A fresh start
21 April, 2009
So, this is it, I am starting again a new blog. The fifth blog if I remember correctly. It is refreshing to start again from scratch, with new ideas, new challenges, new working mates, new context.
My previous professional blog, Embracing Open Sources, was written during my work as a CEO at Warp Networks, a Spanish open source system integrator, as a place to analyze the open source movement from a general point of view. Now that I got to become the CEO of eBox Technologies, the approach I want to follow with this new blog is completely different. My challenge has shifted from a project-based company mainly focused in a local-national market and where every partner is a worker, to an open-source product-based startup, going global from the beginning and with a non-negligible complexity in handling the relation with the different stakeholders. I think the challenges we are facing and the experience we will gain in doing so might be intrinsically interesting and that’s what this blog will be about: sharing the lessons we gain in learning to fly, in trying to make eBox one of the top solutions for the IT management for SMBs around the world. If you liked this introduction stay tuned for new posts!
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1. Antonio | April 28th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Yuhu! I’m the first one to post in this blog!
I’ll be following you. Good luck with it!
2. ChrisM | July 16th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Ok, I may only be the second to ‘comment’…
Here’s an idea.
You want to go global – what’s going to be the biggest challenge to your ‘new’ VARs? Answer: Calling you (your tech support hotline). Yes, yes I know – why not just email a ’service’ request or use some web-based e-ticket system. Sure, do all of the above – if you want to impress and keep your VARs happy and let them have more time to ’sell’ your product; you won’t waste their time with e-tickets, emails / websites.
You will let them CALL you – especially when the have spent 30-45minutes driving to their customer’s business location to fix the problem and they are tired and need someone to TALK to.
So, how do we do this CALLing thing globally? Answer: VOIP! And how do we make this VOIP for Tech-Support into some kind of cool marketing program to spread the word that ebox is cool and being a VAR for ebox is more than cool?
Answer: why not provide a ‘free’ VOIP phone (pre-configured by ebox) that is really an VOIP ‘extension’ that will connect the VAR to a ebox server (in the ebox ‘cloud’) and automatically call/connect you to a live ebox Tech-Support person etc.
The VAR can carry it around in his/her brief-case and just plug it into any network jack with internet access and/or show-off a little to their customers how cool VOIP and ebox are.
VARs would have to sign up and pay something for be a ebox partner and a portion of that money would be used to supply the VOIP phone.
It’s a lot better than handing out pens / paper clips at trade-shows – you could draw names every hour from VARs that sign up (at the trade-show) for the ‘free’ VAR Account and VOIP phone.
After the novelty of the phone wears-off; they can just reprogram the phone for use at home/office; and or use it to do customer demos/presentations show the VOIP capabilities of ebox.
Beyond the obvious marketing potential you can offer a soft-phone VOIP client pre-configured (one-click to download/install) to reach you Tech-Support Hotline on their laptop/desktops (free) to all of your ‘registered’ VARs.
If your concerned about call volume on you Tech-Support line – then consider using this for Sales Hot-line instead. The VARs get a direct VOIP to their VAR/Sales account manager.
If your really into the concept and want to provide ‘excellent’ customer service – setup ‘quick dial buttons’ on the VOIP phone for Sales, Tech-Support and any other ebox department/group the VARs need access too.
You could also add some other ebox ‘cloud’ services (for free) to VARs like email/voice-mail/blackberry mobile sync – as a welcome package after the register as a VAR. This would provide you VARs with a fast way to get them familiar with how to use both the ebox ‘cloud’ and ’server’ products they are going to be trying to ’sell’.
Whatever you can afford to do/offer the VARs and get as much marketing mileage out of at a trade-shows as inducements to learn about and become a ebox VAR (the faster your growth curve will be).
BFN,
Chris M.