Print.IT Reseller - issue76

VOX POP 01732 759725 42 ...continued... n How do you measure yourself against others in the channel? “The programme is designed to suit every MSP, whatever stage of development they have reached. By bringing committed business leaders together to share best practices and new ideas and learn from each other, the new framework will deliver even more value. We have an exciting programme of events planned for the year ahead, starting with our National Member Conference and MSP Festival in September (which will be entirely virtual) and continuing with a whole series of exclusive SynMSP meetings, workshops and webinars. “We’ve also made it even more attractive for new members by offering them a 50 per cent discount for the first 12 months – a total saving of £900. New members benefits include: Improved margins and efficiency from day one – access to highly competitive pricing and purchasing support – from O365, cybersecurity and services to hardware & consumables. An interactive programme of events, real world and online – showcasing new opportunities and trends, knowledge exchange and peer learning, alongside extraordinary networking. Customisable, fully- realised quarterly marketing campaigns – designed for lead generation and brand promotion. Access to a closed chat groups – for the exchange of information, recommendations, business opportunities, advice, guidance, and experiences (both LinkedIn and Facebook).” Nigel Allen, Marketing Director, ASL Group: “Obviously this crisis has had a huge impact on all businesses and has made everyone review costs and plans to ensure that the ongoing business is sustainable. The good news is that the recovery is in progress and although business is nowhere near the levels we previously had, we can see enough progress to be optimistic. “The core of ASL’s business is SMEs throughout the country, not just focussed on London and other large cities. This has meant that many of these businesses have been the first to get back into their offices and therefore printing volumes have jumped up. However our prediction is that over the course of the year they will reach a maximum of 80-90 per cent of ‘normal’ volumes.” James Pittick, Partner Channel Director, Canon UK: “First and foremost, our plan is to make sure we have the right technology and processes in place for our partners and customers to support them through their return to work plans. Given the constantly evolving nature of this crisis, it is important for our business to be agile. Our broad product range is here to help partners and businesses plan to make the hybrid workplace work long-term. “Diversification is a key pillar of our partner programme, and we are focusing on helping partners to diversify their offerings and continue to expand into selling services throughout the rest of the year. We have been working very closely with our traditional hardware resellers to help them integrate software solutions into their sales pitches, repositioning themselves as end-to-end service providers. “We have also invested heavily in tools and training for upskilling via a webinar series and learning pathways hosted on our partner portal. With topics such as remote working, sustainability, and security we want to help partners to understand ever-evolving client needs, and how they can adapt their business plans to meet these demands.” Stuart Sykes, Managing Director, Sharp UK: “The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on businesses across all sectors and markets, and we like others will continue to focus on adapting to the changes the pandemic has created. “Of course, our main priorities are the safety and wellbeing of our teams and supporting our partners as they too take on this journey. This is an ongoing focus of ours across the business, as we continue to deliver the best possible results for all our valued customers, no matter the setbacks.” Alpesh Unalkat, CEO, Aura: “Aura was formed in a COVID world when it launched in March 2020 through the acquisition of Karlson and Intevi in a deal led by a management team that previously ran the workplace technology business within Capita (a FTSE plc). Our value proposition was formed early 2019, long before COVID-19, and focuses on ‘reimagining future workspaces’ through connected solutions that integrate workforce and customer experiences at home, in retail outlets, in shared collaboration spaces and in offices. “COVID-19 has simply accelerated the workspace-of-the-future discussion and Aura is very well positioned both as a thought leader and solutions provider. Our business plans, goals and ambitions have benefited from the customer awareness that COVID-19 has brought, especially as our business revenues are split 50:50 between our collaboration and managed print offering. We are seeing gathering momentum in customer activity and our hopes and plans for the remainder of 2020 are to conclude an acquisition that we are working on, to recruit further high quality talent into the business and to see a continuation of the focus on future workspaces from new and existing clients.” Phil Madders Nigel Allen