Ingram Micro Channel Embracing Cisco Portal
On-demand solution lets partners manage sales and orders
Ingram Micro is seeing a growing number of channel partners sign on to the distributor’s Cisco Partner Go portal self-service sales and ordering solution less than a year after it was launched.
The Lowdown: Ingram last year introduced the idea of “Partner Now” management portals that leverage automation capabilities to enable partners to use tools for on-demand online sales and ordering management. Cisco was the first vendor to sign onto the Partner Now initiative when it was announced.
The Details: The goal of the Cisco Partner Go portal is to make it easier and faster for Ingram and Cisco channel partners to get solutions into their customers’ hands, improve operational efficiency, increase productivity, and improve the customer experience. At the same time, partners can reduce their own costs and drive up profits. The portal provides users with direct connections to the Cisco Commerce Workspace to get information about the status of orders and to make orders on-demand.
Ingram is hoping to have all Cisco partners using the Partner Go portal next year. Early adopters have been members of Ingram’s Trust X Alliance and SMB Alliance communities. The distributor has had the Cisco Partner Go portal on display this week during its ONE event in Denver.
The Buzz: “Ingram Micro is hyper-focused on delivering an exceptional customer experience to our channel partners and working together to better enable them to serve as a trusted advisor to businesses of all sizes,” says Tim Ament, senior vice president for Ingram Micro’s Advanced Solutions’ U.S. unit. “We are committed to being an indispensable business partner to the channel, and in order to execute against that promise, we must continually invest in the talent, technology, and tools our channel partners need to simplify and scale their success, locally and globally. The Cisco Partner Go portal is a great example of the iterative innovation happening inside Ingram Micro to meet and exceed the business needs of our associates and channel partners and elevate the overall experience.”
“The experience around Cisco Partner Go is effortless, and the tool is simply invaluable,” said Laura Natcher, sales engineer at CTI. “We’ve been able to quote in near real-time and escalate orders that require immediate attention with greater efficiency and tracking.”
“Ingram Micro Partner Go has truly transformed our business,” said Jessica Berger, sales operations director at Aqueduct Technologies. “Using the portal has dramatically cut down our SLAs from hours to minutes, giving us more time to drive sales and focus on growth. Ingram Micro has invested in us as a business, helping to grow our Cisco practice and become more profitable while providing the best possible customer experience.”
“Our new Cisco Partner Go portal has simplified the processes needed for channel partners to more closely align their business with Cisco’s transformational direction and successfully sell Cisco for all partners, especially in the SMB space,” said Peter Graber, executive director of Cisco at Ingram Micro. “Our numbers show that channel partners using the Cisco Partner Go portal are seeing an increase in Cisco deals closed and reporting less escalations when it comes to ordering and tracking Cisco solutions. That’s undeniable value that really hits home and makes a difference to the top and bottom line of business.”
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