Today at HP Inc.’s flagship global partner event, the company announced a new multi-vendor financing model and a revamped gateway to services training and sales assets.
The new model, called HP Integrated Financial Solutions, is described by HP as its branded finance solution for providing partners with more flexibility to ramp up their services-based business. It’s also another way to improve partners’ long-term recurring revenue, explained Deborah Baker, head of worldwide leasing and financing, adding when leasing and financing are involved in a solution, the average transaction size is higher, discount rates on products are lower, and margins are higher.
“Backed by our financing partners, HP Integrated Financial Solutions will deliver market-leading offerings and be a key enabler for our customers and partners to acquire the latest HP technology solutions,” Baker said during a telephone briefing. “Everything we do is based around a recurring monthly payment.”
While she didn’t specify which ones, Baker said HP will partner with two strategic global providers as well as local or regional providers to maximize coverage and identify emerging markets. Advanced reporting will mine data from HP’s install base to help maximize refresh rates for channel partners. Baker said more details can be expected in the next couple of weeks.
The recently launched Wise platform, which makes it easier to access technical information, training, how-to videos, service manuals and advisories, is available through the Partner First portal. According to Gary Simms, head of Americas channel programs and enablement, more than 5,000 unique partner visitors have interacted with Wise since it launched in October. Wise is aimed at HP’s services delivery partners, and Simms said 700 of them have taken the official training for the platform.
Speaking of Partner First – HP announced the merger of HP’s Sales Central (HPSC) and Partner First portals into a single entity. It will live under the HPSC umbrella, which recently added a new chatbot assistant. The unified site launches mid-April. Full functionality of legacy sites will roll out throughout the calendar year. HP says it’s also planning to add a Gamification-as-a-Service feature, available on both the desktop and mobile versions of the portal.