Nortel has extended its already broad channel partner 'Assurance' services portfolio for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with the addition of the small and medium business (SMB) Partner Assurance Contract (PAC). PAC has been developed and packaged specifically for the use of those partners in the SMB market, says the company.

SMB PAC is a partner-owned contract and provides a direct service into Nortel's technical support infrastructure via the company's eServices portal. Once the annually renewable contract is set up via the SMB partners' Nortel distributor, the SMB Partner will receive, for a renewable fee, access to a set of services including technical support (voice and on-line), software patches and technical documentation. The fee is £1,585 (€2,350) for the first year and £2,640 (€3,900) thereafter.

"Working together with our channel partners, we continue to develop and deploy solutions that help clients grow and become on-demand businesses," said David Millett, director, Business Development and Marketing EMEA Services, Nortel. "The combination of Nortel and our SMB Business Partners is a powerful 'one plus one equals three' value proposition for our customers."

Part of Nortel's ongoing commitment to developing partner programmes that address the business needs of its channel partners, the SMB PAC has been designed to add real value to SMB customers, allowing resellers to offer a comprehensive product and service solution. This helps build customer loyalty while providing Nortel's Business Partners with an increased revenue opportunity in the SMB technology services market place.

The SMB PAC is available to registered resellers of Nortel's SMB Accelerate Partner Programme, who have reached an agreed level of accreditation as SMB Business Partners having attended the free Nortel training and certification courses.

"My customers, which are mainly small businesses, need and use technology every day to help them communicate. They like to have the added peace of mind knowing we are there to help if things go wrong," said Thomas Jacques, managing director of 1st Communications, a Nortel accredited reseller.

"With Nortel SMB PAC I am now able to offer that peace of mind without putting a burden on my existing resources. As a bonus I have found that our in house productivity has increased, as have our technical skills, helping to ensure our customers are dealt with more efficiently and effectively every day," concluded Jacques.

"Many vendors are increasingly finding enterprise markets nearing saturation point in terms of new product and services sales opportunities. The SMB sector is a key focus area for a number of vendors that are seeking to capitalize on opportunities in this market," said Alan Mac Neela, VP Gartner Dataquest Research. "Key to success in this highly competitive and cost conscious marketplace are services and solutions that are price competitive, quick to implement and provide a speedy return on investment."

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