Increasingly, with the introduction of hybrid meetings, the convergence of IT and AV means these devices are no longer just add-ons, they’re now essential components of unified communications.
Therefore, as businesses increasingly demand integrated solutions that seamlessly merge enterprise technology with AV capabilities, distributors must evolve their strategies to serve a more diverse and sophisticated customer base.
The complexity of this transition demands leaders who understand both sides of the channel equation: those who have lived the challenges faced by integrators while possessing the strategic vision to leverage distribution capabilities effectively.
Enter Hannah Sharma, Exertis’s new Director of Sales for AV, whose appointment represents a strategic move that embodies this market evolution.
Sharma decided these challenges faced in the market needed solutions, and she saw the approach Exertis is taking as the answer.
“One of my first proper interactions was with its inaugural EmpowHer event in 2023. I got an immersion in their culture and saw its diversity and inclusion values and how it brings that awareness to the industry,” Sharma said.
“From there, I became more and more interested in what Exertis’ ambitions were, what they were trying to achieve, and that got me really excited about being part of that culture.”
With 17 years of industry experience spanning both distribution and integration, Sharma brings a unique perspective that bridges the gap between supplier and customer needs.
Understanding the Issues in the AV Sector
Sharma’s journey from Imago through AMX and Harman, followed by seven years in the leadership team at integrator Twisted Pair – where she “quadrupled the turnover of the business” – positions her perfectly to understand the pain points that system integrators face daily.
“The modern AV market presents integrators with challenges that would have been unimaginable just a decade ago,” Sharma said.
Where once the market offered limited “A or B as options”, today’s landscape is characterized by an overwhelming array of choices across every solution category.
This proliferation of vendors and technologies, while beneficial for end-users, creates significant complexity for integrators who must navigate credit facilities, inventory management, and technical expertise across multiple product lines simultaneously.
The convergence of IT and AV technologies has democratized many solutions, making them “much more accessible to a broader market,” but it has also intensified competition and reduced margins on traditional AV services.
As Sharma noted, “the black art part for the AV integrators”, the ability to charge premium rates for complex programming, is diminishing as end-users demand simplification.
“Clients are saying to themselves, I can do this really easily on my phone. Why does this touch panel need to be so complicated?”
This shift forces integrators to reconsider their value propositions while managing increasingly complex project requirements.
Credit and cash flow management represent another critical challenge, Sharma explains.
Equally, the situation becomes even more complex when integrators need to hold inventory for extended project timelines or manage the logistics of multi-vendor solutions, where different components arrive from various suppliers with inconsistent delivery schedules.
“We need to be making sure that we are holding the right stock and offering what our customers need, which is the right credit lines to buy the right stock that is available in time,” Sharma said.
Furthermore, the post-pandemic emphasis on Teams integration and cloud-based UC solutions has created new technical requirements that integrators must master.
“The first questions I get asked are: is it Teams enabled, will it fit into a Teams environment? How does that work? And also, actually, does it carry the official Teams certification badge?”
This technical complexity, combined with sustainability reporting requirements and the need for ongoing managed services, creates a multi-layered challenge that requires sophisticated distribution support.
Exertis Solutions: Strategic Distribution for Modern Market Demands
The comprehensive support structure that Exertis has developed enables integrators to transform their market position from reactive service providers to strategic technology partners.
It does this by addressing these market challenges through a comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional distribution models, offering integrators the infrastructure and expertise needed to compete effectively in today’s complex environment.
The company’s exclusive relationship with Chubb for credit insurance is an example of such an advantage.
“Exertis has an exclusive relationship with Chubb and if they find out who the end users are, not only can they pull down the stock and hold the stock for them, but they can generally look at the credit limit as well,” Sharma said.
This exclusive arrangement means integrators can not only build stock for larger orders, but access credit facilities unavailable through other distributors, enabling them to pursue big projects without them possibly being constrained by existing credit commitments elsewhere.
This is bolstered by the company’s logistics capabilities, anchored by their wholly owned facility in Burnley. This facility provides integrators with sophisticated inventory management options that extend far beyond simple warehousing.
This capability becomes particularly valuable for planned rollouts where timing is critical, allowing integrators to focus on customer relationships rather than supply chain management.
“We can also potentially take in third parties, so brands that we don’t carry, but are required for project could come into us at a central point, we can palletize these and send the whole order directly on to that customer,” Sharma explained.
Technical services represent another crucial differentiator, with Exertis offering both pre-sale design services and post-installation support that allows integrators to expand their capabilities without the overhead of taking on their own additional permanent staff.
“I think it’s very easy to look at the industry and baseline it on a very large, well-known integrator. But there are so many out there where they can lean on those services of a distributor to effectively bolster their own internal resources without having to have the overhead,” Sharma explained.
This “pay-as-you-go” model enables growing integrators to test new market segments and technologies while maintaining operational efficiency. The logistics infrastructure also supports sustainability initiatives through consolidated shipping.
“The fact that we solely own our logistics gives us an opportunity to, for example, hold stock for call-offs for large projects,” Sharma noted.
Equally, Exertis’s recent achievement of ISO 14001 environmental certification provides integrators with credentials they can leverage in tender responses, particularly important as “a lot of these larger corporations are very sensitive to the environmental and sustainability issues.”
This certification, combined with Exertis’s comprehensive sustainability initiatives including EV vehicle fleets and solar power, enables integrators to meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements in corporate tenders without developing these capabilities internally.
A Strategic Vision for an Industry in Evolution
The convergence of IT and AV technologies, combined with evolving customer expectations around simplicity, sustainability, and managed services, requires distribution partners who can provide more than just product availability.
Sharma’s appointment at Exertis embodies a strategic response to such fundamental shifts in the AV market, ones which demand new approaches to channel partnerships.
“Understanding the key strategic business objectives of our customer base will enable us to align better with our key customers,” she explained.
Sharma’s mission to build high-level customer relationships leverages Exertis’ partnership offerings of exclusive credit facilities, sophisticated logistics infrastructure, technical services to further empower integrators to build their base with confidence, knowing they have access to the right products, technical support, and market intelligence.
By taking out all the auxiliary work, Exertis enables integrators to focus on their core competencies. That, in an increasingly complex converging world of IT and AV, is priceless.
This post originally appeared on Service Management - Enterprise - Channel News - UC Today.