The technology market is developing at a dizzying pace, which poses many challenges for its participants, especially in the context of new business models and changing customer expectations. Miroslaw Pisaniec, Channel Sales Manager at Schneider Electric, responsible for the Secure Power division for Central and Eastern Europe, discusses how Schneider Electric supports its partners in coping with these changes.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: The technology market is changing very dynamically. What are the biggest challenges for Schneider Electric partners in the context of these dynamics?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric:
I think the dynamics of change are multi-faceted. Let me break it down into three main levels that are affected by these changes. Firstly, they are significantly affecting the condition of the market and the business models that are currently being redefined. One of the main areas is, of course, the wider economy, which is facing instability and volatility, also in terms of the geopolitical situation. This also affects the local market. Furthermore, legislation creates opportunities related to investment and research and development at various levels of the supply chain. The supply chain itself is unstable, which is also exacerbated by the geopolitical situation.
The dynamics of change are multifaceted. It has a significant impact on market conditions and business models that are currently being redefined.
The second aspect of dynamic change is resources. In the fastest-growing market segments, such as cyber security, cloud computing, edge computing or artificial intelligence-related technologies, we are faced with an insufficient number of experts in these fields. This also has the effect of limiting growth, which also affects end customer partners and advisors.
The third area is corporate customer behaviour and policy. We are seeing the development of new consumption models. Subscription or licensing models, for example, are gaining in popularity, not only for software, but also for various services related to the leasing of hardware or service platforms. Corporate customers are increasingly switching to new forms of purchasing platform, leading to major modifications in sales processes. Our partner organisation faces the challenge of managing the entire sales cycle in a professional manner.
Business partners need to create effective managed service delivery models, which is already clearly visible on the Polish market. They are moving towards a service model, which includes a wide range of IT structure management.
Finally, we are seeing sustainability as one of the clear trends of change in these market dynamics. ESG policies, especially for large client organisations, are becoming key in various types of tender proceedings and beyond. These are the main areas and challenges related to the development of technology and the modern ecosystem we live in.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: How does Schneider Electric support its partners, especially in terms of end-customer policy, in meeting these market challenges?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: For us as an organisation, it is crucial that the end customer receives a product or solution with added value. This is our overarching goal and aspiration, which includes various forms of support for business partners. This enables partners to offer added value to end customers within our broad product and technology portfolio.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: What actions are you taking to educate and support your partners in offering these added values to customers?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: It’s a complex process, but we take a direct part in it by educating our partners and supporting them in gaining certification. In this way, we also promote them to end customers, matching the projects that customers come in with the competences of individual partners. We also support professional dialogue during the concept development phase, which allows us to identify the clients’ real needs and challenges.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: What technological aspects are key in your solutions for end customers?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: The specifics of our solutions include elements related to electrical, electronics, internet of things, mechatronics and other advanced technologies. The support of our partners by Schneider Electric experts is therefore extremely important at every stage of the sales process.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: How do you monitor and evaluate end-customer satisfaction in order to improve your services?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: We have a consultative dialogue with the end customer, the end result of which is the delivery of added value. Equally important to us is the end-customer satisfaction index, which we meticulously examine through systematically conducted surveys and interviews. These surveys allow us to draw concrete conclusions and identify areas for continuous improvement.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: Can you tell us more about the genesis of the mySchneider IT programme? How did it come about and what aims does it pursue?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: We need to go back to the beginning of the history of the APC brand, now owned by Schneider Electric. This history is also linked to the evolution of our partner programme, as well as our collaboration model with the distribution and partner channel. This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of APC UPS. From the beginning, in 1984, when the brand was still operating as an independent company, a goal and a business model based on indirect sales through distributors and business partners was set. The details, in terms of these processes, have changed over the years, but let us focus on the most recent years.
In 2022, we announced a major change to our partner programme with the introduction of the mySchneider IT Partner Program, which is highly flexible and allows us to adapt to the new business models of our partner network. As part of this programme, we have introduced specialisation and certification modules to meet the needs of our partners. These include, for example, IT Solution Provider, a specialisation that is dedicated to providers of IT solutions operating in the system-integrator model, or Software & Service Provider covering providers of various types of IT infrastructure management services and software. An e-commerce module is also available for partners specialising in online sales. What’s more, a few months ago we launched globally, including in Poland, the Schneider Electric EcoXpert Partner Program, aimed at companies that want to specialise in data centre customer service. It is part of the larger EcoXpert programme, which has been operating for some time in other Schneider Electric business units. This gives Secure Power business partners the opportunity to develop their competence in other areas as well. There have been a lot of changes in the last two years and both programmes will continue to grow.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: EcoXpert is a programme focusing on sustainability and green energy. What competitive advantages does this approach bring to the market?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: The EcoXpert programme really emphasises sustainability, especially in the area of data centres. It is estimated that these centres consume 2% of global electricity, and their energy demand will continue to grow, especially due to the development of artificial intelligence. Sustainability, however, is a much broader issue for Schneider Electric, not just limited to the EcoXpert programme. We run various educational initiatives, such as the Sustainability School, which offers an online training series where participants can develop their sustainability competences. We also provide consulting services in this field. In addition, we market educational activities on the importance of sustainability for current and future generations. Our simple model, based on digitalisation and electrification, helps organisations effectively achieve their sustainability goals. We have also introduced new programmes, such as Schneider Sustainability Impact, which focus on implementing sustainable practices internally and across the supply chain. Our short-term targets for 2021-2025 are designed to help achieve long-term goals, such as achieving zero net harmful greenhouse gas emissions across the supply chain by 2050.
I would also like to mention the Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards initiative. This is a competition where we reward initiatives from our partners and end customers that contribute to improving ESG performance. This competition has three stages: local, European and global. In last year’s edition, one of our Polish business partners won the award at the global level, which is a huge success for us.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: Can you reveal who this partner is?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: The company in question is Markit, which, operating globally, supplies a full IT portfolio to business customers. This company is promoting an interesting project, which, in a nutshell, consists of providing customers with an offer that complies with industry standards and, in addition, enables the optimisation of the supply chain for the equipment ordered. This reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions, a key aspect in the implementation of the ESG strategy. Markit, in collaboration with Schneider Electric, has also implemented EcoStruxure IT software at one of its customers to monitor IT equipment. The software provides data that can be used to improve energy consumption and optimise the lifecycle of equipment.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: What do your partners value Schneider Electric and your cooperation programmes most for?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: The answer to this question is multidimensional, as partners value us for various aspects of cooperation. Above all, our activities respond to the partners’ real needs, and the cooperation is long-term, which is possible thanks to the strong commitment of both parties. In Poland, we cooperate with more than two thousand companies, which testifies to a wide and diverse distribution channel. The programmes we offer are constantly updated to respond to changing market conditions and partners’ business models. We place a strong emphasis on supporting partners where they may have gaps, e.g. in terms of competence, by interacting with them directly at the clients’ premises. We ensure transparency of processes, for example in the project registration system. Professional support and speed of response to complex projects are equally important to us.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: What qualities of your team are key to maintaining strong relationships with partners?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: Our Secure Power team consists of young, but already very experienced and competent enthusiasts who are committed to creating a package of benefits for customers, together with partners. I am proud of our partner organisation, which is key to building long-term cooperation and loyalty, which is extremely important in business.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: In addition to the expertise that Schneider Electric provides, partner programmes also assume certification requirements for partners.
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: Yes, we have already talked about our two parallel partner programme platforms. Let me start with a programme that has been on the market for a long time, which is the mySchneider IT Partner Programme. Within this programme, in addition to the specialisation division, we have three levels of certification – the Select Partner level, then Premier, and the highest is the Elite level.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: What are the specific criteria for these levels of certification and what are the benefits?
Miroslaw Pisaniec, Schneider Electric: Each of these levels involves specific criteria that the partner must meet, but we also offer specific benefits for being an authorised and certified partner.
As far as criteria are concerned, the training criterion is key. With ongoing training and knowledge updates by partners, we can advise end customers on which partners are worth working with to ensure the highest quality of support. At Premier and Elite level, we additionally require a number of other elements to be met, such as the development of a joint long-term business plan, which is the starting point for cooperation based on defined growth areas.
The latest EcoXpert programme in the Secure Power area provides for two certification levels and specialisations in completely different areas from mySchneider IT, making the two programmes complementary rather than duplicative. EcoXpert focuses on four main specialisations: critical infrastructure, precision air conditioning, IT infrastructure management and power continuity. This shows how flexibly we respond to market trends and are prepared to add new technology modules or applications as they emerge in the market.
I would like to invite all partners who are not yet working with us to try out our services, especially in the area of uninterruptible power supply. This segment can be an interesting new business model for companies that are not yet active in this field. We give a lot of support to facilitate the entry into this technology and these solutions with us.
This is one of our invitations, and the other I address to our clients. We invite you to see how we work together, guaranteeing the highest quality of service.
I encourage you to find out for yourself. I find this topic particularly interesting in today’s complex times, where continuity of electricity supply is a key issue. It is important not only for the security of end customers, but also for the continuity of their business processes.
Klaudia Ciesielska, Brandsit: Thank you for the interview.
The material has been produced in partnership with Schneider Electric. Find out more about the partner programme – mySchneider IT
