Andrew Harris, chief sales and marketing officer, DCC Technologies.
You hear the phrases all the time, don't you? "Channel-first", "partner-led". In ICT distribution, these terms are tossed around so often that they’ve become background noise, almost losing their meaning entirely. It’s easy for companies to talk about putting partners first, but what does that actually look like when you back it up with capital, strategy and genuine action?
The answer is simple: being channel-first isn't about marketing slogans; it’s about a deep, operational commitment to your partners' success. It’s about accepting that a relationship built on loyalty and community will always be stronger and more sustainable than one built solely on a transaction.
The hidden cost of inefficiency
Think about how business has been done in distribution for years. It’s often a "faceless transaction". You ring, you e-mail, you wait for a quote, you chase stock. It’s repetitive, mundane and, honestly, a massive waste of time.
That lost time is the industry’s real hidden cost, and it hits small resellers hardest. We know that the vast majority of our channel, including the high number of smaller resellers who rely on traditional methods, have their time stretched thin. Their focus needs to be on differentiating their service for their end-user, not chasing down paperwork from us. The greatest asset we can give them is the freedom to achieve progress: driving higher returns with less effort.
To genuinely be channel-first, we had to start by asking: how do we take that pain away? How do we give that time back to the people who are the lifeblood of our channel?
Operational muscle versus empty rhetoric
Our commitment lies in distribution innovation designed to remove these friction points. This is where the rhetoric stops and the action begins.
We look to an industry precedent, like modern logistics. Think of successful courier services or delivery apps. They didn't achieve massive scale by hiring endless customer service agents. They invested heavily in systems that give the customer complete control over the process. I can track my package, change the delivery slot and see the real-time status instantly, without ever needing to speak to a person. That emphasis on self-management frees the company to focus its human effort on high-value exceptions, while scaling the routine efficiently. That is exactly the principle we are applying by investing in systems that facilitate self-management.
This commitment to operational muscle proves our channel-first claim. Our aim is to automate and simplify the mundane and repeatable elements of the transaction, such as checking stock, managing accounts and placing routine orders. More importantly, this allows the reseller to self-manage their engagement with us. They get control back instantly, eliminating the need to send an e-mail and wait for someone on our side to respond.
This frees up our internal teams to focus on the high-value, human-to-human interactions: the strategic advice, the complex problem-solving. But for the reseller, the gain is monumental. It’s the freedom to focus on their core business. The win is the progress they can make: more money made by working less, giving them time and focus back in their professional and personal lives.
The long-term dividend of loyalty
Every one of these efficiencies, from simplifying our product catalogues using personas to the speed of our systems, is a strategic investment in building loyalty.
A relationship defined only by the lowest price is fragile. A relationship built on mutual efficiency, consistency and trust is resilient. We want our partners to choose to do business with us because we are the easiest, most reliable company in the channel. We strive to be the ones who truly respect the value of their time. That kind of enduring partnership, that authentic community, is not just a nice idea; it remains the most sound and sustainable business strategy we can employ in the South African ICT landscape today.
