BTIC boss's simple sermon

Resellers can expect increased business and a simplified channel structure from BT Indirect Channels (BTIC) in the future.

This is according to Jon Lane, who became director at BTIC 10 weeks ago. Last week he vowed to revamp its channel plans.

"I've met between 10 and 15 partners per week for the past 10 weeks, and I've picked up two impressions," Lane said. "First, this is a great opportunity to do more with our partners. Second, our partners are very clear about what they want from us."

Lane said all of the distributors and resellers he spoke to found BTIC's organisational structure unclear, so he has restructured its management to reduce the number of managers reporting to him and the number of departments resellers have to deal with.

A reseller council, recently formed by Lane, has also asked for a more joined-up approach to the products BTIC sells.

"They have asked us to get the complete partner proposition right," he said. "That means sales, support, service and marketing have to be correct. We must have a simple partner proposition."

John Carter, managing director of distributor DMSL, said BTIC has changed a great deal since Lane's arrival.

"He wants to hear what we have to say. We are also seeing some actions as a result. The firm is becoming more focused; more of a sales organisation. It's a real improvement on the lack of action from the previous year or so," said Carter.

"It's a high-turnover organisation, and BTIC has to drive new business. It has to help resellers that have been selling voice for the past 15 years to move on."

Separately, BTIC is adding its 'OpenZone in a box' hotspot product to its broadband package and the Paveway reward scheme.

Rakesh Mahajan, general manager of marketing and strategy at BTIC, said: "In August, September and October, we sold 1,000 of these hotspots through a small number of telesales staff. What we have now done is to move OpenZone into our broadband business, so we can push the two products together."

ben_tudor@vnu.co.uk