Mike Barron, UK Managing Director, SYNAXON, believes schools and colleges will need to call on the experience and advice of trusted partners even more this year
The “back to school” period is when schools, colleges, academies, and trusts review what they have, what they need, and what they can realistically afford, before the new academic year gets going. It is always an opportunity for resellers and this year it brings added potential as education customers deal with several important challenges.
Many devices in schools are aging. Some were purchased hastily during the pandemic, while others are simply underspecified or just not fit for purpose anymore. There are plenty of schools and colleges that have not yet got around to upgrading to Windows 11, and there is also the question of how they can harness the power of AI for the benefit of pupils. Added to this are the growing concerns and expectations around cybersecurity, and the ever-present challenge around budgets.
More than deals. A plan for winning education business.
To support partners over this key time of the year, we are running a Back to School campaign. This won't just be a set of promotions and special deals – we will be focusing our efforts on supporting resellers on every opportunity with schools and colleges and giving them the best chance of winning. We want to help you in delivering great service and deepening relationships. As well as strong messages around AI-ready devices, Windows 11 readiness, we will be underlining the importance of helping education customers with refresh planning and practical support helping them make the right technology decisions at the right time.
On the face of it, the hardware refresh opportunity may seem quite straightforward, but it will be important to take a consultative approach. Schools will want longevity and good ROI from their investments – not just the lowest price. The situation has been complicated this year by the arrival of AI PCs and many schools genuinely don't know what option is going to be best for them. The restricted supply of entry-level systems due to component shortages has not made things easier.
This is going to make the wide range of options and exclusive offers that we provide through SYNAXON Hub even more important. We will be making sure all our customers know about the latest deals we have available from all the leading brands we work with, including Acer, HP, and Lenovo, all of whom are trusted names in education.
Similarly with cybersecurity, we will be highlighting what we feel are the best solutions for schools and colleges and encouraging resellers to promote them to their education customers. It will be important to promote peripheral products too – displays, keyboards and mice, speakers and headsets, UPS units. And with the new EU rules on USB-C charging, it's important to remember that many laptops now won't ship with charging devices.
Why we're backing resellers this back to school season
We're running the Back to School campaign to help resellers do more business with schools and colleges this summer and fall. We pride ourselves on delivering the best service to our partners and schools are no different – they want and expect good and highly personalized service. Our aim is to make sure resellers know that, when they are competing for education business, SYNAXON is there to help them win.
Talk to your SYNAXON Account Manager.
Email: synaxonuk@synaxon.com
Phone: 01925 346111