What VALUE Does a VAR Bring to Your Business?

Working with a value-added reseller when purchasing CAE simulation software ensures your business gets the most out of its investment.

If you’ve ever spent any time researching simulation software options for your organization, you’ve probably come across the term “VAR,” which stands for “value-added reseller.” VARs emerge in industries where high levels of technical knowledge are required to work with a product, especially when the product developers don’t have the resources required to manage complex and industry-specific support questions on their own. VARs bridge the gap by mastering the product—in our case, CAE simulation software—and then working closely with clients as product support and expert consultants.

VARs aren’t just “middlemen” adding to the cost of a software purchase. In fact, they offer a more cost-effective solution for businesses which in turn reduces the turnaround time on projects and improves the quality of outcomes. Here are just a few ways engineering businesses benefit from working with VARs.

1. VARs are more effective than working with direct support from a large corporation.

Contrary to what you might think, many large corporations are not equipped to handle customer support from all of their customers. Their focus is on product development, sales, and distribution. While they may have support lines in place to handle some customer concerns, they often don’t have the resources to deliver top-quality support to hundreds of thousands of users around the world.

A VAR is a customer advocate. They work with the customer until their problem is solved, thereby ensuring the customer doesn’t get lost in a run-around. For any support requests that the VAR is unable to satisfy, they are experienced in navigating the support system of the software developer to help expedite a timely response. As a result, the customer has their needs handled quickly and thoroughly, and with far less frustration and hassle.

2. VARs give you direct access to their most qualified team members.

While some software developers, such as the Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA team, have deep expertise on their team, you may have to go through several layers of support before you reach them. By contrast, a VAR offers access to an elite team of engineers that can handle even the most complex support questions.

For example, our team members handle over 90% of non-bug-related requests in-house, without passing them on to the software developer’s support team. However, we also have close working relationships with the SIMULIA team’s support engineers, and we can tap into that knowledge quickly when needed.

3. VARs let smaller organizations avoid enterprise pricing.

Suppliers usually prefer to sell directly to large customers who will make enterprise-level purchases. They would rather divert smaller organizations to VARs, who can provide more economically-efficient support. As a result, VARs actually cut down on costs for smaller organizations by helping them avoid enterprise pricing and providing access to exclusive price promotions not available to non-VAR customers.

4. VARs help you get the most use from your CAE software purchase.

Most of us engage with relatively simple software on a day-to-day basis. It doesn’t take a VAR to master Word, although those of us who consider ourselves to be “power users” have probably set up a few keyboard shortcuts to improve our efficiency. But software sold by VARs—such as FEA software—is complex, and learning the ins and outs requires a lot of knowledge and skill.

VARs are power users of this software. They can train your engineers in how to use it, and show them how to factor for every minor adjustment so that your engineers can use the software to its fullest extent. Furthermore, they understand a range of software solutions available to your business, and can match you to the one that is most suited to your needs. They can help you install it and make sure it’s configured appropriately for your hardware.

5. VARs expand your access to engineering simulation expertise.

Many businesses hire CAE engineers based on the engineering challenges they frequently face within their industry. But what happens if your newest project requires expert knowledge in a different branch of engineering? It is rarely cost-effective to hire specialist engineers every time you encounter this scenario.

Working with a VAR, your company gains access to a wider pool of knowledge. For instance, our team at CATI is comprised of engineers with advanced degrees and years of experience in a range of engineering specialties. We can draw on that deep well of knowledge whenever the situation arises. This includes complex and rare situations with many variables requiring cross-disciplinary expertise.

6. VARs offer specialization within your vertical.

VARs can tap experience earned from many years of working within an industry. While your engineers may be highly skilled in handling your company’s specific needs, VARs will have spent years working with a businesses in every branch of your industry. They’ll have insights into how to set up a model or solve a problem based on those experiences, and this will benefit your business as you seek to improve your current designs.

Furthermore, this insight gained from external experience will only continue to grow throughout the duration of your partnership. Working with a VAR is like working with the collective talent of all the engineers within that organization.

Value-added resellers provide a more complete solution to businesses with simulation software needs.

From working closely with your organization, your VAR will be able to offer the greatest benefits over a long period of time. They will be able to introduce you to new software products as you need them or show you new features as you upgrade your existing system.

CATI is a VAR of Dassault Systèmes software, including SIMULIA, CATIA, Abaqus, and more. As trusted partners of Dassault Systèmes, we have years of experience helping businesses successfully adopt their tools, master their use and application, and accelerate their product development and innovation. If you are considering purchasing Dassault Systèmes simulation software, contact us. We can help you succeed!