AV partners must become workplace consultants, not hardware resellers: Neat

The collaboration vendor says partners that lead conversations around workplace strategy, analytics and user experience are winning enterprise deals faster than those still focused on traditional AV deployments.

Traditional AV resellers need to move beyond hardware installation and become workplace transformation consultants if they want to remain competitive as enterprise buying shifts towards hybrid work, according to Neat regional director, India & SAARC, Manu Sharma.

Speaking to CRN India, Sharma said enterprise customers are no longer looking for partners that simply deploy meeting room technology. Instead, organisations increasingly expect partners to advise on workplace utilisation, employee experience and collaboration strategies, creating new opportunities for partners that develop consulting capabilities alongside technical expertise.

"On the ground, this shift means moving from pulling cables and mounting legacy screens to discussing space optimisation, workplace analytics and employee engagement with the C-suite," Sharma said.

According to Sharma, modern collaboration devices have evolved beyond video conferencing, enabling organisations to collect real-time workplace insights such as room occupancy, temperature and carbon dioxide levels.

"A modern partner uses that data to tell a CEO exactly how their real estate is being utilised."

The shift towards consultative selling is translating into business outcomes for partners, Sharma said, pointing to partners such as Progility Tech and Powerbridge Systems as examples.

Rather than competing on hardware specifications, both partners positioned Neat around deployment speed, simplicity and user experience while aligning with enterprise collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms.

"What they did differently was stop selling hardware boxes and start selling speed, simplicity and user experience."

According to Sharma, that approach helped compress traditional enterprise AV sales cycles from several months to less than a month while opening opportunities across GCCs and large enterprise accounts.

Powerbridge Systems grew from virtually no Neat business to around US$0.5 million in revenue within a single financial year, with Sharma saying the partner is on track to cross US$1 million this year.

Progility Tech has followed a different growth path, but Sharma said its partnership with Neat has evolved from a transactional engagement into a strategic business relationship, supporting customer wins across sectors including GCCs, BFSI, manufacturing and workplace transformation initiatives.

"Partners who lead with deployment speed and enterprise relationship depth consistently outgrow those who don't."

Training partners for the next phase of growth

Helping partners make that transition has become a key focus for Neat's channel strategy.

According to Sharma, the company conducts certified technical masterclasses and partner training programmes two to three times every quarter across India, focusing on solution design, workplace strategy and modern collaboration technologies rather than traditional product installation.

"The traditional AV market is commoditising rapidly," Sharma said. "The partners thriving today are the ones who realise that the modern office room is an extension of corporate IT infrastructure, not a construction project."

He emphasised that Neat is not asking partners to become exclusive or abandon their existing business models.

Instead, partners that invest in new capabilities naturally become better positioned to capture larger opportunities.

"A partner who doesn't make the shift doesn't lose the relationship with Neat, but they naturally see a smaller share of the deal flow because the accounts increasingly go to whoever is having the workplace strategy conversation, not just the install."

Experience centres become GTM hubs

Neat is also working with partners to build experience centres to support customer engagement rather than simply showcase products.

Sharma said successful experience centres require joint investment, with partners providing the physical infrastructure and local market presence while Neat contributes hardware, technical enablement and collaborative marketing support.

He pointed to the Tasktel Neat Experience Centre as an example of the model.

Rather than functioning as traditional demo facilities, Sharma said these centres are intended to become regional collaboration hubs hosting certified training programmes, customer workshops, joint go-to-market initiatives and solution design sessions.

"It shouldn't just be used for passive product demos. It should host joint GTM initiatives, certified masterclasses and interactive customer workshops."

Growth will favour partners that lead business conversations

With India's video conferencing market projected to exceed US$8 billion by 2029, Sharma said the opportunity extends well beyond hardware refresh cycles.

Instead, he believes the next phase of growth will belong to partners that combine enterprise relationships with consulting capabilities and long-term customer engagement.

"We don't ask for exclusivity. We want to build long-term relationships with ambitious partners who share our commitment to solution selling."

According to Sharma, partners targeting high-growth segments such as GCCs, BFSI, IT/ITES and enterprise workplace modernisation will be best positioned to capture the next phase of market growth as customers prioritise business outcomes over standalone collaboration technology.