another position or a new client - and you’re suddenly left with whomever is on the other end of the helpline. If that’s a slight you can’t handle, look for something better.

They never call you. Your technology partner was attentive when you were dating. Now that you’re a customer, they never call to see how you’re doing, find out whether you need anything, or tell you about a new feature. If the communication with your solution provider is only one way, you may have to go the other way.

When any one of the above situations occurs over an over, it’s frustrating. When there’s a pattern of customer neglect, it’s a sign that there’s a systemic problem within your provider’s organization. Of course, you can communication your dissatisfaction with someone at a senior level, maybe even give your tech partner a chance to make amends. If that doesn’t work though, you may be doing yourself and your company a favor by giving your solution provider the pink slip.