Velocity Tech Solutions
Case Study
About Velocity
Velocity Tech Solutions is a global, multi-vendor IT hardware distributor and maintenance provider of server, storage, and networking equipment, offering enhanced warranties, software-defined storage, and more.
Founded in 2007, Velocity started as a parts and pieces broker but quickly evolved as the landscape of the IT industry changed. In the mid-2000s, a group of techs grew frustrated that they did not consistently receive the correct parts or adequate support from OEMs. These same techs sought to resolve those issues by founding Velocity Tech Solutions, focused on providing high-quality parts and better service to their IT end-user customer base. As the industry continues to change, Velocity changes with it, still focused on service providers and the VAR community.
The Challenge
Velocity was looking for a partner they could rely on to provide quality, timely service. They also wanted to own their relationships with their clients and find a reliable, collaborative partner who provided marketing services and was able to invest in the relationship.
In addition, organizing maintenance contract dates has always been a difficult, time-consuming task in the IT space. Velocity customers frequently complained about spending too much time in labor-intensive spreadsheets, managing multiple contracts from a myriad of providers, and having trouble keeping track of equipment location.
The Solution
ChannelWorks began working with Velocity in 2019. Initially taking on several of Velocity’s customers’ server maintenance contracts, ChannelWorks proved itself to be fast and reliable, so Velocity felt comfortable allowing them to serve their storage and networking customers as well.
In 2021, ChannelWorks rolled out its new asset management platform, ChannelView, and Velocity was an early adopter, migrating all their customers to the new platform. Jet Baker, CEO of Velocity said, “What sets ChannelView apart from other portals is the visibility it gives my team members and customers. It helps us manage the maintenance contract renewal process, reminds the sales team of critical events, and provides highly valuable recommendations.”
The Benefits
ChannelWorks’ speed and quality of service allows Velocity to better serve their customers with reliable, world-class maintenance and invaluable insight into their IT environment. Additionally, the introduction of ChannelWorks’ new asset management platform has increased the rate of contract renewals by 15%.
“ChannelWorks gets things done quickly and with precision,” said Baker. “We know we can rely on them for quick turn-around times. Somebody sends something in and there’s usually a resolution within the day. It’s really fast and that level of support is what we expect. Our company was built around being quick to respond to clients, so we expect that from our partners too, which is the great thing about ChannelWorks.”
“I’ve always been really impressed with how ChannelWorks handles asset management,” continued Baker. “I know it’s a big problem for our customers and a lot of clients out there; it doesn’t matter if you’re a partner or an end user — it’s not fun or easy to manage contracts. ChannelWorks provides a concise, easy way to manage different contract end dates that allows us to see what we have coming up and how we can manage it better. In fact, after we rolled out our version of ChannelView, we saw our renewal rate increase from 75% to 90%. As the IT landscape continues to get more complex, being able to see all of that in one place is huge.”
Values Provided
Quick Turnaround Time
Significant Cost Savings
Technical Expertise
Renewal Rate
Looking into the Future
Moving forward, Velocity looks to see how they continue to grow with ChannelWorks. With the launch of Velocity Asset Management Portal, their version of ChannelWorks’ new asset management platform, Velocity is excited about the new opportunities for growth this tool will generate.
“Now that we’re deploying the portal to our customers, we’re looking to see how we grow those account bases,” said Jet Baker. “We’ve seen how our customers use it, what their spend is now versus what it will grow to be, as well as gathering information and seeing how we move into other categories that our customers weren’t leveraging us for before. ChannelView gives us a better line of sight into what our customers have coming up and what we aren’t directly working with today, so it makes us better advisers and gives us opportunities to cross-sell.”