A new video conferencing provider with experience of Sales Aid leasing in Scandinavia has set its sights on growth in the UK, using leasing to pursue a greater share of the SME market.

Easymeeting, a joint venture between Norwegian video conferencing provider Avikom and British reseller and installer Quest Mark, was founded in 2009 with the intention of introducing video conferencing in the SME sector.

Video conferencing in the UK has seen a much greater uptake by large corporate and public sector customers than by SMEs. However, Kevin O’Shea, Easymeeting’s head of EMEA business development, believes there is great potential for smaller businesses to take up the technology.

One strategy for encouraging them to do so will be to lower the barrier on capital investment, by offering systems on a leasing option with packages comprising hardware, broadband connectivity and installation and support services.

Whereas Questmark has had little experience of selling video conference systems through a leasing model, Avikom has used the strategy in Scandinavia to maintain regular sales growth over the last few years.

So far, Easymeeting has undertaken several initial leasing sales through Syscap, the technology led introducer and funding provider based in Wimbledon. The relationship came about due to Syscap’s existing financing relationship with Imago Group Plc, one of Easymeeting’s equipment suppliers.

However, O’Shea says that the company is looking to broaden its range of leasing partners as business picks up.

Back in the Nordics, Easymeeting has partnered with two leading office equipment manufacturers. Both companies are well known for selling primarily through leasing, and have their own well developed captive finance companies, although have not yet been named.

The SME customer base of these companies overlaps with that targeted by Easymeeting, providing an opportunity for cross selling to a market already receptive to the idea of purchase through leasing.

O’Shea commented: “We want to make video communications an integral part of everyday business, and to do that we’ve got to make it easy for people to have access to this form of communication.

“The equipment is available to SMEs as a leasing package rather than through outright purchase. It makes it easier for them, because most SMEs will buy some form of communications on a lease with a fixed monthly cost rather than a large sum of money.”

Contributed by Fred Crawley - Reporter, Leasing Life & Motor Finance - Leasing Life

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