DMSL gambles on expanded fixITlocal portfolio

Reseller members of the national fixITlocal network are still experiencing mixed results nearly ten months after launch, with some partners getting no service calls while others average 8-10 each week.

John Carter, managing director at the network's creator, BT distributor DMSL, said 600 resellers had signed up to fixITlocal and job calls via the network ranged from zero to ten each week per member.

However, it was still early days and the fixITlocal's future still looked good, he said.

“We're just building the proposition up,” he said. “We're getting very positive feedback from people. And coming up to Christmas, we expect it to really increase.”
DMSL has also introduced further new features to sweeten the offering, Carter said.
“We're now launching a branded extended warranty,” he said. “They haven't had that to sell before. They're going to make recurring revenue out of that with every PC. They'll make a living even without any service calls.”

DMSL has also added a disaster recovery offering for fixITlocal partners to present to SME customers.

fixITlocal costs each member £15 a month, which gets the reseller “at a minimum” a spot on its call locator and customer online postcode checker that returns a list of the nearest fixITlocal members.

Evidence suggested that local partners were best-placed to deliver quality services, and fixITlocal aimed to maximise that opportunity, he said.

DMSL was ramping up its marketing push, a move Carter conceded could be critical for fixITlocal's future success.

The distributor is going on the road to talk up the network and attract more resellers to sign up, holding five roadshows through September, in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and London.

About 50 resellers are expected to attend each roadshow, Carter said.

Distributor Micro Peripherals (Micro-P) would at the roadshow also outline a series of present and future offers targeting fixITlocal partners, he said.

A services module ¬ where members will be able to carry out field services work in their local area on behalf of PC vendors ¬ was announced mid-May, as reported in CRN.

Further marketing moves were also planned, Carter added.