Shoaib Ahmed, Central Leadership Team member, Tally Solutions On Tally ERP9 Rental Model...

Recently Tally unveils fully-loaded Business-ready PCs with genuine Tally.ERP 9 license. Sheding lights on Tallys action plan for new ERP9 Rental model, Shoaib Ahmed, Central Leadership Team member, Tally Solutions (P) Ltd talks to IT VAR News...

ITVN: What is Tally ERP9 Rental Model?

Shoaib Ahmed: A genuine version of Tally.ERP 9 license would come preloaded on the PCs sold to business customers, without any increase in cost. The preloaded solution comes with all the regular functions of Tally.ERP 9 - remote access, control centre for centralized management, support centre, extended technical partner support, synchronization of data and product updates. Benefits of Tally.ERP 9 include faster implementation, simplified administration and automatic problem reporting. Flexi renewals provide convenience as well as license management.

Our Hardware Partners receive a Business PC kit that contains the CD to load the software, Stickers that goes on the PC front panel, and other supporting documents.

Today Businesses can experience PC purchase similar to that of buying a mobile phone that comes handy with all hardware, firmware&software packed. The customers can renew the rental or move into a perpetual license from the comforts of Tally.ERP 9 screen. 

ITVN: What all are PC brands with which you have done a tie- up for fully-loaded Business-ready PCs ?

SA:Currently we have tied up with all existing Tally partners and Hardware resellers who are the end mile in PC sale; hence it is not limited to any single brand. Going forward we intend tying up with OEMs too with special offers.

ITVN: What all are the segments you are targeting to with Tally ERP9 ?

SA:Tally is a horizontal solution, and most suited for SMB. Small traders and Retail form 52% of the SMB and we are focused on these verticals, also on manufacturing.

With Rental Tally.ERP 9 we target the PC Buyers to give them a Genuine Tally experience.

ITVN: Kindly shed some light on Tallys channel partner ecosystem?

SA:We have a simple 2-tier partner model. We have 120 Master Tally Partners (MTP) and about 11000 + Tally Partners (TP). AMTP or the Associate Master Tally Partners are more like the distributors. We deal with MTPs , and they in turn do commerce with their AMTPs and TPs.

TSPs are Tally service providers and many of our MTPs and some TPs fall under this category. They cater to the various after sales service requirements like implementation, data migration, training requirements etc. Tally Integrators are partners who offer customisation services around the solution, while Tally Extenders offer modules, using TDL Tally Definition language.

We also have Tally Education partners who provide Tally trained candidates.

ITVN: What are your upcoming channel plans?

SA:Current Rental Program is a good plan for Channel to earn & continuously earn. This is a program that value adds to a PC selling Channel. Our TP (who sell PC) have already started announcing offers on Business PC (read as Tally.ERP 9 rental preloaded PC) at attractive price propositions! Every time a Customer renews the Partner potentially earns his margins.

Ongoing we create a collaborative channel that feeds into each other for a collective win-win market proposition. Say for example, a Partner may sell a complete solution to a Customer:

Complete Business IT infrastructure (Hardware, Software, Networking, Connectivity, Web store, ePayments, Domain Advice, Custom Solutions&comprehensive after sales support)

The above offer once accepted by Customer will be delivered by Tally Eco-system:

Partner who sold the BII (Business IT Infra) will be the single point of contact

Our TP&Alliance Partners will provide Hardware, Networking&connectivity

Our BAP Chartered Accountants enabled for ERP Consulting will provide Domain Advice

Our Tally Integrators will provide Custom solutions

Our TSP will provide a comprehensive after sales support (onsite & online through Support Centre within Tally.ERP 9 product)

Some recent Alliance with IBM providing Smart Cube is a Smart Business Stack that contains Tally.ERP 9. Our Business PC Program that enables a PC Seller to provide a single stop solution are classic example of collaborative offering.

ITVN: How do you equip your partners to sell right solutions to right consumers?

SA: At Tally, we have a hard-earned reputation for empowering businesses with stable, effective software products and Tally.ERP 9 takes this further. Tally.ERP 9 has all the features required for high-performance business management including remote access, audit & compliance services, an integrated support centre and security management, all focused on delivering peace of mind.

Implementation requires complete understanding of the customers business requirements and also active involvement from the customer. Tally service partners are high quality, dedicated Support and Service centres who extend installation, implementation, training, data migration, data support, on-site and off-site services and maintenance contracts to customers.

A dedicated TSP partner support group, training on the product and visibility on issues and queries that comes from customers is the support provided by Tally to help the TSP deliver quality and prompt services.Tally has also partnered with many bright individuals and Service Partners to make available custom modules that they have developed and continue to develop.

ITVN:How Tally ensures partners profitability?

SA:Tally is a completely partner driven company. All sales and services are provided by partners. Our sales partners earn between 15% to 25% margins on sale of Tally license.

Over and above the product margins, partners provide training, support and solutions services to customers. Extensive customisation is possible using the Tally definition language, and Tally delivers comprehensive hands-on, instructor led TDL training programs across the year, at several centres in India (partner enablement).

These services are charged based on man hours / Man day basis and the rates are as per industry standards.

ITVN: What is your go to market strategies for ERP9?

SA:Tally.ERP 9 is the outcome of being in the market for around 20 years in a leadership position.Having worked closely with the SMB segment we have very clear understanding of their needs.

Making the solution easily available Tally rental is one such effort in that direction

Building and enabling a vibrant eco-system that not only sells the product but also delivers additional value in the form of services

Re-enforcement, recommendations and advise from Influencers such as Chartered Accountants & Consultants

ITVN: Which vertical do you see is most growth fuelling for Tally?

SA:Retail & Trading comprises of more than 50% of the market in India. Customers in this segment have embraced Tally as their business application. For speciality retail, Tally has Shoper as its product line and this product too enjoys a major market share in this vertical space.

ITVN: What is your opinion on ERP on the cloud? Do you believe in its achievement?

SA: Yes the cloud is reality and more and customers are now increasingly consuming services from it. Tally Rental combines the benefits of pay as you go yet on premise!

ITVN: What are Tallys offering in clouds space?

SA: Customer wants a pay as you go mode and yet wants to have a on premise security especially in the business application space.

To answer our offering in clouds space while many SAAS players are providing their applications on the web, Tally.ERP 9 brings the web WITHIN the application for Customer Comfort!

For example, a customer can use our online support centre WITHIN Tally.ERP 9 which runs on Tally.NET Product Support an online single view Support System for Customers (across branches / sites), Service Providers (TSP) & Tally L1 support staff! The whole thing comes as a service from the cloud from within the application or on a browser. In simple terms as mentioned earlier while many companies are providing their application on the web, we bring the web inside our application!

ITVN: Where would be Tallys Focus this year?

SA: The focus of our company will be to ensure the success of Tally.ERP 9 and also on making the Tally ecosystem effective and to leverage its relationships with strategic alliances with OEM vendors.