What is going to be the focus of V-Guard in the coming days?
As far as the products, I think, we, as a brand, have penetrated well in the market and have earned loyal customers and partners in the South and West of India. Now our complete focus is on the Eastern part of the country. Overall we are having 17% market share in the country and 11% in the South.
In the power sector, as an Indian vendor, what are the key challenges you are facing?
Things are getting tougher with each passing day. Some of the key challenges are the instability in the currencies, market fluctuation, and local players. However, we are trying to ensure quality both in terms of the product and the service.
What are the new avenues you are looking for growth?
We call it the online-UPS business. This is typically concentrated on the corporate and the enterprise segment. We will be launching products to cater to that segment over the next few months.
How many partners are associated with V-guard till date?
We have around 2000 partners spread across the country working directly or indirectly for V-guard. We believe they are the lifeline for us.
Will you be concentrating on online portals for billing?
Strictly no. We believe in the channel that has brought us from the day one we started the business. We believe that there is no better source than our partners to add value to the business. So, we give more importance to channel partners and not online sites in terms of the UPS business. Any business enquiry coming online is directed to the partner and at the same time, a lead is generated to the partner.
The market believes V-guard should concentrate more on schemes. What is your view?
We are facing tough times today. However, we ensure that no partner gets hit by any external factors. In some cases, we bear the brunt and protect the margins that the partners are getting. We have tried launching some schemes but found that it did not work very well. In the coming days, with due consideration for state of the market, we will definitely look at this concern. At the same time we ensure that out of all the challenges we faced, there has not been a single percentage compromise made on the quality of the product or the service.
So, how do you differentiate your partners?
We never differentiate our partners in terms of the numbers. It is a company that has grown with a bonding. For us, these partners are crucial as they have been loyal to us for a long time. This is very important. We will go to any extent to seek and maintain their goodwill. Any partner who has been loyal to us will automatically get all the benefits he/she expects.
Another feedback is on the product cost. Why V-guard is always priced very high?
We are not a company that compromises on the quality. Any customer who uses our products for a year will never consider our competitors. A channel partner will receive a call from one customer only for a new product and not for the service-related issues of the sold product.
What is your turn-around-time for UPS products?
We ensure that in bigger cities, it should be not more than 24 working hours. If it is tier-2 and tier-3 market, it will not exceed 48 hours. We also provide on-site support and in some cases the TAT may differ depending on the location and the issue.