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Why Sales Support Might Be the Most Important Part of Your Industrial Network Project

Reid Shepherd, Vice President of Sales Support | March 9, 2026

When people think about industrial networking, they usually picture the hardware.

Ethernet switches. Cellular routers. Antennas. Cabling.

But in my experience, the success of a network deployment rarely hinges on the box itself. More often, it comes down to something much less visible: the conversations that happen before anything ships.

At INS, “sales support” isn’t a transactional function. It’s one of the most important safeguards your projects can have. And it’s often the difference between a smooth deployment and a very expensive delay.

Why INS Isn’t “Just a Distributor”

One of the biggest misconceptions I run into is the idea that INS simply sells equipment.

Yes, we do sell industrial networking equipment. But if all you need is a part number and a box, there are plenty of options. What makes INS different is that we understand what these products actually do in your environment.

We understand how those components perform on the plant floor, and how they fit into a full industrial network.

To some companies, a product is just a SKU. To us, it’s a part of a working system—and that distinction matters.

Where Industrial Networking Projects Break Down

Over the years, I’ve seen a common issue repeat itself across industries: lack of planning at the component level.

A team schedules engineers to be on-site. There’s a tight window to deploy a network. The equipment arrives…but nobody ordered the power supply. Or the antennas. Or the correct cabling.

When that happens, the project stalls. Engineers are on the clock. Production timelines get squeezed. And what should’ve been a straightforward deployment turns into a scramble.

That’s where a strong sales support team makes an impact.

At INS, when a customer comes to us for a quote, we don’t just process the request. We ask questions. We make sure the full bill of materials is complete. We verify that every accessory and supporting component is accounted for.

You Don’t Have to Have All the Answers

Another thing I’ve learned over the years: customers don’t always have a fully defined vision of what their network should be. And that’s okay.

It’s helpful to understand your goals, but you don’t have to know every technical detail before you reach out to INS. We have engineers on staff with years of experience working in these environments. They’ve walked facilities. They’ve deployed networks in real-world industrial settings. They understand the gap that often exists between corporate IT and OT.

In many cases, IT departments are highly capable—but they don’t always live in the realities of a plant floor. We come in to bridge that gap.

If you know exactly what you need, great.

If you’re still figuring it out, we can help.

Our role isn’t just to fulfill a request. It’s to guide you through the process.

Simplifying Complex Networks

If I could solve one big problem in the world of industrial networking, it would be this: I’d simplify it.

Industrial environments are complex by nature. There are layers of infrastructure, legacy systems, security considerations, uptime requirements. It can be overwhelming. Our goal at INS is to remove as much friction as possible.

That starts with asking the right questions. It continues with delivering complete, accurate solutions. And it carries through in how we support customers before, during, and after deployment.

We don’t want to give you the minimum answer. We want to think from your perspective and anticipate the next question before you have to ask it.

What It Looks Like When Support Is Part of the Solution

I’ve been with INS since 1999, almost from the very beginning. One of the things I’ve loved most about being here is watching the company grow without losing what made it special in the first place.

INS began with $50,000 of inventory, an apartment workspace, and a family answering phones. In those early days, it was truly a small, family-driven operation, and that atmosphere shaped the way we’ve approached customers ever since.

Even as we’ve grown into a well-established solutions provider, that same mindset is still at the core of what we do: take care of people, do the right thing, and don’t treat networking like a simple transaction.

When customers interact with INS, sales support is often their first touchpoint. And that’s intentional.

Our team isn’t here to simply respond to quote requests. We’re here to make sure our customers are set up for success before a deployment ever begins—which includes thinking beyond the device itself.

A customer might come to us asking for a switch or a router, but our job is to make sure they also have the accessories, components, and supporting pieces that allow that equipment to fully function in the field.

What We Want Customers to Remember About INS

If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about INS, it’s that we’re more than an equipment provider. We deliver the expertise, service, and support that surrounds it.

The difference is in the people you work with: