WIPRO’S NEW INITIATIVES: E-enables channel partners

Wipro is e-enabling all its channel part-



ner transactions. In an exclusive inter-


view with CI on its first anniversary, Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro
Corporation, says that his organization has already launched a web-based

ordering system through an extranet with channel partners. Marketing

communication and order processing are also being done on the Web.

With 200 key channel partners across 104 locations in the

country, Wipro assigns three to four channel partners to its marketing

executives in channel management against the industry standard of 10+. Says

Premji, "Our channel forms a very strategic conduit to meeting the IT

infrastructure needs of the small and medium (SME) segment."

Premji is of the opinion that in the whole distribution

chain, unless there is a value-add by the channel, revenue and profits will be

under strain. The value-add needs to be defined by the customer. He points out

that if Wipro and its channel partners deliver genuine value-add to the customer

in terms of services such as systems integration and application solutions,

"the customer will seek us out, and vendors who go directly to the customer

will not be a threat."

Wipro is giving priority to further hone the skills of its channel partners

through training. Wipro’s expertise in areas such as systems integration,

application development and domain knowledge will be shared with the channel.

Premji says that channel’s skills in network platform and security integration

would be enhanced.