PRM FAQs-Considering a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Portal?
Posted by Todd Grant on Fri, Jan 20, 2012 @ 11:22 AM
If you're like many organizations, supporting channel partners (like dealers, distributors, VARs and franchisees) is mission critical. You've likely concluded that the higher engagement you have with this extended sales ecosystem so goes financial performance. But, how do you determine where to start?
Here's a series of questions you can ask yourself if you are considering Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solutions and technology to support and enable your re-seller community.
Can I start small and grow from there. Is it scalable when I am ready?
A PRM system can enable you to scale programs based on your unique content and community. If you need to reach several hundred dealers in Canada and the U.S., a simple PRM solution will serve your needs. If you have global requirements with tens of thousands of users, then a more sophisticated solution is needed. Many manufacturers start the process with a smaller group first, with a PRM system that can be scaled as they move forward to a more complete solution.
Is the daily administration of a PRM site easy? Does it require programming knowledge?
No, it shouldn't. Your employees must be able to manage the portal efficiently. Administrators need to be able to post and remove assets easily and update and change the site without HTML or other special training. They also require reporting dashboards to access information about the people and organizations they manage. A properly constructed PRM system provides easy administration for individuals without special computer or web knowledge.
Can a PRM handle legacy applications?
Most PRM solutions offer the ability to link to legacy web applications that were developed by individual company or IT departments, so users, through the PRM portal, can easily find these application links and click to them. Some PRM solutions can even pass on the sign-on credentials so users don’t have to log on twice. Now, some PRM solutions offer a more “unified” approach, whereby these legacy systems interact with the PRM producing a much more seamless experience for the user. These are the PRM systems one should more seriously consider.
Can it go mobile or tablet?
More and more of manufacturers are pushing some of their training, product presentations, online libraries and ordering applications to a mobile or tablet environment. A PRM solution with mobile applications can deliver assets to mobile tablet applications quickly and efficiently. Users can customize the content they want to access offline and which they want web-based. Navigation is optimized for tablet use, making it quick and easy to find and launch what is needed. This new format also allows a company to leverage and extend the existing content management system (CMS). It allows for a minimal increase in administrative costs since all content can be managed in one area, preserving the power and efficiency of a single CMS.
Can departments have their own site for their own constituents?
One of the beauties of a well-built PRM system is the ability to display only what is necessary for a dealer employee to do their job. So, for instance, a manufacturer may have individual sites for new sales, used sales, parts, service, finance and more. Although each of these sites is found under the PRM umbrella, they can be organized and administered by different individuals. Furthermore, access to the sites and to actual documents (and training and announcements) can be role-based, so only individuals with certain jobs can see an asset.
How does a PRM solution help me get more mindshare of dealer employees?
Most manufacturers compete for the attention of their dealer employees today. Individuals at dealerships want to feel they are a part of a larger community. When they do, they work more enthusiastically for that organization. The successful ones offer better solutions than their competitors. The OEM must have better training, better resources, and a much easier way to deliver these resources to dealer individuals. If dealers are to be actively engaged representing their company and products, manufacturers have to make it easy and desirable to do so. PRM solutions have helped the world’s leading manufacturers sell more product through their dispersed networks of dealers. This same, cost-effective solution is available to other companies, large or small.
What are some examples of how a PRM system works for a manufacturer?
Manufacturers use a PRM system to offer a variety of marketing materials for the dealers’ own marketing efforts. Dealers can access product presentations, image libraries, direct mail templates, territory customer lists, and much more to increase the power of their own marketing endeavors. The manufacturer can issue news and alerts, warranty alerts, support new product rollouts, push out new marketing collateral and product support information quickly and efficiently through the PRM system. It makes it easy for people at the dealership to find the marketing information they’re looking for to close a sale or support a service request.
How can I use PRM technology to improve communication and discussion within our company and our dealers?
Companies today are finding that if they can increase the communication between individuals, the company benefits tremendously. This collaboration can work in three directions. First, peer-to-peer collaboration between dealers themselves allows them to easily share best practices and communicate with each other. Second, communication between individuals at dealerships and individuals at the manufacturer fosters efficient information-sharing, like ideas for sales tips or field service fixes. And third, increasing the communication and collaboration between the manufacturer, dealer, and the end user provides the ultimate means of sharing ideas and solving product or other channel issues. Through a Collaboration component, a PRM solution can provide the means for individuals to easily and effectively communicate with each other.
How can I track the training and certification of dealer employees?
Through the Learning Management System (LMS) in the PRM system, manufacturers have the means to quickly develop training whether online, instructor lead, or through regional or national meetings. This can all be tracked in the LMS. Plus, they can easily set up certifications for individual dealer employee roles (e.g. a sales person, parts person, or service technician). This makes it easy for dealers to ramp up new employees, and allows them to know who is, and who is not, certified on any given day. This is all part of the PRM system.
Employee turnover at dealerships is constant. How can I offer constant and immediate training for these new employees?
Dealers need a way to train new sales, parts, service and finance employees quickly and efficiently. They rely on their manufacturer to provide the bulk of this training. To be most effective, it must be easy to access, engaging, and available on demand. A robust Learning Management System (LMS) provided as part of a PRM solution can provide the kind of “just-in-time” training needed for new hires at the dealership.
What about languages?
Offering language choice in PRM’s today is mandatory. As companies pursue business globally, a PRM must be capable of providing training and documents in other languages easily.
Will the supplier keep it up-to-date? How long will it last until it’s obsolete?
Most PRM suppliers are in it for the long haul. Think of a company that has offered word processing software for over twenty years. They are constantly improving it year after year and so it remains as well accepted now as when it was originally released. Some PRM system providers have institutionalized processes of constant improvement and measurement and end up delivering a better product each year for the manufacturer.
How do I know where to focus our initial PRM efforts if we’re just starting this process?
Some companies offer a process to identify and document the current environment and then recommend solutions. This includes channel surveys to gather and benchmark key performance metrics so all parties can get a clear understanding of what performance gaps exist in the channel. A business case can then be presented that maps the current condition and makes recommendations for technology deployments, complete with an ROI analysis.
Learn more about a current environment assessment process. Sign up for an executive briefing with a LogicBay team member.
