Get Real wakes up to channel advantages

Looking to sign up 12 partners

E-procurement software specialist Get Real Systems (GRS) has transformed its entirely direct sales model into a 100 per cent channel model in a bid to increase turnover.

The firm has launched its Proactis e-procurement software as its first channel-focused release. It is a .Net-based product which, the company has claimed, helps organisations control spending and streamline purchasing.

"We launched our channel drive in April and have so far taken on four partners. Others are waiting to be signed," said Rod Jones, chief executive of GRS. The firm hopes to sign about 12 partners in the next few months, he added.

Resellers will be able to choose from four levels of accreditation, the titles of which have yet to be finalised.

"This is a big step to take, but we think we are through the crossover now. We will no longer be running direct sales and doing implementation ourselves," said Jones.

He added that resellers are the "most cost-effective way into the SME sector because they know how to compete and run in the marketplace".

"Our forward order book is better than ever before and the level of interest in our products from resellers is high. I'm very confident in our future with the channel," he said.

One of the company's first partners is IT services group Touchstone, which also specialises in SunSystems and Microsoft Great Plains software. Touchstone said it has chosen Proactis to sit at the centre of its new procurement services division.

Paul White, managing director of Touchstone, said: "We were looking for a procurement system that would integrate closely with our entire portfolio of solutions, and would satisfy the requirements of our diverse customer base." Proactis fitted the bill, he said.