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Are you a stickler for customer service? VARs that can truthfully answer “yes” to this question know that there’s money to be made after installation. In fact, longstanding
business relationships are often formed and strengthened well after the initial sale is over. That’s where you can prove your commitment to the customer through
responsiveness and dedication. In an industry where many resellers offer similar technology solutions, the most efficient way to differentiate yourself from the
competition is by focusing on customer service — and being fanatical about it.

“We wanted to help ScanSource resellers find ways to strengthen their value-added offerings and set themselves apart.” Rich Brown, Program Manager, ScanSource Partner Services

Even if you decide to make a commitment to customer service, it’s not always easy to stay on top of customer challenges on a daily basis. But what if you knew the
types of problems your customers could soon be facing before they happened? What if you instantly knew when an end user was low on printing supplies or nearing the
end of a product’s life cycle? What if you knew just as much about the status of your customer’s point-of-sale system in the months and years after you sold it to them
as on the day of the install?

To have that kind of knowledge, you’d almost have to be watching your customers’ systems around the clock. If that sounds impossible, you may be interested to learn
that the new ScanSource VirtualTechnician™ was created to do just that. ScanSource VirtualTechnician is a remote monitoring software that can be loaded into an end user’s point-of-sale system.

High priority alerts can keep a reseller informed about the state of the end user’s systems and servers 24/7. That means if a product is on the verge of failure, a VAR can act proactively rather than finding out about a problem after the fact.  ScanSource VirtualTechnician can also keep resellers informed about equipment that is nearing endof-life so that they can offer replacements in a timely fashion.

“Everyone would like to be more knowledgeable about their customers’ needs and requirements,” says Rich Brown, ScanSource’s Program Manager. “We wanted to
help ScanSource resellers find ways to strengthen their value-added offerings and set themselves apart. In the future, as the same types of products and solutions
become available throughout the marketplace, VARs will need to deliver powerful customer service to make an impact. ScanSource VirtualTechnician is part of that
revolution in customer support.”

CAPABILITIES AND FEATURES

ScanSource Virtual Technician is like having an instant “help desk”— with one key difference.  This help desk is proactive rather than reactive. Instead of scrambling to
fix a system that isn’t working, resellers who tap into ScanSource VirtualTechnician can see trouble while it’s still brewing on the horizon. And by doing the work for
you, ScanSource VirtualTechnician can reduce support costs.

“The tool allows you to be aware of a system’s condition in real-time or on a monitoring schedule,” Brown says.  “You have the capability of taking immediate action or scheduled action on a store system based on the alert priority level. It also monitors application software conditions that could represent a pending problem.”
Another benefit of the tool is its ability to provide the key documentation VARs need when recommending system upgrades. “ScanSource VirtualTechnician provides documented historical service data that will allow a reseller to cost justify maintenance contract renewals,” says Brown.  “That kind of information can be critical when you’re offering new service contracts that include preventive, proactive and break/fix services.”

“VARs need greater account control in the future, including more ways to affect and shape the way their customers do business. They need to have a tie that binds them together with their customers.”  Rich Brown, Program Manager, ScanSource Partner Services

“By offering ScanSource VirtualTechnician, resellers actually have a chance to help end users improve their own business processes, which is the key requirement for
every technology solution,” Brown continues. “For example, when used in a retail setting, this system can identify yesterday’s failed operations such as problems
with end-of-day credit card settlements, store closing or balancing data, failed updated inventory pricing and more. And that information is provided before a new
business day begins. As a result, the end user isn’t blindsided by problems when he or she opens for business on the following day.”

ScanSource VirtualTechnician can also maintain an asset base of in-store equipment and software by product models and serial numbers, and can detect unauthorized installed software or hardware.

“VARs need greater account control in the future, including more ways to affect and shape the way their customers do business,” Brown says. “They need to have a tie that binds them together with their customers. ScanSource VirtualTechnician provides that tie. When paired up with a strong commitment to customer service, it can be part of the foundation for lasting business relationships.”