JSE-listed Ixchange has appointed East Coast Systems as an Ability VAR to provide service and support to current and new Ability customers in the KZN region.
East Coast Systems (ECS) MD, Ian Bannerman says customers in KZN depend on support from companies operating in the region. "Local knowledge is essential to successfully supply IT to companies in the region, and understanding the way local businesses operate is key to satisfying customers".
ECS has a history as an IT support and services company concentrating on the Progress database and development environment, and the Macola software suite. "We were not planning on branching out to other products until we were given an Ixchange demonstration at a Microsoft function," Bannerman notes.
He adds that ECS chose Ability because of the ease with which VARs can have access to the parent company without needing to go through local distributors, and because of Ixchange`s reputation and positioning in SA.
"The positioning of the product range is also critical, conventional ERP systems will not be absorbing the bulk of the IT spend anymore, by positioning the Ability suite in the mid-market and offering it at local prices, Ixchange has focussed the product perfectly. The majority of the companies operating in Natal fall into the mid-market category, which is a core market for ECS.
"The training and certification that Ixchange offers is also superior, ensuring that our technicians have the best grounding to handle any customer queries. If they hit a wall, the Ixchange developers are also located in South Africa and are always quickly on hand to assist.
"Having five years of experience in the applications arena, ECS is well placed to assist customers is assessing their business needs and providing IT solutions uniquely suited to them," continues Bannerman. Over time, ECS plans to gain 90% of its business from Ixchange`s products, and it will be expanding to Cape Town and Johannesburg in the near future.
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ABILITY
Ixchange`s Ability suite of software is the leading suite of business management solutions for medium sized companies in the areas of retail, distribution and services. This software suite is made up of the AccountAbility back-office financial control system, SaleAbility retail management system, VizAbility strategic inventory management system and ProfitAbility customer order fulfilment system. These applications are all integrated into the Ability suite and run on Microsoft platforms.
Ixchange
Ixchange is a South African listed company focused on leading the international mid-range customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain optimisation software markets. The company has entrenched its leadership position in the front-office with its HEAT and GoldMine products, while its ABILITY suite of applications has emerged in South Africa as the market-leading back-office suite for medium sized implementations in the services, distribution and retail sectors. Ixchange is focused on the international market with offices in Swindon (UK), Colorado Springs (US), Los Angeles (US), Sydney (Australia), Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.