There are many achievements that 360 Magazine’s “Golden Rhino Awards” can take credit for. But probably the most significant one is that it has increased the level of accountability on the part of IT manufacturers toward their channel partners. When the Award was first instituted, partners were not even sure of the quality of the product they received. And demands for a customer-friendly warranty policy seemed to be a distant idea. Today, three years later, the concerns of the channel are not only heard but also addressed, thanks to awards like the Golden Rhino.
Last year, the Golden Rhino survey highlighted the poor after-sales service offered by manufacturers. Replacement speed, turnaround time and uniformity of service were some of the criteria where manufacturers got poor ratings from the channel fraternity. This year, manufacturers seem to have spruced up their act and have improved the turnaround time. However, uniformity of service still continues to be a problem area. Partners are also very concerned about the poor standards that companies have in online help staff.
While companies seem to have spared no effort in ensuring that their brands/products are available throughout the country, they have not paid the same amount of attention in setting up service centers. At a time when the technologies offered by competitors are on par, it is the service support that will make the serious players stand apart from the rest.
When the “Golden Rhino Award” was instituted, it promised the channel an award that would go beyond the marketing spiel and reward a product for its intrinsic offerings namely, reliability and warranty policies. And we can proudly say that this goal has been achieved, thanks to the overwhelming support of our partners.
Today, the recipients of the “Golden Rhino Award” are the envy of their peers in the industry for they have the channels seal of reliability with them as the award-winners. The importance of this seal is gauged from the fact that few manufacturers have broken it from the time it was bestowed.
360 Magazine’s April 30 issue celebrates the promise of reliability of the “Golden Rhino Awards 2005″.