Middle East Businesses 'losing out' on IT service and support, says expert

Exact Software Middle East, a leading ERP solutions provider, carried out a series of informal qualitative interviews across the region and found customers were not maximizing their return on investment, because channel providers lacked the necessary technical expertise on the solution, which also extended to post-implementation support.

"Channel partners are geared to selling solutions and have excellent reach in their respective markets, but they often do not have a suitable level of knowledge about the solution, so customers are losing out on their investment return," said Nizar Badwan, general manager, Exact Software Middle East.

"Rather than having partial knowledge about a variety of different solutions from multiple vendors, Exact software specialists only focus on our product, meaning customers receive an enhanced and more efficient service," he added.

Vendors have a total understanding of their products and what they can and can't do; however, their partners who are clearly knowledgeable about their markets, often do not have the sufficient technical ability to deal with inquiries once the software package has been installed.

Exact Software Middle East, which operates a direct sales and support model in the Middle East, has a team of dedicated technical specialists which can provide ongoing assistance to organizations deploying Exact Globe 2003 Enterprise solution - making them the only significant ERP provider in the region to offer such as service.

"The feedback we received from customers was that the anticipated benefits of installing a solution were not being fulfilled, during and after implementation, because the service they received did not match their needs," said Badwan.

Exact is also predicting that the demand for dedicated post-implementation support will mean that service contracts become one of its key revenue streams within two years. Exact operates four different levels of support - bronze, silver, gold and platinum - ranging from email support to continuous round-the-clock technical help.

Organizations that have operations across a number of locations have demonstrated a strong commitment to service and support contracts, according to Badwan. "Multi-national companies, and those who work in several sites, are willing to ensure they have the necessary support when needed."

"Increasingly, we are finding that customers are willing to pay a premium for post-implementation service contracts to ensure they are receiving the maximum value from their ERP software investment," he added.