Ingram Micro Canada (NYSE: IM), has added Cisco Systems Canada to its Reseller Services Portal, according to MaintenanceNet Inc., a software developer that providers the portal for the Mississauga, Ont.-based distributor.
MaintenanceNet officials told CDN that resellers can now use the reseller services portal as a service sales “machine” to automate Cisco service renewal contracts, register Cisco SmartNet/service contracts, and essentially add incremental revenue to their overall Cisco sales.
Ingram Canada will also introduce a new quote to order module with Cisco in the portal intended to drive faster, more efficient service sales through the site.
The reseller services portal automates IT product service renewal contracts for the channel helping solution providers drive incremental revenue by registering, renewing, and refreshing their end clients’ service contract purchases. Designed by MaintenanceNet, the new quote to order module is a component of the Ingram’s reseller services portal product life cycle. The module integrates with Cisco’s order processing system and reduces the time required for Ingram Micro’s sales agents and solution providers to generate a quote and transact Cisco SMARTnet orders, MaintenanceNet claims.
In a prepared statement, Tim Billing, vice president, vendor management, Ingram Micro Canada, said when integrated with Cisco’s ordering systems, the RSP reduces research and transaction time and delivers electronic customized price quotes within minutes. The reseller services portal quote process is immediate, a huge time saver seeing that alternative solutions can take more than 24 hours to deliver a valid quote to customers.
The distributor rolled out to the new quote and order system to a select number of Ingram Micro resellers earlier this year. With it the channel partner can pro-rate, co-term, or quote different service levels on the same quote the module will facilitate their every need.
Walt Jimenez, network consultant at IOSecure, said With a built-in quote validation tool to ensure up-to-the-minute pricing, with profit margins and discount models, this tool helps deliver instantaneous and accurate quotes. IOSecure has been working with the module for more than three weeks and believes it validates the quote to ensure the company is selling the right service to customers, while reducing the number of quote and order errors.
The quote to order module will be updated on an ongoing basis by Ingram Canada with the most current pricing and service data. It uses the shopping cart approach used primary on online retail sites to service quoting and ordering.