Matchmaking site aims to link resellers and customers

A new Australian start-up is offering resellers the opportunity to profile and market themselves to a wider range of customers online.

Tech Services Guide is the brainchild of telco industry veteran, John Glendenning. It is designed to provide customers and resellers with an independent Web-based profiling and engagement facility. The site has taken 18 months to build and was piloted with 15 resellers including InspireIT, Virtual Office and Phrixus.

Unlike vendor partner portals, which profile resellers to customers based on technical criteria or technology services, Glendenning claimed Tech Services Guide allowed a client to identify a pre-qualified partner quickly and efficiently based on business problems they are trying to solve.

For example, customers can search for someone that can help them plan for disruptive events, deal with ageing servers, upgrade equipment, provide PC support, make mobile workers more efficient, or store data somewhere safely. Customers also enter the size of their organisation and location, as well as preferred proximity from the provider.

“As a customer, if I have a specific request it’s usually based on a business problem. We’re aiming to help customers identify those problems then find the right partner to solve them,” Glendenning said.

Afterwards, customers will be able to rate their provider through Tech Services Guide, which should help reduce risk and give others end-user knowledge on how a reseller is perceived, he said.

While the site is open to resellers of all sizes, Glendenning saw it particularly resonating with smaller resellers who haven’t got skills in-house to develop sophisticated websites or marketing campaigns.

“We’re providing a space where resellers and integrators have equal footing to market themselves,” he said.

Resellers are divided into market sizes – 1-10, 10-20, 20-50, 50-200 and over 200 – as well as geographic coverage, skill sets and credentials. Resellers can feature a profile of their business, along with up to four customer case studies.

Registered resellers pay a $99 12-month fee, then additional monthly costs depending on the level of customer acquisition.

Glendenning said he was now looking to bring on a full-time employee to proactively work with partners on building their online profiles, as well as market the site to customers through SEO and advertising campaigns.

“I’m hoping to bring on enough partners to provider geographic coverage and skills,” he said.

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