With Make in India initiative, we have seen many companies coming into the picture with plans and announcement to have manufacturing plant in India. There many Indian companies who are in the race to tap the upcoming emerging opportunity from the various projects. Whereas Smartlink Network Systems Ltd., more than two decades old company has been already manufacturing high quality networking products since its existence. The company is leading the networking product market with its best quality, innovative and affordable product range. Ms.Arati Naik, COO, Smartlink Network Systems Ltd. speaks to DT and shares her upcoming business and channel plans.
A:Our main focus is positioning DIGISOL as a major brand in the mid-market segment. Once the partners are comfortable with our product range, quality, specs etc, we want to focus on brand awareness among the end customers. DIGISOL wants to be one of the key drivers of digital India with a range of products like routers, dongles, CCTV and IP Surveillance solutions. The core strength of DIGISOL is ‘Networking’ and networking is an integral part of making digitally connected India a reality.
We at DIGISOL want to give our customers what they really want and therefore understanding their preferences is an important aspect to devise product and solution innovations. Not just our products are customer friendly but also our after-sales services like product replacement guarantee and customer service support function are in place so that our valued customers aren’t left disappointed.
A:DIGISOL brand is young and so are our target consumers. We believe Sonakshi is a good choice as she is widely admired by young Indian audience. Her charismatic personality of being stylish, fun and Internet savvy makes her fit seamlessly into the brand. More than sales we are looking at brand awareness but yes, we are confident and are aiming for good business in this financial year
A:The criteria of choosing the partners depends on their keenness and ability in terms of basic Networking know how and in some cases to their existing setup. But we encourage all sizes of partners to sign in for appropriate partnerships to take them to the next level as we have all types of solutions from simpler to complex ones. Also dedicated manpower and focused approach is another important criteria we look for in our Partners.
Channel expansion within India is a continuous process. Spread across India, Smartlink has 10 branch offices, 22 regional distributors, over 200 Stockist Partners, over 220 Systems Integrator and over 5000 Reseller partners, Smartlink works closely with their channel partners and system integrator's who value the power and quality of our products.
A:Profitability of the partners plays an important role in motivating them to sell more. We have a wide range of products such as routers, switches, in addition to accessories like LAN extenders, media converters, SPF modules, CCTV & IP Surveillance cameras etc, to meet the varying needs of the market segment that we focus on, whereas others are focusing on niche segments with limited products. For instance, if someone needs Surveillance Solution, there is a high probability that he needs POE switches: we have the both in our kitty. Most providers have limited range of products in their portfolios. Since our range is wide, our partners do not have to approach different vendors for different products and assemble them later. There are two parts of profit: One is upfront margin on the sales and the second if they give a certain amount of business quarterly they will get some extra incentive. Next, instead of giving gifts, tours, etc. we reward our partners in cash for their performance as incentives, as far as possible.
A:We keep a major portion of our marketing funds for Trainings and Seminar which helps the Channel to understand the product and markets and be technically qualified for offering these solutions. DIGISOL invests considerably in training and empowering their channel partners to build their own technical expertise as well as enhance the DIGISOL’s brand positioning and visibility in the industry. Sound market knowledge and in-depth understanding helps us to emerge as front runners in delivering end-to-end products to customers covering a broad spectrum in SOHOs and SMEs.
A:We are among the very few IT companies that have its own Service Support division DIGICARE, which gives us an edge over our competitor. Our high quality and reputable after-sale-services are strategically built to deliver customer satisfaction. We offer first-rate integrated service and support through our special service division, DIGICARE, which consists of Service and Support centres and Smartlink Technical Assistance Centre (STAC) Call Centre.
A:Given our 22-year history of pioneering technologies in the networking equipment segment by setting up the very first manufacturing plant in India in 1993, we have been actively shaping the networking markets locally as per the global standards. Since we are the first one to introduce networking products in the Indian market, you can say we created the Networking market in the country. With the new Make in India initiative of Government we are excited to rejuvenate our manufacturing facility at Goa.
Smartlink is one of the few companies who want to spearhead the new government’s Make in India initiative. We are manufacturing some key products such as wireless products in India and are also highlighting the fact ‘Made in India’ in bold print on our packaging. We hope to be one of the torch bearers to carry forward the government’s Make In India initiative.
