You may have noticed that here at the Channel Connection blog we love to talk about apps. That’s because we love innovation, possibility, and productivity. We love helping channel partners grow, and helping their customers work better. And nothing pulls it all together like an app.
Xerox Channel Partners like Foxway, RDT Office Solutions, Just Tech and countless others are leveraging the power of apps to transform the way their customers work. App creation has helped these channel partners differentiate themselves in the market and develop new sources of revenue, and today Channel Partner Document Store is taking the conversation in a new direction with a fantastic idea that can help partners all over the world get started with apps themselves.
On May 26-27, the team at Document Store showed the world the forward thinking and innovative spirit that has made them such an excellent fit as a Xerox Channel Partner by hosting their first ever Apps Hackathon.
The company recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and as part of their celebration, invited twelve students from two nearby IT schools to the Document Store offices for a very unique challenge. The students were given 24 hours to create apps that could – as soon as the next day – be available for use by real Document Store customers.
The Challenge
Just like channel partners, the students were tasked with creating added value for customers and helping them improve the way they work. Unlike partners, the students had just 24 hours to create, perfect, and upload their apps to Xerox ConnectKey Technology® enabled devices.
Successful apps could immediately be made available through the App store, and the winner would be treated to a personal tour of Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center before the end of 2018. The competition was fierce – but friendly! – and the judges were well suited to the task. More than 350 votes were submitted by Document Store’s own customers.
The Winners
During the celebration event, more than 350 customers from Document Store cast their votes for the app with the most potential to transform workflows and improve office productivity. The winning app leverages Amazon Web Services to bring back to life unexploited data such as translating capabilities, image recognition, archiving, text resumes, and mood recognition. Many large companies are using AWS for their own businesses already. This new APP will ease those customer’s lives by providing a direct access to AWS from their Connect Key Technology®-enabled devices.
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Making a Splash
The event was a huge success for Document Store, who walked away with more than new apps to offer their customers. The event also generated buzz across social media and industry channels, giving Document Store excellent press and introducing them to a wealth of potential new customers, as well as giving them content for their own social and marketing initiatives.
Best of all, it has served as an excellent example of how powerful app creation can be in helping companies provide new value to their customers, and differentiate themselves in the market. Similar events are expected to pop up in the wake of Document Store’s success.
Sound intriguing? Learn how you can drive new revenue and strengthen your existing client relationships with the Personalized App Builder program from Xerox. Share details about your own app-centered event or how apps have helped your business succeed in our Xerox Partners LinkedIn Group exclusively for channel partners.
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Ready to become a Xerox Channel Partner? Contact your Xerox account manager or review the Xerox Global Partner Program and apply to become a Xerox channel partner today to find out how we will help grow your business.
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