As the number one brand in the Chrome market, Acer has decided to further strengthen its Cloud Partner Program, a vertical certification for partners with extensive knowledge of ChromeOS solutions. A choice dictated by the need to enable its channel to expand in small and medium market segments, capture more demand, and offer new valuable services to their customers.

The indirect sales model, which has been instrumental in Acer’s remarkable achievements over the past 20 years, remains unchanged. The Acer for Business Division continues to prioritize small and medium companies, and Public Administration, which collectively account for approximately 25% of the Total Available Market. Those markets are addressed not just with a full line of high-performance products, but also with a range of services and solutions designed to support Partners in their day-to-day operations.

Acer Cloud Partners are now offered an updated package, which includes enterprise license subscriptions, free participation in training and webinars, exclusive customer service tools and the opportunity to leverage as-a-service and trade-in programs. These are in addition to the existing benefits of the program, which include business development and direct sales support, a Synergy Program rewards plan, and access to demo and seeding units.

Even though hardware and software play a fundamental role in the purchasing process, this is not the only aspect taken into consideration by commercial end users in the sales process.

Partners rely on qualified, round-the-clock support and Acer is fully committed to offering them the very best in class: from online support to on-site repairs, warranty extensions, accidental damage insurance, data recovery, and more.

Just as with all Acer Synergy Partners, Acer Cloud Partners have full access to Acer’s international network of owned repair centers. Acer is the only brand to own its ISO 9001 certified repair centres outright, signifying a significant investment for the company and a key asset for its partners. Acer’s exceptional customer service has been recognized across Europe, receiving recognition from La Repubblica in Italy, the Disq Test in Germany, and the Customer Service of the Year award in France and Spain.

Not only, with the White-Glove service, Acer Cloud Partners can also utilize ZTE (Zero Touch Enrollment) to seamlessly enroll Acer Chrome devices into the company’s domain, ensuring their readiness. This service also enables the installation of customized software, hardware upgrades, device label management, and provides convenient delivery of gadgets directly to users’ offices.

To up-skill our Partners sales teams, Acer and Google have opened the door to three levels of training: via the Google Training Portal, the Google Skills Training Platform, to reach certifications and credentials allowing to get additional benefits, and Acer training on new devices/services.

“Our primary goal is to help our Cloud partners continue to grow their business by unlocking new opportunities with small and medium-sized businesses, as well as enterprises,” says Craig Booth, UK Country Manager at Acer UK. “Since its inception three years ago, our Acer Cloud Partner Program has proven to be a valuable business asset. Google is a key partner not only for its fully cloud-based solutions, but also for its alignment with our ESG ambitions and our commitment to sustainability. By leveraging Google’s expertise, we can develop more sustainable products and services therefore offering better tools to our partners to win in a competitive market.”

The Acer Cloud Partner Program comprises various additional key elements, which work together to help partners holding this qualification to grow and add value to their business.

Leasing

Smart Finance is Acer’s subscription-based model for Acer equipment and services, offering several advantages to partners through a monthly subscription:

Eliminates the need for significant upfront costs

Preserves cash flow by spreading the investment over time

Contributes to the circular economy by promoting reuse and reducing environmental impact

Acer Smart Financing allows to include “soft costs” like different accessories, software, services and warranties. Payment terms can also be tailored over 2 to 5 years. Combined with Google’s subscription licensing option, partners can sell perpetual licenses or ‘lease’ them, giving them complete control over customer relationships and contractual arrangements.

XaaS

Acer-as-a-Service represents an important milestone in Acer’s approach to sustainable business growth. It offers a highly flexible solution for responsibly expanding or downsizing your IT fleet with a simplified monthly contract. This “Pay for what you use” model is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Trade-In

Acer Trade-In Express is a powerful tool that helps businesses align their needs with a circular economy approach. It offers advantageous residual values on non-Chrome devices while providing a strong value proposition on ChromeOS to our dedicated resellers, generating demand and facilitating sales.