Xerox lifts channel with accreditation overhaul
Vendor's revamped certification process opens benefits opportunities up to partners
Xerox is opening out its accreditation programme and attempting to drive all of its resellers to join the scheme. Traditionally, only Xerox’s Concessionaire resellers – those that only sell Xerox products – have been able to work towards accreditation.
Vernon Holloway, Xerox’s UK coverage manager, told CRN: “We’ve had an accreditation process in place since 1997 that enabled us to distinguish between our Concessionaires and Premier Concessionaires. We are now extending this out to our Select resellers, Graphic Arts resellers and Corporate resellers. The accreditation programme is all about determining where channel partners will sit in the Xerox value chain.”
Asked if an existing partner could be moved down to a lower tier under the accreditation process, Holloway replied: “I don’t think we’ll move anyone down. Select resellers could be moved up to another level if they are performing well.”
Holloway said that the accreditation programme will enable Xerox to determine what benefits it grants to each partner.
“We’ll give performance rebates set at different levels depending on where a partner is in the value chain,” he said. “There will be many other benefits including promotional programmes, tactical pricing, reward schemes, joint marketing programmes, sales tools and access to our software.”
Under the accreditation programme, Xerox has also launched a certification programme for individual sales people.
“The certification scheme determines what level our partners’ sales people need to be at,” said Holloway. “Our internal sales people are having to go through the certification as well.”
Geoff Duffelen, a director at Xerox Concessionaire Xeretec, said: “We have invested heavily to ensure that our customer service teams are accredited and skilled at supporting customer requirements
“We are confident that we can benefit from Xerox broadening the reseller accreditation programme.”
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