Committed to the channel, but not the experience?

CHANGES to the delivery of media licenses won’t affect the relationship between Microsoft and its channel partners.Brent Colbert, Microsoft Director, Partner Group, says the changes will not affect its relationship with resellers, only the way the licenses are delivered to the end user.“We are still very committed to the channel,” he says. “We believe it is going to help our partners and help to drive sales.”Colbert also believes the changes, effective as of Monday December 7, will help to speed up the process.Not only will the downloading option be an easier means of delivery for clients, it will also potentially cut back on 91% of greenhouse gas emission, says Colbert.Media stocking will discontinue from December 6.But some resellers are wary of the changes and how they will affect the customer experience.Simon Scott, managing director at Aquire, has concerns about the changes and how they will affect delivery.“People on a slow DSL connection may struggle, and this will cause issues of efficiency,” he says. “And if they choose the other option they will have to wait for three to five days for postage.”While he says these concerns are hypothetical, and that resellers will have to wait and see how the changes will affect business once they have been implemented, Scott says he can’t see how the changes will speed up the process.“We definitely have fears over the customer experience – so the question is, does being green affect the customer experience?“Initially, we perceive it as an inconvenience, but we can’t complain until it happens.”