Tarsus Distribution has added the HPE iQuote service to the Tarsus Distribution Portal, allowing partners to quickly and accurately generate quotations for entry-level HPE solutions.
The service is available now to all registered Tarsus resellers, helping them to not only access quick pricing but also ensure the solution they are proposing is fit for purpose.
Chris Larkins, Business Unit Manager: Enterprise at Tarsus Distribution.
Chris Larkins, Business Unit Manager: Enterprise at Tarsus Distribution, explains that an earlier version of HPE iQuote – developed in collaboration with the vendor and a third party as a service to distributors – forms the foundation of the Tarsus offering.
“In our version of the implementation, we inject our own live data to make it more user-friendly and add more value,” Larkins explains. “We allow partners to customise what they select , so what they get out is more accurate, consistent, and relevant.”
To access the service, Tarsus partners log into the Tarsus Distribution Portal and navigate to the ’Enterprise Hub’ from ‘My Tools’, then click on ‘Launch iQuote’. “From there, they get fast, accurate, pre-discounted pricing for HPE’s enterprise solutions in the context of an SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) business.”
He stresses that the tool doesn’t replace the personal service that Tarsus Distribution offers its partners but adds a self-service channel for single-server or storage pricing.
“Many partners are not necessarily comfortable with enterprise system buying, and a tool like this helps them to become more proficient – and saves time in the process – by moving the CPQ experience further up the value chain.
“However, we want to make it clear that we are not trying to take away the ability to interact with Tarsus personally. Our teams are still there and ready with advice or assistance: the HPE iQuote tool allows partners to produce quotations as and when it suits them – quickly and accurately.”
It gives partners a degree of guidance, too, Larkins adds. “Using the tool can help to prevent many errors that could be made by people not very familiar with the solution set. So, to a large extent, it takes away the risk of building and quoting on an enterprise-level system.”
In addition, the tool can highlight relevant promotional items during the build so partners can select a more cost-effective option. It will also prompt for line items that could be forgotten, such as operating systems or service level agreements.
The built-in guidance has the added advantage of cutting much of the time that would generally be taken up with queries or seeking advice. “The HPE iQuote solution lets partners do the whole process themselves,” Larkins says. “It’s always available, 24/7, and includes a wealth of built-in knowledge.”
A big obstacle SME partners face in supplying enterprise-level systems is pricing; because the larger partners tend to qualify for discounts and incentives, it’s important to help SMEs bring their pricing in line.
Tarsus’s HPE iQuote tool includes the discounted pricing available through HPE Flex Offers, whereby the more a partner adds to a build, the bigger the discount received.
“Using a fairly well understood online shopping experience, but including guidance and discounts, resellers build their system and end up with a binding quote for that configuration valid for a period of time.”
The speed and accuracy of the solution mean that partners could generate a quote while sitting with their end-user customers. “It really is as quick as you can push the buttons,” Larkins says. “So, you can have a proposal on the customer’s desk a lot quicker than the two or three days it might have taken previously – and nowadays, everyone wants things immediately.”
Importantly, partners don’t have to be registered as HPE resellers. They need to be registered as Tarsus resellers, as this gives them access to the Tarus Distribution Portal. Larkins explains that this opens the HPE solution portfolio to SMMEs and SMEs. “The solution is aimed at the entry-level flexible market. Plenty of partners are not necessarily focusing on a particular brand, making HPE accessible to them.”
HPE iQuote is just one of a variety of value-added services available on the Tarsus Distribution Portal.
“We offer a full digital e-commerce and self-service experience, including access to product information, competitive pricing, stock availability, document downloads, direct-to-end-user delivery and order management. ,” Larkins says. “The portal provides a complete digital go-to-market experience with partner management and content enablement, and we will add more features as we go forward.”
HPE iQuote has been tested internally and is now live for partners to access.
