“Since the highly successful launch of our Go Forward! partner programme, we have been monitoring market developments, particularly in relation to our evolving product portfolio, and also analysed feedback from our partner satisfaction survey. The main challenge, according to the survey, was to provide our partners with a satisfactory logistics and supply process that in turn would help them drive new business. The shift to a pure distribution model will enable us to focus on providing exactly this,” said Leon Mangan, sales director, Indirect Channel, Siemens Enterprise Communications.
“From a market perspective, distribution organisations have significantly developed their offerings and capabilities over the last few years. They are no longer box-shifters but solution providers, and now offer the range of value added services that our channel partners demand. Furthermore, when aligned with slick logistics performance they are best positioned to serve the reseller community. This will also allow us to continue developing and marketing award-winning products while driving market awareness of new application areas, such as Unified Communications and Fixed Mobile Convenience.”
Siemens Channel Marketing Manager David Dyer confirmed that the vendor currently has three UK distributors for their HiPath range of PBX systems; Rocom, Nimans and MTV Telecom. Currently there are around 18 direct account resellers.
Managing Director of distributor MTV Telecom Natalie Foers told Comms Business Magazine, “We welcome the move by Siemens to a distribution only model. MTV Telecom already adds significant value to the Siemens product proposition and as a result sales of their products have been increasing throughout the last year with both existing and, particularly since the introduction of the HiPath OpenOffice ME, new resellers.”
Foers added, “The Siemens team at MTV Telecom is fully qualified from a technical and sales perspective and is looking forward to working with former direct account resellers. Our recently appointed Head of Sales, Chris Harris, is of course fully conversant with working with resellers of all sizes and has already put in place a welcome plan for those resellers that want to partner with us.”
With the Siemens product portfolio already boasting solutions specifically designed for the channel, such as HiPath OpenOffice ME, and coupled with increased support, partners will be in a stronger position to serve the needs of the ever demanding end user. HiPath OpenOffice ME is the first Unified Communications solution developed purposefully for the channel. Its productivity and collaboration features, such as intuitive presence-aware management and ‘drag-and-drop’ conferencing, provide SMEs with the tools to optimise both internal and external communications.
Go Forward! focuses on delivering expert support and service to partners, allowing them to fully maximise the breadth of Siemens’ award-winning product portfolio, as well as utilising its training programme. With the emphasis being on retaining and attracting partners that are committed to solutions-led sales to end users, Siemens will ensure that partners can differentiate themselves by delivering open communications products and applications that reduce costs and increase organisational efficiency and productivity.
“Adopting a pure distribution approach demonstrates our confidence in our product portfolio and the Go Forward! partner programme itself. We recognise the value our distribution partners bring in providing a complete range of services that satisfy the needs of the market,” concluded Mangan.
The move to a distribution only model will also see a change in the status of Truro based Datasharp later in the Autumn.
Managing Director Roy Carter told Comms Business Magazine, “From around October Datasharp will be a distributor of Siemens products. We have had a tremendous focus on HiPath systems for many years and have built up a vast array of skills and experience on all their systems so it now makes eminent sense for us to be classified as a distributor.”
Carter continued, “We have recruited some top notch cannel people recently including John Sargood and Kayleigh Ellis. Additionally we have taken new premises from which to run the logistics side of the distribution business - we are going to take hold of this opportunity ‘lock, stock and barrel’.”