Vodafone Business Services (VBS), the enterprise arm of Vodafone India, plans to transform itself from a mobility products provider to a provider of information and communications technology (ICT) products.

VBS is also revamping its existing engagement model and will double its channel network by FY 2016-17 to target the Small and Medium Enterprise segment.

“We are transforming and positioning ourselves to give an end-to-end portfolio of service offerings, focusing on the ICT,” Ajay Sehgal, National Head, SME, Vodafone Business Services, said.

VBS wanted customers to experience non-mobility services such as fixed line, machine-to-machine and cloud.

Sehgal explained, “We will support SMEs to enhance their productivity and business efficiencies. We are now moving to a broader and strategic ICT partnership for our SME clients by doubling the target and enhancing our channel with a new two-tiered approach and a fresh engagement model.”

To achieve this, VBS will have larger channel partners as well as advanced re-sellers (partners who already have an existing IT relationship with SMEs). The idea was to give a total communications proposition to SMEs who could then control their entire businesses on the phone, he said.

To support this, VBS also announced the introduction of six new vertical propositions specific to an industry – construction, manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, healthcare and professional services during this fiscal.

VBS accounts for 15 per cent of Vodafone India’s revenue. SMEs are one of four segments of VBS and the one that is growing at 40 per cent, which is double the growth rate for VBS.

Source : Business Line