GITA is all about service, with a standard in quality customers can rely on rooted in Bechtle’s fast quotes, quick turnaround times, prompt delivery and responses to queries. Sometimes there are cultural differences or diverging commercial circumstances, which means that lead times may vary, but our strength as GITA is to understand these nuances and proactively keep our customers informed so that their expectations are realistic from the get-go. This is a real advantage and customers appreciate it.
James Napp, Managing Director of Bechtle direct UK and responsible for GITA.
New members are typically recommended by executives from top vendor partners through our trusted network. Criteria include size, portfolio, ranking in their region, but most importantly a culture and way of working that aligns with Bechtle and the other GITA partners. There also has to be a commitment to the network from top management and a willingness to collaborate in a non-competitive manner for our mutual customers’ benefit . If all conditions are met, we then run several pilot projects and, if all goes well, the partner is accepted as a full member of the Alliance.
Projects range from three notebooks to rolling out a full-scale infrastructure. We typically see initial demands for a specific requirement or project, such as the opening of a new office, and thereafter the relationship with the local partner builds and can grow into daily business and further projects. Over time, we also tackle larger customer projects and international tenders together.
Partners and prospective partners alike have embraced GITA and what it represents in terms of being able to do business outside of their traditional turf and to offer their customers real added value. We determine the scope of services as a group and expect each partner to play their part. GITA currently has six strong partners in 24 countries. Agilant in the USA, Compucentro in Mexico, Data#3 in Australia, HKBN JOS in Hong Kong, China, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia, and Microware in Brazil. Working together, our customers receive the quality they have come to expect from Bechtle no matter where in the world they are.
There are other alliances and other complex software solutions, but GITA alone offers a trusted network of hand-picked partners. This means that, should something go wrong, it can be and is fixed quickly. Customers want solutions they can rely on and GITA has proven itself time and again in numerous projects, each with individual approaches. And let’s not forget our local delivery and invoicing as well as our familiarity with local conditions. The opportunity to share knowledge, ideas, experiences and thoughts on IT developments, trends and market movements with other trusted, premium resellers around the globe is unparalleled and unique in our industry today.
What markets or regions would you like to tap into? Are there any other plans for expansion?
Our existing partner network gives us access to 80 - 90% of the most important regions and future partners will predominantly help us extend our reach. These are likely to be in territories where demand is growing, such as the Middle East, or in areas where specialist technology is growing. We currently have several new partners working on pilot projects
GITA will continue to grow and develop according to our customers’ needs and the reasons behind our founding are never far from our mind. We may see more reporting capabilities and the ability to view customer orders end-to-end no matter where the order was placed. The airline industry’s Star Alliance offers a great blueprint for what GITA could become in the future. These developments will come only with time and only at the point that they make commercial sense.
James Napp, Managing Director
Bechtle direct UK
james.napp@bechtle.com
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