Ingram Micro, Inc, the world’s largest technology distributor, has been selected as a 1to1 Impact award winner by 1to1 Magazine in recognition of a 2005-2006 technology initiative implemented by MaintenanceNet, Inc., the leading provider of maintenance contract management services. 1to1 Magazine, a publication dedicated to helping organizations realize the greatest value from their customer base, made the announcement today during Frost & Sullivan’s Eighth Annual Sales & Marketing MindXchange. In recognizing Ingram Micro, the magazine cited the company’s exceptional use of technology to achieve quantifiable results in support of strategic business objectives.
The 1to1 Impact awards honor end-user organizations that have implemented or significantly updated customer-based business strategies with demonstrated impact. Nominees are evaluated in three categories: customer strategy, organizational transformation, and technology optimization. Ingram Micro was chosen as the winner in the technology optimization category out of dozens of leading organizations submitting nominations. All winners are profiled in the publication’s January/February issue, as well as online at www.1to1media.com.
“We are pleased to present this award to Ingram Micro, a company that continues to demonstrate its leadership with ground-breaking customer strategies,” said Ginger Conlon, editor-in-chief of publications for 1to1 Media. “By aligning with MaintenanceNet to implement new data integration services and create the Ingram Micro Reseller Services Portal, the technology distributor has overcome the challenges of its complex, two-tiered sales strategy in a highly innovative way.”
Ingram Micro called upon MaintenanceNet to develop an entirely new streamlined procedure for managing product registrations and warranties as well as maintenance service renewals and uncovered assets (IT products sold without service agreements). The resulting technology implementation, anchored by the Ingram Micro Reseller Services Portal (RSP), yielded quantifiable improvements in service contract management, while also delivering profound enhancements to communication across Ingram Micro’s entire value chain including manufacturers, solution providers and end-customers.
Since launching the MaintenanceNet-powered RSP in April 2006, Ingram Micro has achieved millions of dollars in new service revenue streams. Within two quarters, the new portal-based system was able to elevate Ingram Micro to a 94 percent overall registration rate, equating to approximately $5 million in new revenue opportunities. Also, more than 5,600 resellers have accessed the portal to retrieve and track maintenance contract opportunities, which has led to a 172 percent increase in overall renewal opportunities. In addition, Ingram Micro has attained a 38 percent improvement in product registration.
“We are very honored to accept this award from 1to1 in recognition of our tremendously successful technology initiative,” said Justin Crotty, vice president of services for Ingram Micro North America. “In creating the portal, MaintenanceNet went well beyond the traditional reaches of portal technology to put us in closer touch with our customers, thereby resulting in a greater response to customers’ needs as well as dramatic improvements in maintenance service sales.”
According to Scott Herron, CEO of MaintenanceNet, most initiatives aimed at increasing service sales simply take into account the need to expand or improve sales techniques and staffing requirements. “We commend Ingram Micro on having the foresight to leverage our expertise to focus on first removing the data bottlenecks to achieving the caliber of end-customer data required for managing an effective maintenance service renewal program,” said Herron. “In addition, in implementing the RSP, Ingram Micro looked to the future to find a way to provide its manufacturers and VAR customers with a base upon which they can measure and grow their maintenance service businesses.”
