Sun Microsystems has announced the roll out of a regional telecoverage model in a move to leverage opportunities and expand its customer base across its Emerging Markets (EM), which includes the Mena region.

The model will help reach high growth SMBs, startups and Web 2.0 companies in emerging economies, fueling Sun's drive toward profitable growth.

The telecoverage model, first implemented in India, has been operationally very successful for the last 6 years. It has been instrumental in contributing to a significant part of Sun’s local revenue growth.

The ‘Telecoverage’ model involves Sun’s centrally-based call centre agents making contact with existing as well as potential customers to access and sell Sun’s solutions.

The telecoverage model will go live across the EM and Middle East region and will be implemented by local companies that Sun has partnered with in these markets, said a top official.

The Emerging Markets region consists of 139 countries spanning Mena, Latin America, South and Eastern Europe, India and Greater China.

Peter Ryan, executive vice president, Global Sales and Services, Sun Microsystems, said, “Emerging economies are changing the global business landscape, providing incredible opportunities for companies like Sun.'

'To harness these opportunities and accelerate our growth in these geographies, we announced the formation of the EM sales region at the start of our fiscal year,' he explained.

Today's roll out of the  telecoverage model is Sun’s fist major initiative in the Emerging Markets region.

'This new business tool supports our sales efforts and increases the average number of leads generated, lead-to-order conversion and new customer acquisition,' Ryan pointed out.

'This model also demonstrates the investment we are making in these geographies through our local partners,' he added.

Deena Habib, marketing manager, Sun Microsystems, Mena, said the roll out of the telecoverage model across the Mena region would help optimise Sun's sales reach into sectors and regions that would have otherwise been difficult to penetrate.

'This broad initiative across Emerging Markets will drive our volume products and solutions to new markets and customer segments,' Habib noted.

'Best practices from our implementation of this model in some other GEMS will be leveraged effectively across this regions to increase customer acquisition and our bottom line,' he added.

According to KP Unnikrishnan, regional marketing director EM, Sun Microsystems, the organisations in the EM region want to grow fast and have the potential to do so.

'They look towards technology solutions to augment this fast track growth. Our telecoverage model allows our customers in these geographies easier access to Sun and supplements the efforts of our partner community to reach out more easily and effectively to customers,' he added.

The Telecoverage model will further amplify Sun's relationship with its  partner community, helping grow the partner business in new segments, expanding Sun's customer base and growing the bottom line.-TradeArabia News Service