Computer 2000 Profit From Software Campaign To Target Key Customer Issues

Computer 2000 Press Release 22/10/04

Computer 2000, the UK arm of Tech Data, is embarking on a major campaign designed to raise awareness amongst resellers of the key issues for customers with regard to software and to help them grow their sales.

The Profit from Software campaign will focus on four areas – License Compliance (and Sarbanes Oxley implications), security, productivity and communication. These are the subjects that end users are most concerned about today – understanding how to address these will help resellers to maximise their sales and overall customer satisfaction says General Manager of the Software Business Unit at Computer 2000, Richard Hales.

“By focusing in on these key issues and getting a really good understanding of each one, resellers can improve their ability to tune-in to customer needs and to maximise their software business”, he says.

Computer 2000 will be running a series of seminars and web-based events over the next three months and is also producing a guide and special promotional material for the campaign. A business development team will be available to support reseller efforts to build their software business.

“It is important to take an informed and intelligent approach to software supply”, Hales observes. “Customers are now very aware and concerned about issues such as compliancy and security and want to make certain that they are operating within the rules. Resellers need to be capable of presenting customers with a clear picture of the options and offer sound advice and guidance about the implications of the choices they make.”

End-user customers also want expert advice on the versions of software that are available to them says Hales. “The cycle of development and releases that we see in software can be confusing for users. They will look to their reseller for guidance and reassurance that the versions they are using today are the most appropriate to their needs at the present time, and to manage any upgrades that are needed. The more pro-active resellers can be in this area, the better.”

Resellers need to keep customers informed of the latest developments and ensure that they make users aware of the need to renew software licences in advance. Computer 2000 can help them to do this through its business development team and the Licensing On-line 2004 system. Resellers that are registered to use LOL 2004 can mine data to discover which customers are due for renewals in the near future.

Finally, communicating with customers and keeping them informed is also key to maximising sales. As well as keeping customers up to date about the latest versions and upgrades available, resellers need to ensure customers understand the implications of their decisions.

“It is all about customer satisfaction”, says Hales, “For example, customers who have Microsoft Windows NT4 and do not upgrade before the end of the year, may find themselves more vulnerable to security threats and only able to obtain limited support if they have any issues. Customers need to understand this well in advance and resellers have an important role to play in keeping them well-informed of these kinds of developments.’”

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