Value-added resellers deliver computing equipment, software and services that help organizations improve efficiency and visibility across their operations. VARs need those same capabilities themselves to thrive in a fast-paced and fiercely competitive industry that puts a premium on customer service.
GHA Technologies (opens in new tab) knows that first-hand. From its founding as a one-person shop in 1990, GHA has grown into a $141 million business reselling millions of products from 2,500 technology vendors such as Dell, HP, IBM, Cisco and Apple. Listed on the 2016 Inc. 5000 of America’s fastest-growing private companies, GHA has distinguished itself with a long history of superior customer service.
GHA Technologies is also distinguished by its early embrace of cloud ERP. In 2003, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based GHA was among the pioneering companies to abandon on-premise software and servers in favor of NetSuite’s cloud offering to run back-office operations.
George Hertzberg, GHA Technologies founder and president, credits the move to NetSuite as a key enabler of the 175-person company’s phenomenal success. GHA has increased revenue five-fold over its 13 years on NetSuite while expanding the customer base to more than 30,000.
“There’s no way we could have grown as much as we have without NetSuite,” said Hertzberg, who is featured in the NetSuite customer video (opens in new tab) below. “NetSuite’s scalability to handle growth, its speed and stability and on-demand reporting have been very valuable in enabling us to manage and grow the business.”
‘It’s All About Exceptional Service’
Before NetSuite, GHA struggled with a Sage Peachtree system that crashed frequently because of file size limitations. Required daily backups were time-consuming and unproductive, and reporting was slow and painful. GHA made the leap to the NetSuite cloud after examining on-premise Sage MAS 90 and Microsoft Dynamics GP applications.
GHA found in NetSuite an agile, unified platform that improved business performance across the board, from sales and order management to post-fulfillment support. Robust analytics, real-time data access and automated workflows that GHA enjoys with NetSuite are key ingredients in seamless customer-centric processes that drive repeat business and profitability.
“It’s all about exceptional service,” Hertzberg said. “That’s where NetSuite comes in for us. Everything has to flow as smooth as silk and NetSuite is at the core of that.”
Flexibility in the SuiteCloud development platform is another value-add for GHA Technologies. Using the NetSuite open API, NetSuite solution provider partner Explore Consulting was able to easily build a direct API connection with CNET ChannelOnline, a supplier network that provides GHA with access to accurate pricing and product data for its largest distributors.
Through that automation, GHA has shortened its sales cycles and saves as much as two hours per transaction per sales representative on the 1,500 transactions that GHA reps process monthly. With the time-savings gained through automation, reps can focus on more value-added tasks that deepen customer relationships.
With NetSuite, Hertzberg is confident that GHA has a flexible, future-proof platform ideally suited to support continued rapid growth and innovation.
“Technology professionals tell us, ‘You don’t know how many times you’ve saved us,’” Hertzberg said. “We’ve become a behind-the-scenes type of partner for them. That’s very similar to our relationship with NetSuite — they’re a behind-the-scenes partner for GHA Technologies.”
