In November IT distributor Tech Data Corp., based in Clearwater, Fla., unveiled an application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that gives its resellers all the product pricing, availability, ordering, and account information they’ve come to know and use at TechData.com. Pete Peterson, senior vice president of U.S. Sales, spoke with ChannelPro-SMB about accessTD and its reception among partners.
ChannelPro-SMB: What can you tell us about your new accessTD application?
Peterson: We launched accessTD, or access Tech Data, at our Fall TechSelect Partner Conference in November, where it was well received; the partners were very excited about it. One thing that excites me about it is that it has the look and feel of our TechData.com website, which has won numerous awards for flexibility and ease of use. A lot of our reseller customers already use TechData.com as an integral part of their day-to-day operations in dealing with their customers, and certainly in buying and procuring products and services from Tech Data. So the fact that accessTD has the same skin and feel as our TechData.com website is fantastic.
ChannelPro-SMB: I was speaking with some VARs after the announcement and one of them said, “This is a great app! I can now drop it down to my end user and let them get what they need!”
Peterson: Yes, that’s the interesting thing. If you’re a reseller at your customer’s site and there’s some new technology that we may have just launched and you need to get some specifics on it, it’s all there. Or, if there’s an opportunity sitting right in front of you, or you just happen to be there when the CEO or CTO needs a little pricing information, you’ll able to access their specific pricing and availability. Whether you’re using your iPad or iPhone, that kind of instant access should improve cycle time. It certainly should improve productivity for our resellers as well as Tech Data.
ChannelPro-SMB: Is Tech Data the only company with this type of app?
Peterson: Yes, to my knowledge. Our team has been working on it for a while, and it’s going to be refined over time.
ChannelPro-SMB: How do you think an app like this will affect the ordering process from the VARs? Do you think it will increase their budgets?
Peterson: That’s a tough one. Again, I think it makes the reseller more productive. If they’re street warriors, going from account to account, they should save a lot of time by no longer having to get on the phone with their distribution rep at Tech Data and asking for XYZ pricing on XYZ part number—it’s available and it’s at their fingertips. It should enable them to close more business. And certainly I think it will make them more productive in terms of incremental revenue.
ChannelPro-SMB: Do you think having this app gives Tech Data a competitive advantage?
I think the fact that we have one, and perhaps some of the others don’t, should give us a leg up in terms of being the first call.
