HP, Inc. this week revealed it plans to streamline its channel around two Synergy and Power tracks that in addition to being consistently implemented around the globe will also help partners better engage customers online.
Scheduled to be implemented for commercial partners on November 1st, the rechristened channel program will make it clearer how partners will be compensated along with providing rewards based on a more holistic set of metrics that include deal registration volume, average sales value and account retention.
HP Amplify will also reward partners for investing in new capabilities such as improving digital skills, service delivery capabilities, e-commerce/omnichannel experiences and secure data collaboration.
The company is especially focused on rewarding partners that share more customer data as part of an effort to leverage data analytics to increase sales of HP products and services, says Luciana Broggi, global head of route-to-market for HP.
“We want to use the data to generate more business,” says Broggi.
Partners have, of course, been sharing customer data with HP to qualify to be part of the channel program for years. HP is now making a commitment to apply that data to a digital sales model intended to drive more business to channel partners.
HP will, for example, will employ that data to automate quotes and ordering, inventory updates and product returns in addition to sharing research with partners that better surfaces customer pain points.
Those capabilities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are crucial because partners are not able to engage most end customers on a face-to-face basis. Most customer engagements are now occurring online.
Overall, HP is also looking to eliminate inconsistencies in its channel program that have been created over time by individual business units operating in different geographies, says Broggi.
Obviously, partners need as much digital marketing help from vendors as they can get. The issue now is how quickly HP will be able to deliver those capabilities at a time when many organizations are revaluating their entire IT strategy to enable employees to work from home a lot more easily without adversely impacting productivity. There’s no doubt PCs and printers are an important part of the conversation. The challenge partners face is finding a way to become part of the conversation before critical decisions are already made.
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