Intelisys Simply Quote Tool Tackles 'Barriers to Entry'

INTELISYS CHANNEL CONNECT — Tech services distributor Intelisys is streamlining its quoting process.

The ScanSource subsidiary has introduced Simply Quote, a mobile-friendly tool that reduces the number of required inputs from partners from dozens to four. Simply Quote generates advisor-branded pricing proposals.

The new dashboard stems from feedback from advisor partners who asked for a more automated and streamlined quoting process. It also represents an effort by Intelisys to operate more of the quoting process outside of email in order to create more efficiency.

"This dashboard modernizes managing your quotes into a funnel-based workflow, getting you out of the email, offering real time status updates on pricing, and moves all of your communication into the opportunity so that you can stop playing email ping-pong and start getting things done," said Justin Kelley, Intelisys' vice president of digital tools, speaking at the Intelisys Channel Connect conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kelley said the previous quoting process for connectivity would have required anywhere from 10-50 questions advisors needed to answer about their opportunity.

"That is way too high a barrier to entry," Kelley said.

Many partners have grown accustomed to connecting with their channel managers to exchange information. Many technology advisors told Channel Futures they've had good experiences working with the people at Intelisys to manually compile information about quoting and orders. The Intelisys back office will still play a key role going forward, but an email-based process that relies on human labor will naturally take more time than an automated one, Kelley said.

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"Our people are available, and our people are amazing. This is a team of experts, but the truth is, if you use the tool, you're going to get faster results now, because that automation will put the answers there far quicker than a person could look at it, read an email, interpret it and get it back," Kelley told Channel Futures.

Intelisys Simply Quote: Partner Perspectives

Quoting is one of the key functions technology service distributors (TSDs) like Intelisys perform. Channel Futures' Q2 survey found that 27% of technology advisors used TSD quoting and pricing services on each of their deals, and another 23% used them on the majority of deals. That's higher usage than for any other TSD function, the study found.

"The quoting process is pretty important. It's about accuracy and getting the best quote and getting it in the right format so that it eases our time and efficiency to give those things to the customer," said Anita Patel, CEO of Minerva Tec Group.

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Minerva's Anita Patel

Onward Communications president Tricia Ward said the automation will free up time for her company.

"Across all my sellers, I would say maybe a few hours a week easily. And then if you look at that over time, it's significant," Ward told Channel Futures. "As a business owner, it shifts the burden and the cost from me to somebody else, because I have to pay people to do it. It helps me be more efficient as a business owner, and I like that."

Onward's Tricia Ward

Kelley said that while the tool is technology-agnostic, its strength is in connectivity. He said the offering will be available in more technology categories going forward. He added that the product road map includes "moving forward at the opportunity level."

"It doesn't stop with a quote; your goal is to close an order and serve your customers. So how can we ensure that concept of doing things simply flows all the way through to deal-finish?" he said.

Kelley, an 18-year veteran of Intelisys, started his role as vice president of digital tools late last year. His appointment came amid a realignment within ScanSource that is transferring more corporate resources to the hybrid distributor's two business segments.