Business Services Industry

Avnet Partner Solutions Helps Partners Deliver Superior Customer Service through Streamlined Order Management Services

Business Wire, August 31, 2004

SAN ANTONIO -- Avnet Partner Solutions, a value-added distributor of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, today announced a new interactive and informational service available in its Channel Connection(TM) system. The service, code named Request to Order, simplifies order management to improve efficiencies and helps partners deliver superior customer service.

Request to Order integrates the independent sales processes of today's complex solutions into a powerful unified interface. It creates an environment that more closely resembles the partner's typical sales cycle and provides a consistent order process along the entire supply chain. The streamlined order system allows business partners to submit configuration requests and quotation requests across all Avnet Partner Solutions' brands and product lines. By connecting all pre-sales transactions to one original customer deal, the productivity in the order process is significantly increased.

All information pertaining to a deal is visible to partners 24 x 7 through Channel Connection, enabling them to provide much faster and more complete communications to their customers. The improved efficiencies allow partners to put more focus on new sales opportunities while simultaneously improving their level of service to customers on current projects, driving growth.

"By linking all requests to the original deal, we can easily update an order and follow its progression through the sales cycle," said Rob Anderson, president, Pinnacle Business Systems. "This becomes particularly important when selling solutions comprised of multiple brands. The flexibility inherent in Request to Order will definitely support our efforts in solution selling and improve the satisfaction levels of our customers."

A key advantage of the service is its collaboration capabilities. At each step in the sales cycle, Request to Order provides interactive communication opportunities among partners and the Avnet Partner Solutions sales persons assigned to each request. Consistent collaboration helps improve the accuracy of requests, and accelerates the order process.

"Our ongoing commitment to our partners is to find new ways to help them grow, while taking costs out of their business," said Fred J. Cuen, president, Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas. "By aggregating the sales process across all the brands that are available through Avnet Partner Solutions, we make it easier for our partners to deliver total solutions for their customers. This increases efficiencies and reduces their operating costs, allowing them to focus more resources on growing their business."

In addition to streamlining the sales process, Request to Order also ties the deal -- and ultimately, the final order -- with the sales lead. Integration with the Avnet Partner Solutions' SMARTracker(TM) system closes the loop between marketing and sales. The system helps partners identify the origin of leads and validates the investments in marketing activities in both proposed and closed business.

"The Request to Order service will go a long way toward making it easier for solution providers to do business with Avnet and ultimately IBM," said Donn Atkins, general manager, IBM Global Business Partners. "Not only will Avnet's partners be more productive, but IBM also will be better positioned to enable our Business Partners to be more successful."

About Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas

Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas is an industry-leading, value-added distributor and provider of enterprise servers, storage, software and services with operations in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Avnet Partner Solutions provides solutions from leading manufacturers including EMC, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Network Appliance, Oracle, StorageTek and VERITAS -- driving growth for partners and manufacturers. Visit http://www.aps.avnet.com.

Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas is part of the Avnet Technology Solutions operating group of Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT). Avnet enables success from the center of the technology industry, providing cost-effective services and solutions vital to a broad base of more than 100,000 customers and 250 suppliers. The company markets, distributes and adds value to a wide variety of electronic components, enterprise computer products and embedded subsystems. Through its premier market position, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of capabilities that help its trading partners accelerate growth and realize cost efficiencies. Avnet generated more than $10 billion in revenue in fiscal 2004 (year ended July 3, 2004) through sales in 68 countries. Visit www.avnet.com/.> Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.