BT set to expand MATP
Telco pledges to transfer £200m of direct business to partners
BT Business is aiming to trans-fer £200m of direct business to its channel as part of its Managing Accounts Through Partners (MATP) programme.
When the scheme was launched last year BT handed over 4,000 managed accounts worth a total of £36m, to eight partners, including distributors Rocom and Nymans and VAR Azzurri.
In the next 12 months BT will pass an extra 36,000 customers to the existing eight partners, as well as adding eight more, which have yet to be named.
Terry Hughes, general manager indirect channels at BT Business, said this is all in line with the telco's move to increase indirect sales. "The accounts passed over have lead to an overall increase in revenue of 13 per cent," he said.
"BT's strategy is moving towards an indirect model, and Pierre Danon [chief executive of BT Retail] has signed this off. The channel is up and running and has established relationships, so it can now bundle other products."
John Carter, managing director of BT distributor DMSL, said MATP is essential to BT because it lacks some IT skills in-house.
"It makes sense. If customers want services BT cannot offer, the resellers can help," he said. "BT needs the channel because with technology such as broadband it means nothing unless the customer has products to use it."
He added that face-to-face contact with resellers, rather than telephone-based account management, is essential for end-users.
Manny Pinon, sales and marketing director at BTIC distributor Norwood Adam, said there is a huge BT installed base craving additional products and services. "The channel is good for customer satisfaction and resellers can help increase sales," he said.