Lyudmila Bogdanova, Business Logic: Our main goal — success of partners and their independence
Lyudmila Bogdanova, the director of the department of work with partners of Business Logic company, in an interview of TAdviser told about how to create community around a product, not to create the competition between partners and as it is easy to expand a solution portfolio using the products "Logic".
To the affiliate program of Business Logic more than 6 years, and for certain during this time there was a certain settled partner's portrait. With what companies do you work?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Among our partners there are both small companies, and representatives of large IT-Business. The first using products of Business Logic enter the market and strengthen the positions, expand geographical presence. It is an opportunity to declare oneself, offering the modern and demanded by the market software products.
The second – fill up a solution portfolio and have an opportunity to help customers, to close their requirements behind perimeter of the initial competences. Cooperation with Business Logic for the large IT companies is an exit in new segments of the market and expansion of deliverable software and services.
What support you how vendor, you render to partners?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: We give support at all stages: from a preseyl to a final point when the project is handed over to the customer and is successfully accepted by community.
After signing of documents on cooperation, we not just transfer licenses, and we begin big joint work: we provide standard or individual training; further, when the specific customer appears or given from us, we support within a preseyl, we participate in key meetings, in determination of a solution architecture, we help to decide on the number of licenses, necessary for the project; if necessary we provide consulting hours for the help in project implementation.
We give full support. For example, recently some clients began to pay more attention to development of technical and commercial justifications of these or those projects, it causes difficulty in some partners. And Business Logic already has an experience in this area and an algorithm of development of justifications which we share with pleasure.
Widespread practice of the market — the vendor which is taking away the most interesting and perspective clients to itself. The activity of Business Logic in support of friendly projects does not cause a feeling at partners that they are wanted to be pushed the background?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Such stereotype exists, and we passed through mistrust from partners. However, I hope, learned to work with it correctly: we discuss in advance and we approve the industries and the directions of cooperation. If suddenly there is a conflict of interest on one customer, then consider the possibility of the joint project. At the same time there is no rule that Business Logic always should is in a role of the general contractor, we are also ready to be at the partner on subcontracting. We understand that that partner who began will work with the customer, kind of we did not want to work with him independently. The only thing that we can offer is resources if the partner will meet difficulties. Therefore expecting risks, we can recommend to put our participation in the project, but not to take away the customer to ourselves at all.
The success of projects in information technology field in many respects depends on ability to manage project risks, them to count capabilities and to warn. Whether you supervise partners in this area?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Yes, and just for this purpose during the work with the new partner we ask it to put time within the project that we could give not only emotional support, but also actual. These are not pre-paid hours, but the agreement on demand — it can not use and to safely execute the project independently. But if the partner suddenly meets difficulties and risks, we will always be near, we will not argue and think how to enter the project without additional encumbrances for the customer after agreement signature. Therefore we try to discuss in advance possible reefs which we expect from experience with partners.
There were yet no cases when the partner refused the help. Generally all companies working now at the market are aimed at qualitative result. With everyone it is possible to agree about how to enter the project not to set up each other.
What else support do you give as vendor?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Partially we compensate costs for advertizing marketing efforts (under approval), we provide contacts of potential clients in the region of the partner, we carry out joint actions on search of new clients. We are ready to help with creation of materials for promotion, with the organization of webinars and round tables, collecting of audience.
We provide information support: access to partner information resources, preferential training of specialists, we hold regular webinars.
The reference program in which any partner or his customer can participate works for us, having agreed in addition to the reference calls or visits.
Tell about the most interesting partner project.
Lyudmila Bogdanova: There is a lot of partner projects, the most interesting at the moment — implementation of Logic of EDMS on Alfresco Open Source platform in Administration of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The customer changed the solution "Logic" on the IBM Notes/Domino platform which implemented in 2011, for the new platform — easier in scaling and service. Having analyzed the market, he selected our product again, and the team of the partner — "Crillon Service" implemented it.
The project is very successful, and the customer during implementation reviewed the approach: if in the first project on IBM Notes/Domino there were many completions in a system which prevented updates and support, then this time the quantity and quality of changes allows to upgrade to new versions.
The constructed system is expected more than 15 thousand new internal documents a month and simultaneous operation of 1500 users. Implementation cost was equal to the budget of annual technical support of a former system, and additional jobs cost nothing now. At the same time the modular architecture of Alfresco gives ample opportunities for integration with other systems.
On September 20, 2018 Business Logic spends partner day. What is it?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Partner day is an opportunity to communicate to us and to other partners in a dialog format. Besides that we tell about new solutions, versions of products, about changes which happen in Business Logic, we also invite our partners to tell about the projects, about difficulties which we met, and how they overcame them. About what was pleasant and was not pleasant in solutions. A feedback is very important for us as our principle is an honesty in relation to partners. Such approach creates valid and the trusted relationship.
These dialogs are useful and for new partners — it is possible to communicate to real participants of the program who already earn from the solutions "Logic". It will be obligatory at the end of the day a round table where the companies will be able to ask each other questions.
We always welcome cooperation between our partners and we do not cultivate the competition. If one partner has a customer who demands more resources, than is in one company, it is possible to strengthen a command our or partner participation. In practice there are projects in which partners jointly worked with the combined team. Therefore within partner day we will tell about our plans, we will give to partners an opportunity to get acquainted, tell about the plans and projects, to ask each other questions.
We aim to achieve together with our partners successful and stable promotion of our solutions in the market.
So Business Logic gives not only technical support, gives the developers, holds consultations, but also is a certain connector between partners for gain of competences of commands?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: When the partner addresses us and says that he has a difficult project, there is not enough competence in terms of our product, we in this case, most often, recommend it two of our partners. Why two? That within communication it was possible to select the most suitable partner for this project. Not everything is based on knowledge, money, terms, sometimes it is necessary that people suited one another, to work with it in one command. They should understand that they will be able to agree, create the rallied collective for the period of the project.
Today at many customers the question of money, quality, terms is particularly acute. Therefore it is important not only to receive the project, but also to successfully finish it.
Whether you note trends in the shift in demand of partners?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Yes, we note the strengthened product demand based on Open Source platforms. Our solutions are in the register of domestic software, and, therefore, it allows partners to expand a portfolio towards products, not to subject sanctions risks and changeable currency rate.
What plans for development of the affiliate program are made by Business Logic?
Lyudmila Bogdanova: Achievements and success of partners influence growth of our company therefore our purpose — increase in partner sales, creation and development of long-term mutually beneficial business relations and providing the best technologies to the Russian market and the practician in electronic document management systems and archives. In the next plans — expansion of territorial presence of a partner network. We are provided in many cities, but there is no limit to perfection. Always there is a wish that even more partners worked with us.
Our main goal — success of partners and their independence. Therefore we so actively support them, we create community of adherents around the products "Logic".
On September 20, 2018 in office of Business Logic there will pass free partner day where you will be able to learn about perspectives of the ECM direction and to listen to success stories from current partners. Be with us! Participation is available at advance registration.
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