Acer Middle East's 'Fresh Technology' first-to-market strategy pays big dividends

"The IT market in the Middle East is highly competitive, and, to stand out in the crowd, a company needs to have a unique approach to meeting customer demands. At Acer, we aim to differentiate ourselves from the competition by regularly introducing first-to-market technologies and service initiatives," said Krishna Murthy, general manager, Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd.

In the last twelve months Acer has been behind several market-leading developments that have demonstrated the company's drive to provide innovative technology in the Middle East. And in the last six months alone, Acer has launched several new products and services that can rightly be considered to be regional "firsts" in the market.

Acer was the world's first IT company to introduce the tablet PC - with its capability to convert from the traditional laptop 'clamshell mode' for keyboard input to 'tablet mode' for use with a stylus pen - which presented Middle East users with unprecedented ease-of-use, functionality, and versatility in computing.

"The Tablet PC, with its digital pen and speech technologies, considerably extends the functionality of PCs, offering Middle East users a truly 'fresh' approach to computing," said Murthy.

The regional launch in April of the Acer TravelMate 800 - the first Intel Mobile Centrino-based notebook PC available on the global market - forced Middle East users to consider anew how mobile computing could continue to add value to their already highly-productive lifestyles.

"For Middle East users of mobile technology, Acer's introduction of the Intel Centrino technology- which is specifically designed for wireless and mobile computing - has meant that notebook PC technology is now capable of matching the power and utility of the newest generation of desktop computers in a fully portable format," added Murthy.

More recently still, Acer was the first regional IT vendor to launch a tablet PC with Intel Mobile Centrino technology - the TravelMate C110.

On the services side of the business, the opening of Acer's flagship customer call center in January of this year has resulted in increased sales, faster response times to customer demands, and improved customer satisfaction.

And, while other global PC manufacturers may operate call centers in the region already, say Acer executives, only Acer can claim to offer its customers a 'Collect and Drop' service for all its mobile computing products.

"The customized service that we offer through the call center allows customers who have a problem with an Acer mobile product to dial our call center and give their address details - the rest is up to us. An Acer representative will then collect the Acer mobile product, take it to our facility to get it fixed, and then deliver it back to the customer," added Murthy.

"Introducing all of these products and services first in the Middle East has given us the opportunity to substantially increase the equity of the Acer brand, as well as build-up a strong rapport with our channel. And by having a strong reputation for being first-to-market, our channel can be confident that they are going to have the most innovative products in their stores, which always keeps customers happy," concluded Murthy.