BT bolsters indirect business
Telco adds BTIC to larger unit, offering VARs access to new SME accounts
BT Indirect Channels' (BTIC's) resellers could get access to more than a million new SME accounts, after BTIC was made part of the BT Business Unit.
Following the development of BTIC, which now has annual revenues of £750m, BT's Alternative Channels Unit has been closed, allowing BTIC to become part of the more substantial BT Business Unit.
Alternative Channels was established in March 2001 to act as an incubator for BT's sales businesses, including BTIC.
Chris Jagucz, head of business development at BTIC, said: "The great news about this restructuring is that it gives BTIC a louder voice on the board of the business that manages SME customers.
"Access to a new customer base and better representation will lead to more business for partners."
But Manny Pinon, sales and marketing director at BT distributor Norwood Adam, was sceptical about the move, and said it was a case of "wait and see".
He warned: "BT still needs to demonstrate this because it has been saying this type of thing for a long time."
John Griffith, consulting director at VAR Compusys, said: "This would be a substantial change, but a lot depends on how quickly BT can roll the strategic information out to the field sales.
"It is great to hear BT talking about this, and it is a good start. But in my experience with BT the tanker will take a long time to turn around."
Pinon added that the move had not been communicated well. "This should have all been explained at the BT partner event in Manchester in May," he said.
But Jagucz claimed BTIC had not wanted to distract partners from its message of growth in broadband and IT.
BT has been making a number of channel pushes recently. Only last month the telco said it was looking to give its channel priority over its direct salesforce for the first time.
BTIC director Mark Hollister said at the time that the channel would eventually account for more new-wave technology sales than the direct salesforce.