Voda One Debuts More Services Support Tools
The distributor, an Avaya-focused business unit of Westcon Group, Tarrytown, N.Y., added customized configuration and system design support, a dealer quote tool for calculating reseller costs, and quicker access to Avaya Global Services offerings.
"The whole reason for all these tools is to simplify the quoting process of services and the designing of equipment," said Jeff Kastroll, director of technical services for Westcon Group, North America. "We know many business partners don't have the technical resources available to them. We try to have our customers utilize our resources as much as possible."
The Dealer Quote Tool calculates the cost of products and services through Voda One, incorporating deal-specific discount levels, rebates and other pricing considerations for solution providers. It can also provide Avaya Global Services maintenance quotes, is password protected and updated on a regular basis to ensure consistency with the latest Avaya pricing, according to Kastroll.
"It's a quick and easy way for business partners to take what could be a several-hundred-item design and paste it into our spreadsheet for their cost of equipment, maintenance on a two-, three- or four-year time frame as well. It turns what would normally take 25 minutes into a two or three second process, he said.
The Voda One Online Services tool provides the ability to track new design requests and implement upgrade requests on Avaya products. It also enables customers to request professional service quotes and contracts through Avaya Global Services.
"It's all very interactive. If you have a Web site, you can view any history accessible through ConvergencePoint. It's a nice simple way to request any services from our technical team," Kastroll said.
Finally, Voda One's Co-pilot tool offers new remote sales assistance. Solution providers can leverage the distributor's technical support staff for free to explain the solution and help close a sales deal, Kastroll said.
"If our business partners go onsite and don't have the sales or engineering expertise available, we can help deliver presentations and schedule online demos," he said.