At a time when enterprises look to better manage an influx of documents and data, Xerox has responded with new tools to print for less – and print less – while simplifying how work gets done in a secure and sustainable way. The market leader in MPS, Xerox combines technology and document management expertise with business process and IT outsourcing capabilities. In an exclusive chat with Vishal Awal, Executive Director, Services, Xerox South Asia, Kalpana Singhal finds out the strategies Xerox India has developed in maintaining their market share.
How is Xerox positioning its print solutions for the VARs and SIs?
Vishal – Xerox has a rich legacy of driving path breaking innovation. We invented geography and created a full market place and are leaders for years. Going forward we realized that the game is changing, market is not going to demand product per say but the outcome that the product can deliver. So basically, question arises is what are the core business issues enterprises are facing and how we can make their quality of life easy? How Xerox can come forward and provide solution. The need is to provide that extra competitive edge, help enhance end user perception of services, give some cost benefits, collapse turnaround time, ensuring a robust security framework and ensuring end to end visibility and control. At that time we realized that the market is fundamentally changing and demanding these things and we need to transform and look from that angle. That was the time when we invested 6.4 million dollars and got ourselves strongly positioned in this space. Xerox was strong in Document outsourcing portfolio, Business process Outsourcing & IT Services. There was a need to interlink these things. Document drives workflows, workflows drives business processes, processes drives efficiency and experience. Bringing all of these capabilities under the same umbrella created true differentiating positioning in the market for Xerox. This is document management chain that helps gaining visibility & control of printing to help you cut costs and improve security, sustainability and productivity. It’s a journey and we are heading towards this.
What is the big benefit of associating with Xerox?
Vishal – Lot of players can offer compartmentalize solutions. Till now, you need different vendors for starting from manage print solution, digitization – scanning solution to print procurement solution but Xerox can get into your entire governance of document management chain, understand whole chain and come out with a strategy. We become the single point of accountability and drives cost efficiency, gives security, visibility and control. Xerox have always been technology leader. With our range of service capabilities right from document management to business process & IT outsourcing services, our robust boxes framework, global delivery infrastructure, our skill and expertise. Enterprises can outsource not only their most of the back office but also some of their front office. They can focus on what really matters them that is winning in the market space. We kind of help them compete better by taking care of things that are core to their business but is not their core business and that ways their bandwidth increases and they are ahead of the peers.
What kind of training does Xerox provide to channel partners in India?
Vishal – We have got a robust mechanism of training our channel partners. We have very stringent criteria of inducting our partners, certifying them. Once inducted there are structured ways of ramping their capabilities to compete in the efficient way in the market and keep getting their skills more and more sharp. It is a elaborate framework like ongoing interfaces, ongoing investment to ensure they are moving up the value chain. We have structured competence channel engagement programs to ensure that the dialogue continues in required direction and whatever are the needs to be taken care of. Our Partner Portal (Partner Net – Portal of Choice) enables partners to get direct access to sales and marketing tools, analysis and research materials, eLearning courses, memory joggers and resources to help run events more smoothly. Plus, participate in open discussions between their colleagues and Xerox. Besides, we do Strategic Partner Program (Partner First – Drive Growth. Together), Training and Enablement Framework (XPERT – Engage, Learn, Succeed), send Quarterly Channel Newsletter (XConnect – Stay Connected), conduct Reward & Recognition program (XPL – Celebrating Channel Excellence) to name a few more channel initiatives.
What is your strategy to target the enterprise community? Please share your GTM here?
Vishal – Xerox address market by three different mechanism. First is Alliance Partners, they are large system integrators and also our global partners, second is Elaborate Channel partners for MPS, Xerox partner print services and third is our Direct Sales team. Depending on the comprehensive needs and size of the enterprise and considering the capabilities plus bandwidth of the channel partner we decide on which channel is best suitable to service the customer. Basically, it depends on customer’s requirement, satisfaction and how looking at how customer can be best serviced. Large Enterprises typically we go directly and reasons are manifold as they require integrated solution like print optimization, document management chain, print procurement and so forth. The kind of sheer complexities of the solutions involved for large enterprises our sales team go directly, assess the pain areas, align and streamline things and deliver required solutions and deploy architecture.
What kind of expectations does Xerox has from India for the year 2014?
Vishal – Not just 2014 but for next multiple coming years, the momentum towards effective end to end document management we keep on getting to more and more centre stage. I am personally bullish about this industry is going to grow on a rapid pace and Xerox being a market leader in this space is investing in the right orders, building the right kind of capabilities having a right kind of market focus will succeed. The whole market structure is also transforming and you have to dismantle old ways of doing business and put right things in place that the market is demanding. So it is a journey, not only us but applicable for everybody. In 2014, we will continue to further strengthen our already dominating position and keep focussing on building a robust channel and service network. Also, now that we have our global Research Centre in Bengaluru that gives us a lot more leverage of driving customer led innovation.