Larato helps ICT suppliers and resellers with business development. They keep a close eye on what business buyers want to buy compared with what ICT sellers want to sell to help suppliers sell more.
Lucy Green, MD of Larato, commented "Over recent years, many resellers have preferred to sell VoIP systems because the business model is simpler. Resellers that have gone down the hosted route have tended to work with Broadsoft or Mitel."
Larato claim Skype for Business has changed this picture and Microsoft is now presenting Broadsoft with some stiff competition.
The new findings from Larato have uncovered a distinct preference for Skype for Business among resellers. Green continued "We asked a number of Voice, Data and ICT resellers which product or service they would most like to add to their portfolio. The answer was crystal clear: Skype for Business. As an interesting postscript, Larato also measured resellers’ opinion about their suppliers. Microsoft came out on top."
Green stated "I think that it is popular because Microsoft are making it easy to buy and they are taking some complementary offers to market that are really compelling for a small business. For example, if you buy Office 365, you get 1 TB of free space on OneDrive per user. It’s a great offer and I know lots of small businesses like mine are buying it and recommending it. There is a key insight here for resellers – make it easy to buy and you will sell."
We will be discussing Skype for Business and the Channel opportunity at the Convergence Summit South next week as part of the seminar programme. To find out more come along. Visitors to the show can sign up for free here