Overnight Sensation
For Ocean Computer Group, it was a client that wanted a videoconferencing solution, an area in which the solution provider really didn't have much expertise.
"They have four offices, and they were looking for a solution to facilitate quicker communication and to cut down on travel," said Kenneth Dominguez, an integration specialist at the solution provider.
The client's issueand#8212;likely experienced by a lot of companiesand#8212;was that remote offices often feel isolated and not a key part of the corporate structure, Dominguez said. As Ocean Computer Group started looking around, it found that most solutions were either too expensive or too complicated for what the customer wanted.
Dominguez thought he wasn't going to be much help.
But a conversation with a Tech Data Corp. representative changed all that. Clearwater, Fla.-based Tech Data had recently added LifeSize Communications Inc., Austin, Texas, as a vendor and recommended its solution to Ocean Computer Group. The solution provider brought the customer to its Manhattan office for a demonstration and closed the deal less than two weeks later.
"LifeSize was easy to use. It gave them HD quality, and it's much less expensive," Dominguez said. "And they set it up themselves. It's not complicated at all. It was a great fit. Since this one transaction, we're doing more marketing and we're driving more opportunity in the space."
All of a sudden, Ocean Computer Group was becoming a videoconferencing expert for small-business customers.
"We'd never heard of LifeSize before this. Now we are definitely going to make videoconferencing a focus. It allows me to become more of a complete solution provider. It allows me to add more value than I traditionally had, and it allows me to also better manage their complete infrastructure," Dominguez said.
Meeting SMB Demand
The entry point for videoconferencing has become more affordable for small business consideration, and the technology has improved, he explained. LifeSize's solution costs about $5,000 per customer site, whereas other solutions can cost up to $20,000 per site, Dominguez added.
Ocean Computer Group is pretty judicious when it comes to adding a vendor, according to Dominguez, so it looked closely at LifeSize before picking up the company.
"We add vendors when they provide an excellent value, solve business issues and show a willingness to actively partner with us," he said. "It's a great fit for small business. One of the parts that really sells it is and#91;customersand#93; get HD quality and it's easy to use. It's got a remote control with a few buttons. That's really all. Once they know that, then they can take advantage of some of the other features. It's really an appliance. A box with a camera and speaker, and that's it. You plug it in and you go."
If solution providers aren't looking at videoconferencing for their solution portfolios, they should, said Adam Taylor, executive vice president of worldwide sales and service at LifeSize. The vendor is growing about five times the current industry growth rate for videoconferencing, which is about 30 percent to 35 percent, Taylor said.
LifeSize helps new partners get up to speed with product training and sales training for both its value proposition and its competitive position in the market, Taylor added.
"Folks need to communicate around the world more than they ever have," Taylor said. "But travel is prohibitive. We find companies ratcheting videoconferencing projects up their priority lists. It's a fast payback, and the improvement in efficiency and the reduction in their carbon footprint aspect is part of it."