OnForce Plays Matchmaker Between VARs, Customers
What if customers could more easily find qualified solutions providers? That’s a lucrative concept. Too bad OnForce had the idea before The VAR Guy. A new OnForce offering, called PowerMatch, sounds similar to online dating services. It’s a nifty idea. Here’s how it works.
PowerMatch enables service buyers (a fancy term for “customers”) to quickly identify which providers are best suited to complete each service request. When a work order is created (for example: please install 10 wireless networks), the requirements of that request are calculated and each VAR within the OnForce system is assigned a PowerMatch score from 1 to 100. This score represents the relevance of each VAR for that service event. PowerMatch is based on more than a dozen carefully selected criteria, encompassing how well each provider’s skills, performance and location match an individual service request.
No, The VAR Guy hasn’t actually tested the system. But it might face some competition. Quite a few VAR-focused organizations are seeking to build similar social networks, The VAR Guy hears.
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Does anyone know of any other companies doing the samething? I would like to sign up with as many as possible.
Hi Shaun,
Many of the distributors now offer lead generation systems to their higher-end VARs. But in terms of a nationwide online marketplace that connects VARs with customers, I’m not aware of any options outside of OnForce. Also, OnForce recently expanded its exchange to Canada, with the UK and Germany to follow soon.