Interview
Life in the channel
ADAPTABILITY, SPEED AND
COMMUNICATION
ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS AND LONGEVITY IN THE IT SECTOR
The IT world is moving faster than it has ever been. As a manufacturer, the only way to compete and stay ahead is to be quick and nimble. This is the view of Ann Keefe, regional director UK & Ireland at Kingston Technology.
D
uring her 28 years with Kingston, Ann has had plenty of time to work out why the company, which is a global leader in memory and storage solutions, continues to be so
successful, and it’s not just because the quality of its products put it in the number one market share spot year aſter year. “We’ve been adaptable and open to change, and that’s allowed us
to move with the times,” Ann says. “Te technology landscape has changed enormously and the greatest impact in the last twenty years has been eCommerce. So, we have had to be dynamic to meet the evolving expectations of online customers because we no longer just serve businesses, we serve consumers too.” What was once a very focused B2B operation is now multi-faceted
with customers coming from organisations of every size, tech consumers looking for the right components to meet their gaming, AR/VR and high-performance PC needs, and a huge network of channel partners. Kingston supplies top-tier data centres, cloud providers and PC manufacturers as well as companies developing the next trends in smart devices. “But despite this expansion into new and burgeoning sectors,
we still put people at the heart of our success,” explains Ann Keefe. “We’re like a family and our enthusiasm for being accountable to our customers and partners means we are able to build long-term relationships that are valued.”
We’re more than a part As a regional director, part of Ann’s role is to oversee the channel in the UK and Ireland, and she cites Kingston’s strong local team as a
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key differentiator. “It’s less usual now amongst global manufacturers to have a team on the ground in key countries, but partners love it,” she says. “Tey want someone they can talk to, and they want a fast response. “In the memory sector prices go up and down very quickly
and stock fluctuates so our partners are looking to us for fast turnaround quotes that can give them an edge in the market. We can respond within a couple of hours and because stock is already in our warehouse in the UK we can make delivery equally quickly. In fact, more than 90% of the orders we get ship on the day the order is received. While this is a significant achievement, with the influence of eCommerce it has become a service that channel buyers expect and we have to constantly raise our game to meet those expectations.” Kingston Technology remains highly committed to the channel
and invests time and effort to nurture relationships with its partners. Its recent ‘We’re more than a part, we’re a partner’ initiative reflects the company’s determination to reinforce its core values. Face to face meetings remain important but the convenience and efficiency of Teams collaboration has meant more interaction at different levels. “We are not driven by targets, but by constantly improving the
service that we give to the channel,” continues Ann. “Apart from our business development managers making in-person visits, we also encourage partners to engage with our internal sales team and our channel marketing team. We want to talk to them about deals and promotions and how they can plan their stock holdings or get their business managers to learn more by joining our training
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