Giving VARs an edge in CTI -- Distributors Beef Up Line Cards, Expand Support Offerings
December 8, 1998
COMPUTER RESELLER NEWS via NewsEdge
Corporation : New York -- As the
computer-telephone integration (CTI) market
emerges and open standards for
computer-based telephony continue to
evolve, distributors are working toward
creating line cards and support programs to
help resellers cash in on the market's
double-digit profit potential.
"As CTI technology evolves, so do the
opportunities," said Joe Serra, director of
computer telephony at Tech Data Corp.,
Clearwater, Fla. "We are consultative in
helping resellers understand the opportunity
from a growth perspective and in meeting
demands of the end-user community."
Over the past year, Tech Data added 31 new
telephony product manufacturers to its
product roster, including Siemens AG,
Comdial Corp., Northern Telecom Ltd.,
Brooktrout Technology Inc., Dialogic Corp.
and Micom Communications Corp., a Nortel
company, according to Tech Data officials.
To educate VARs, many distributors offer
road-show training programs to help resellers
define the opportunities in the CTI market
and to understand the available software and
hardware.
"We have heard loud and clear from resellers
that what they need in this area is training,"
said Carl Glick, director of network and
communications at Merisel Inc., El Segundo,
Calif.
To meet this need, Merisel expects to launch
a CTI program next quarter. The program,
which will be aimed at small and midsize
resellers, will include Web-based training
opportunities for resellers, as well as
instructor-led training in various cities around
the country, Glick said.
Next year Tech Data will host a nine-city
road show focused on CTI technology, as
well as providing telephony information at
Tech Data Expos.
Catalyst Telecomm/CTI Authority, the
computer telephony division of Greenville,
S.C.-based ScanSource Inc., designed its
TechTeach road show to educate resellers
about CTI as well as to recruit them to the
technology, said Michael Stahl, company
founder and vice president.
The program includes half-day seminars and
a mini trade fair. In addition, many
distributors are upping their presence at
trade shows and CTI-specific industry
events.
Some resellers, however, question the depth
of knowledge that distributors can bring to
this new market.
"Distributors often don't have the depth of
knowledge to be able to help us," said
Michael Carpenter, president of CT Pioneers,
a consortium of VARs that focuses on
computer telephony.
Resellers definitely are looking for strong
presales support from distributors-and
distributor executives said they are working
to increase their ability to help resellers
choose the right solutions.
In fact, executives at Santa Ana,
Calif.-based Ingram Micro Inc. estimate that
roughly 70 percent of its total 7,000
technical support calls a day are for some
sort of presales advice. As equipment floods
the marketplace, choosing products that
work well together to meet a certain set of
requirements can be confusing.
"Our experience is that VARs don't need us
calling to sell something, " said Tech Data's
Serra. "They need someone to work with
them to look at opportunities, develop a
strategy, make product recommendations
and help them meet end-user requirements."
In response, distributors are adding
salespeople trained in helping VARs wade
through customers' CTI requirements, then
translate those needs into a product-specific
solution.
"We have partnered with several leading
brand-name companies to get VARs into the
computer telephony business," said Laura
Skinner, vice president and general manager
of the Telecomm Integration Division at
Ingram Micro. "Through our technical support
group, we can help recommend solutions to
help resellers get their arms around the CTI
business."
In addition, distributors are offering "soft
bundles" of hardware and software that are
tested to work together. These programs let
resellers claim the profit inherent in systems
integration work, while allowing distributors
to figure out which products work well
together to meet specific needs, according
to distribution executives.
"Resellers want to know that the products
will work together, but don't necessarily
want us to do the integration for them," said
Skinner.
HAILEY LYNNE McKEEFRY is a freelance
writer based in New York.
Copyright c 1998 CMP Media Inc.
By Hailey Lynne McKeefry
<<COMPUTER RESELLER NEWS -- 12-07-98,
p. PG185>>
[Copyright 1998, CMP Publications] |
