Just last month, BlackBerry announced an interesting sales initiative dubbed the BlackBerry Direct Sales Program. The program is supposed to, for the first time, allow IT administrators and business owners to directly purchase and deploy in-volume unlocked BlackBerry devices from the company’s Smartphone Business Sales Team, and now their efforts seem to be paying off.
“We’re starting to see a very positive reaction from our customers,” BlackBerry ecommerce product marketing manager Richard Lamb told Nicholas Greene in a BlackBerry post. “People are happy to hear from BlackBerry, and happy to talk to our team.”
According to BlackBerry, a variety of features are attracting businesses to the program. Here are the big ones.
Blackberry Direct Sales Features
Cost and Convenience
BlackBerry says that unlocked BlackBerry devices that are sold directly from the company are significantly cheaper compared with those sold by carriers and that buying unlocked devices this way can slash total cost of ownership over several years.
Businesses “don’t have to worry about the long-term costs of subsidies, and they’re able to negotiate better service plans, as well,” explains BlackBerry sales representative Elliott Coulter. “This can save them anywhere from 75 to 100 dollars per device.”
Businesses and companies that purchase directly from BlackBerry enjoy a 30-day money back guarantee, dedicated account manager, one year complimentary support, one year manufacturer’s warranty, volume purchasing and payment advantages as well as free shipping that significantly reduces the device costs. The only catch here is that as a business, you must be willing to buy in bulk.
A Wide Range of Devices
Businesses are enjoying a wider selection of BlackBerry devices. You can ask for products that may be hard to come by in your region. These may include models such as the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition and BlackBerry Leap.
Direct and Dedicated Line of Support
Businesses that are using the BlackBerry Direct Sales Program are enjoying a direct line of support and considerable security expertise.
“When customers contact the direct handheld sales team, they’re dealing with BlackBerry experts,” says Coulter. “We work with all OSes and brands, and can get answers much more quickly than if they were going through a third party. Small businesses are used to trolling support forums or going to Google for answers — we connect them directly with a product manager, who can assist them with any problem they encounter.”
Other advantages accompanying the BlackBerry Direct Sales Program include deeply customized service for customers already working for those that have ties with BlackBerry, fast delivery and deployment and superior security and productivity — something that BlackBerry has become known for over the years.
This program will most likely benefit both small and big companies, but an immediate impact would be to smartphone retailers that are looking for unlocked, high-quality smartphones at affordable prices. The fact that they can get direct support and 30-day money back guarantees makes it even better.
Image: BlackBerry
[“source-smallbiztrends”]