David Dyer, Partner Programme Manager, described the scheme as a skills and business process based programme which is designed to ensure the deployment of high quality end user customer solutions.
“The scheme is based on specialisations and gives resellers the freedom to choose where they want to work with Siemens. There are six areas of specialisation, SME Voice, Enterprise Voice, Switching and Routing, Wireless LAN, IP Contact Centres, and Unified Communications. To be accredited at our highest level a partner needs to meet the criteria in four different areas of specialisation.
We are launching the scheme to the channel at the moment and supporting it with discounted training programs, margin incentives for cross selling plus not for resale product bundles for demonstration, lab kit and spares holdings. The aim is to negate the cost which resellers would normally have to face when entering new areas of the market and to maintain a low cost of association for partners who focus on the Siemens portfolio.”
Accreditation at each level (there are four) is based on an assessment of a partner’s ability to demonstrate the availability of appropriate business resources and also to demonstrate that the appropriate processes are defined to enable them to be deployed effectively.
There are a number of criteria which are common to each level of accreditation. These criteria relate to business planning and customer support. In addition, there are a number of criteria which are specific to individual areas of product specialisation. These relate to staff training and operational aspects such as the availability of demonstration equipment and the ability to offer the appropriate support services which the different market segments require.
Dyer concluded, “To achieve a specific level of accreditation a partner must meet all the required common criteria and the criteria which are specific to the area of product specialisation.
Partners achieve higher levels of accreditation by meeting the criteria which apply to more that one area of specialisation plus common criteria which the specific level of accreditation requires. This approach enables partners to focus on a particular market segment or to broaden their portfolio and range of services to address a wider market opportunity.”