We need 1C specialists to register a franchise. Organizational experience and maturity
Franchising is a form of licensing on the basis of which one party (the franchisor) grants a paid right to another party (the franchisee) to use trademarks or brands on its behalf.
The franchise network of partners is being actively developed by 1C to provide a high level of service to users of the 1C:Enterprise 8 platform and guarantees the highest quality of services provided. This network has no analogues in Russia; it was created and is developing on the basis of teams that not only implement software, but also have experience in pre- and post-sales user service, support, implementation, and sometimes software development.
1c franchisee companies work under the brand "1C:FRANCHISING", have on their staff specialists certified by 1C, which ensures high quality of provision of a standard range of services: installation and configuration of application software products, their integration into other 1C configurations, user training, organization of accounting in the organization.
1C franchising- the best way to date to ensure industrial quality of services provided, which allows you to combine efficiency, productivity, high level professionalism and mobility of a huge number of small private organizations with technological developments and guarantees of one of the leaders in the Russian development market software. At the same time, the very presence of the franchisee trademark 1c franchising gives the consumer confidence that the business automation solutions offered to him will be supported and improved on a regular and long-term basis.
1C:FRANCHISING is a network of organizations providing a comprehensive range of services for automating accounting tasks and other office work.
Services provided by franchisee firms
Assistance in choosing software products
Sales of software
Installation
Delivery
Integration
Settings
After-sales service
Consulting services
Education
Industrial quality of service
The modern technological platform "1C:Enterprise" provides wide functionality for setting up the system to perform any specialized and industry-specific tasks for adaptation to the accounting features of a particular enterprise and for implementing the system into software and hardware from other developers.
The 1C company, together with its partners, is constantly working to improve the quality of customer service. The 1C company has created a standard quality system 1C:Franchisee, allowing even small private organizations to achieve ISO 9001 certification, ensuring they operate in accordance with international quality standards. Certification according to ISO 9001 means that the company is properly organized, has a clear structure, adheres to basic operating technologies, has documented operational instructions, monitors the execution of work, and has highly qualified personnel who perform assigned tasks efficiently and on time.
It is small private firms that can provide the greatest attention to the specific needs of a particular consumer.
Industry solutions
Specialization in the industries of franchisee firms can significantly increase the efficiency of their activities due to detailed knowledge in the subject area and contributes to the creation of solutions that most fully take into account specific features specific industries. The 1C company periodically publishes a collection of “Implemented solutions based on the 1C:Enterprise program system”, containing detailed information about the peculiarities of using the 1C:Enterprise platform in organizations of various fields of activity. It contains materials about original developments for companies of the 1C franchise network, examples of integration standard solutions"1C". The most successful of them are drawn up in the form of mass-produced standard configurations for the 1C:Enterprise platform and are subject to certification by the 1C company. After passing a thorough check for compliance with the established set of requirements, such software products are awarded a “Compatible! 1C:Enterprise software system and are sold by 1C through a partner network in distribution mode. Today there are already configurations for organizations in the field of motor transport, budgetary and military spheres, hotel business, IT organizations, healthcare, non-profit and educational organizations, institutions Catering, manufacturing enterprises, insurance companies, construction, for wholesale and retail trade various types products and interaction with trade equipment, for payroll and HR accounting, as well as a variety of applications that provide additional functionality.
Information and technological support
Agreements for support and consulting services for users of the 1C:Enterprise platform have already become a standard form of service provision for most partner companies of the 1C franchise network. On the one hand, there is an objective tendency for the development of accounting and changes in related legislation in the territory former USSR. On the other hand, 1C is constantly developing consulting and methodological materials on organizing an accounting system at an enterprise.
Since 1999, for users of the 1C:Enterprise platform, a CD-ROM of information technology support (ITS) has been issued monthly, which contains both one-time information and constantly updated materials: new forms of documentation, releases of new software products, educational and methodological materials on using, installing and configuring the system. In addition, the disc includes practical recommendations on organizing accounting and reporting, various consultations, reviews, etc. ITS also contains the Garant-Service legal support system, integrated with the 1C platform. Thanks to this, the efficiency and level of quality of subscription service for customers increases, and consumers have the opportunity to quickly receive an electronic publication that has no analogues today.
1C:Franchisee - an effective form of cooperation
According to the form of cooperation franchising a large company provides its advanced developments and technologies, as well as the opportunity to work under its brand, to various private companies. Economic efficiency franchising is a combination of the mobility of a small enterprise with the advanced achievements and guarantees of a company with a well-established brand. At the same time, franchisees get the opportunity to start and develop their business more effectively, and customers get a high level and reliability of guaranteed service.
No less important is psychological aspect franchising. Franchisee firms, on the one hand, feel like full-fledged owners of their business, which they conduct in their own interests and can manage it at their own discretion. On the other hand, these firms feel like they are part of a community of professionals sharing their developments and achievements and supporting each other in solving various problems. Franchisee firms are interested in maintaining a high level of quality of each other's work - they work together for the reputation of a common cause.
Ethical standards of work 1C:Franchisee
Correct attitude towards clients, employees and other franchisees
Competition is acceptable only by improving quality, and not by increasing prices.
Training of our own personnel; luring employees from competing organizations is unacceptable
Maintain a high level of reputation of the 1C community and dissemination of false or negative information about competing companies in the franchisee network
Work only with licensed software
Do not use mass mailings in your work e-mail(spam).
In 1996, 1C’s relations with partners took on a new quality. Today, out of 2,300 permanent 1C partners, about one and a half thousand work under a franchising scheme.
Franchising is a system of contractual relations between enterprises, in which one party - the franchisor - grants the other party - the franchisee - the right to produce and / or sell a certain type of product (goods), provide certain services on behalf and under the trademark of the franchisor, as well as the right to receive technical and organizational assistance. "1C:Franchising", www.bestreferat.ru
Or in other words, it is a way of doing business in which well-known company provides its advanced technologies and the opportunity to work under its brand to other organizations. Economic effect franchising consists of combining the efficiency and mobility of a small private enterprise with the technological advances and guarantees of a company with a well-established trademark. For the franchisee, this means a good opportunity to start and develop their business, and for clients - high quality guaranteed service. "1C:Franchising", www.1c.ru
Franchisor - legal or individual having a high reputation in a particular market, own trademark and has entered into a franchising agreement with another enterprise.
Franchisee is a legal or natural person who is granted the right to market the franchisor's goods or services in a certain area and territory on the basis of a franchise agreement. “Dictionary of Franchising Terms”, www.bizbroker.ru
The release of the accounting program for small businesses “Mini-Accounting” by 1C (now 1C: Accounting) in April 1992 was accompanied by the formation of a massive dealer network, which made this product available throughout Russia and the CIS countries. This was probably main reason why, having entered the systems market accounting, which by that time already employed about 600 companies, 1C quickly became the leader. In 1996, 1C’s relations with partners moved to a new quality - the first in Russian computer business franchise network.
The needs for automation of accounting work in the early 90s were limited to the preparation of various reports, so the first accounting program“1C” did not require much effort in implementation and maintenance, and an accountant of the 1992 model, as a rule, a recent representative of the technical intelligentsia, independently coped with the installation and fine-tuning of the system. But the program would not have been so popular if 1C did not have a developed dealer network. Partner companies not only sold the product, but were also able to perform basic service functions - demonstrate the program, talk about its capabilities, and provide the necessary advice.
By the mid-90s, the economic situation began to change. With the increase in employee salaries, enterprises felt that the loss of specialists’ working time to independently delve into programs had a negative impact on profitability. At the same time, the need arose to tighten accounting; companies no longer needed just stacks of reports, but also objective data on profitability and profits. There is a demand in the market for more flexible multifunctional accounting systems and at the same time for the services of specialists implementing these systems. “1C” responded to the new situation by releasing a set of programs “1C: Enterprise” and at the same time made serious changes to the partnership policy, beginning the formation of a network of franchisee companies.
Boris Nuraliev, who has headed 1C since its founding, says: “At the end of 1993, it became clear that individual configuration and service for users of accounting programs would become a promising sector of the market. A simple solution for 1C would be to create service branches and departments. It was right to preserve and develop the business of partners, therefore, as a possible way out of the predicted situation, it was proposed to put on an industrial basis the provision of services for the implementation of economic programs that had begun to become more expensive. This is how the franchising project was conceived. It was assumed that growing user enterprises are ready to pay franchisee partners for fine-tuning flexible accounting programs in accordance with their individual requirements, and franchisees will pay 1C for the right to use the trademark, technological support, advertising, etc.
The essence of the franchising model is that a well-known company gives other companies the opportunity to operate under its brand, providing them with advanced technologies and at the same time requiring them to meet certain quality standards of work and services. The network of franchisees was formed and continues to develop on the basis of those teams that sought to go beyond selling boxes and provide their clients with services for the implementation and maintenance of 1C systems. To guarantee a high level of customer service, the franchisee is required to certify its specialists in each of the components of 1C: Enterprise. "1C:Franchising", www. bizbroker.ru
Rating of 1C companies: franchisees. Located on the official website of the 1C company. First 16 points. This rating is actually an indicator of the level of a particular franchisee company, as assessed by the 1C company itself. And it is based on the level of competence of employees (their level of certification) and the number of implemented 1C solutions that have the 1C-Compatible status.
Company 1C: Accounting and Trade occupies a special place among these companies. She happens to be largest network in the 1C system: Franchising. It is difficult to assess her situation. Since in total it occupies a leading position, and separately by office it ranks 2nd, 5th, 6th, 10th, 16th out of the first 16. This company has been on the market for more than 9 years. A unique feature that distinguishes it from competing firms is its network. Firstly, this allows you to redistribute the intellectual potential of specialists to where the request arises. Secondly, the network and high turnover make it possible to optimize prices. Thirdly, it has funds for employee training, certification and attracting specialists of a similar level. The most promising industries for 1C: Accounting and Trade - this is wholesale and retail, manufacturing, energy, food industry, metal trade, construction, etc. “1C franchisees are not crowded in the market,” www.klerk.ru
Note that the main areas of implementation of the 1C company: “Accounting and Trade” coincide with the 1C company. And the question arises: what share in the total number of implemented solutions are the projects of the 1C company: “Accounting and Trade”.
Trade
In the ranking of 1C ERP integrators, 1C: Accounting and Trade takes second place. It has 47 implemented solutions out of 192, which is 24.5%. The 1C company holding the first position: Rarus has 65.
Food industry.
According to research on the informatization market Food Industry There are no major players in Russia. The share of 1C: “Accounting and Trade” is about 3%. For comparison, the leader of the rating, the 1C company: Automation, implemented only 8 implementations of 1C ERP systems in the industry, which is only 5.5% of the total number of 1C projects implemented in the food industry. All this indicates the immaturity of this market segment. And, given the active development of the food industry as a whole, it allows us to predict its significant growth.
Energy
The company 1C: “Accounting and Trade” has 5 implemented solutions in this industry out of 54 total, which is 9.2%. The company that occupies the first position has 1C: “Automation” - 8.
Based on the above research data, we can say that the 1C: Accounting and Trade company is a serious player in the 1C: franchisee market, and therefore in the ERP systems market. “Analytical review: ERP 2009”, www.tadviser.ru
We opened Soft-Union 15 years ago. At that time there was no understanding of what exactly we would be doing. They serviced computers and ran 1C. A little later, I realized that I needed to decide on a specialization. We decided that 1C franchising is a promising direction. The next 15 years showed how right we were. Over the years, we have come a long way - from a team of 4 people to two offices and almost 40 employees. We are a long-term leader of Belgorod franchisees; among support centers we are among the TOP 100 companies of the entire 1C franchisee network.
If you are not lazy, there will always be clients. This means there will be a stable source of income. Franchising eliminates a lot of unproductive movements: almost all technologies have already been developed, you just need to use them well. And everything will be fine with you!
It is always important for me to be an expert and to be in an environment of high expertise. Finding a job that 100% meets your expectations is difficult. It’s easier to shape your surroundings and continue to enjoy most interesting work. This is what I did in 2007, concluding a franchising agreement with the 1C Company.
Business with 1C Company is simple, understandable, and accessible. And so attractive that even my husband couldn’t resist and joined in 2012. The possibilities for self-realization with 1C are virtually endless. “1C”, as a caring mentor, provides what is necessary for a confident start: it provides technology, provides an environment for the exchange of experience, and conducts ongoing training, training, and exams.
If you want to make your life significant for society, value development - join the ranks of 1C partners!
The history of the Axioma-Soft company began in 2012, when, while working for a large corporation, I analyzed the market and found an extremely promising idea to create a 1C-Franchisee company specializing in the implementation of corporate projects. In 2013, we registered our legal entity and entered into a commercial concession agreement with the 1C company. To date, we have implemented more than 500 projects, some of which are published on the 1C website in the “Best Implementations” section, and some were awarded the “Project of the Year” award by Global CIO in 2015 and 2016. At one time, I made the right decision to enter into a 1C-Franchisee agreement, since this is a good platform for building and developing a business. And if you have an idea to conclude a 1C-Franchisee agreement, feel free to take on this matter, invest, develop and success will not keep you waiting. Good luck to you and high achievements!
In February 1997, one of our clients asked me to deal with a problem that had been bothering him for several months. This is how I first came across 1C:Trading. Having become acquainted with the built-in 1C:Enterprise language, I saw that much of what we had been doing for months before could be implemented in 1C literally in a matter of days. Within two weeks we became 1C partners, and a month later my colleagues and I successfully passed the 1C: Specialist exams. Cooperation with 1C has given a tremendous impetus to the development of our business. From a small student company, in just a year we have become a significant player in the St. Petersburg market. The growth driver was not only new configurations, but also the enormous experience of the 1C:Franchising partner community, powerful methodological support, useful business trainings and seminars.
My name is Andrey Berbeka, I am the director of the Coderline company. My experience in large 1C:Franchisees is more than 15 years. The time came when I wanted more, and the administrative framework of the companies in which I worked did not provide opportunities for further growth. This is how our own partnership with 1C was started. We focused on sales. Sales had to pull production. And so it happened. For example, over the past year we doubled our revenue and the number of customers. And in just three years of the company’s existence, we have experienced tremendous growth - currently our team has 400 employees, the company operates in seven regions, including Moscow.
If you need more, you are not afraid of difficulties and take risks - sign a 1C: Franchising agreement - take your life into your own hands! I regret not doing this sooner.
The business began with the creation of an accounting service. And where is the accounting department - there is 1C! Therefore, we have been inseparable from 1C products since the first day of work. The most important decision in the development of our company was the acquisition of 1C franchisee status! From that moment on, serious changes in business processes began. This was inevitable, and a good reason to reconsider the global goals and objectives of our company. The acquisition of a new status allowed us to expand the range of services for clients, making our company more functional and useful for our partners. Thanks to our partner 1C Company, we have expanded our range of services and are now able to best meet the client’s needs at every stage of their business development.
Sergey Sirotkin
CEO
LLC "Millennium Service"
The 1C company provides a lot of opportunities for business development. To be specific, the list of areas is very diverse: automation of business processes, development of joint and also own 1C configurations, accounting services and much more. Here, almost every IT specialist could find a field of activity and reveal their potential. I would also like to note that to start cooperation with 1C, you need a minimum investment, which pays off in the first two months of work, and a desire to achieve success. Without any embellishment or exaggeration, I can say that if you competently and wisely apply in practice the arsenal of tools and methods that the 1C company provides, then the success of the company is guaranteed. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the 1C Team for the great work they do, providing ample opportunities for doing business to interested companies.
Our company began its work as a 1C partner in 2007, and we have been familiar with the programs of the 1C: Enterprise family for a long time, starting with version 7.7.
Each of our employees improves their knowledge, from an implementation specialist to a sales manager, fortunately the 1C Company takes care of this - many seminars are held, a large volume of training and methodological literature. Following the trends of the software market in our subject area, we actively promote cloud technologies, try to promote the services included in the ITS, and make every effort to do this. All this gives results - we are gradually moving forward towards success, together with 1C!
Back in the 2000s, when many were searching and assessing the risks, we found effective method doing business through offering useful 1C solutions combined with attention and care for each Customer.
Having received the status of “1C: Franchisee”, we structured our work in a special way, offering to increase the efficiency of Belarusian enterprises by automating accounting. Numerous customer reviews confirm the effectiveness of 1C software solutions. Over time, technologies change, tools change. Investments in 1C solutions are truly far-sighted, because the 1C company is improving software solutions taking into account the requirements of the future. Now we have chosen promotion as a strategic direction management accounting using the innovative solution "1C:ERP". We are happy to improve together with 1C life of people, offering convenient and functional 1C solutions.
In this part I want to reveal such a concept as 1C Franchising.
Why did I decide to devote a separate article to this phenomenon? The fact is that my practice as a business consultant shows that many businessmen do not even understand what it is. People are constantly confused about concepts, some even confidently claim that specialists from the 1C company themselves installed the program for them. I'll tell you why this happens a little later.
Now I would like to emphasize the very fact: people who order services for the implementation of 1C software products do not understand to whom they are addressing the order, what kind of specialists they are, and what are the pros and cons of 1C franchising.
Most often, these are 1C partner companies that received certificates at one time, since a certain number of their employees passed certification. Today, those specialists who received certificates can work in a completely different place, and the implementation of 1C is carried out by completely different, sometimes completely random people, new employees of the 1C partner company.
What is 1C franchising?
1C franchisee is a company, i.e. a legal entity that received a certain status due to the fact that it met a certain list of criteria put forward by the 1C company.Previously, it was easy to obtain 1C franchisee status. Over the years, the requirements have become stricter. Moreover, 1C began to divide its partners into different directions. Part of the franchisee "n-type"*** They specialize in production, some specialize in trade, some are developers, etc.
How to obtain 1C franchisee status?
In order to obtain this status, a company must meet certain criteria introduced by the 1C company.The most important requirement is that a company applying for franchisee status must have a certain number of 1C certificates registered. What does it mean?
Company employees, including freelancers or even specialists hired for one project (often solely for the purpose of obtaining the required certificate), are certified by the 1C company; in other words, they pass an exam in which they show a sufficient level of knowledge of software products and the 1C platform .
The company pays for these certificates, and declares the programmer as own employee. As a result, 1C company records these certificates for a specific company. And if the number of certificates and their specialization correspond to the application, the company receives franchisee status.
Today, on freelance exchanges, you often find advertisements like “I’ll buy a 1C certificate” or “I need a person to get a 1C certificate.” Those. it is known that this person will not work for a company that is seeking to obtain a certificate. But the certificate is registered with the company, and as a result, everyone is happy, except for the customers, who hope to get work at a high professional level from official 1C partners, but they get very different results, since the work is most often performed by people who have never been certified.
So, specialists who have received certificates can quit and work at a completely different enterprise, or even be freelancers who were hired specifically to receive a certificate, but the status has been received and the franchisee is actively exploiting it.
Another option for obtaining a certificate is to pay for 1C courses and a subsequent exam for a programmer who would like to undergo such training. Sometimes such agreements are concluded directly in training centers. The courses and the exam are paid, and in 1C the rule works: if the certificate is paid for by a legal entity, then the certificate is registered in the name of this company.
In some cases, to obtain franchisee status, a ready-made certified specialist is hired, who, for a certain fee, writes an application to the 1C company with a request to assign his certificate to a certain company. Further, like a specialist after a course, this person may actually work for a franchisee company, may not work on the staff of this company at all, or may quit after some period of cooperation. But, no matter what, the certificate is already assigned to a certain legal entity, and the status remains.
Thus, a good undertaking (certification of company specialists, i.e. testing their level of knowledge to obtain franchisee status) turned into simple making money. And the status of a franchisee, unfortunately, is not associated with a guaranteed high quality work of specialists.
Why do you need 1C franchisee status?
Franchisees need 1C status, first of all, in order to sell certain software products. Those. if a company seeks to sell 1C.Accounting, it needs the status of a franchisee for 1C.Accounting, similarly, to sell 1C.Enterprise Management, it needs the status of a partner for working with this configuration, etc.An important feature of the franchisee status: each franchisee partner is obliged to timely pay partnership fees to the 1C company. Thus, the 1C company receives constant profit from the very fact of having partners. And, naturally, she is interested in developing a partner network and increasing the number of franchise companies.
Many companies that work with 1C are ready to receive and pay for certificates, pay fees, buy certain volumes of products and fulfill all 1C requirements in order to obtain and maintain franchisee status. The main reasons are obtaining the right to sell 1C software products, the presence of the company name in the list of 1C partners on the official website (very good publicity), as well as the franchisee status itself, which increases the degree of trust from customers.
At the same time, the 1C company does not in any way encourage its partners to provide quality services, since the 1C company does not receive anything from the sale of services by franchisees. But the 1C company motivates its partners to increase the sales volume of software products with the help of significant discounts and other types of incentives, since the 1C company is very interested in sales.
Important: without franchisee status, a company does not have the right to sell 1C products.
In fact, this limitation has been successfully circumvented for a long time; even a culture has developed around it. whole market. If a company would like to sell a particular 1C product, but does not have franchisee status, it can always turn to those who have already received this status. As a result, the sale will be processed through the franchisee, for which the intermediaries take a certain kickback (today, as far as I know, this is 33%).
Thus, if a client buys a software product, for example, for 100 thousand rubles, the company that found this client receives 33,000 rubles. (33%), and the franchisee company receives an income of about 20,000 rubles. (20%) from software sales.
By the way, another reason why many 1C companies are so eager to obtain franchisee status: 1C offers very large discounts for its partners, up to 55% of the cost of the product! Those. if the software product costs the same 100,000 rubles for the client, then the partner will pay 50,000 rubles or even less for the same product.
In addition, even if the franchisee is merely acting as a middleman to facilitate the transaction, they earn additional profits by selling additional products and services. For example, a client will not be able to legally update 1C unless he subscribes to information and technical support. And you can only get such a subscription from an official 1C partner.
1C certificates: what is it?
The 1C company today issues many different certificates. They differ in the level of knowledge assessed (specialist or professional), as well as in areas. In fact, for each direction, for each of the standard configurations that a 1C specialist plans to work with, you can and should receive a separate certificate.In fact, these certificates can be compared with the Unified State Exam system in the sense that from the point of view of status, the certificates received are very useful. But from the point of view of practical skills, their value is extremely doubtful.
Of course, it is useful to know the features of the software, to understand how this or that configuration works from a programmer’s point of view. But the client does not need theory or even programming in its pure form. He needs to solve some specific problems, and here knowledge of accounting (accounting, tax, management), understanding of the features of the operation of a wholesale warehouse, retail store, manufacturing enterprise etc. If a programmer knows at least the basics of accounting and understands how to apply them in practice, he will be able to understand what the customer wants to receive and will be able to correctly formulate and set the task. And even then you will need to remember your 1C programming skills.
In addition, 1C certificates become outdated very quickly, because configuration updates are released regularly, and after six months, the knowledge of a specific configuration that the programmer confirmed in the exam is no longer relevant. Of course, the certificate remains with the specialist, and he can play his role in attracting clients or confirming the franchisee status for the company. But the knowledge, the presence of which this certificate confirms, is already outdated.
Inconsistency between certificates and practical knowledge
One of global problems 1C is a big discrepancy between the client’s expectations and the real knowledge of a certified specialist. For example, even a good programmer who has mastered 1C. Accounting may not be able to cope with the task simply because he does not have enough accounting knowledge. And the fact that he knows the program perfectly will not help in this case.At the same time, the certificate says “1C: Specialist Consultant” for the implementation of the application solution “1C: Accounting 8.” And the client who read this phrase subconsciously expects that this 1C programmer will be an expert in accounting and 1C at the same time, will be able to understand accountants, their problems, and offer them optimal solutions. But in fact, most often, this specialist managed to sell 2-3 boxed solutions of 1C.Accounting, prepared for the exam on this configuration, passed and successfully received a certificate. But he knows about accounting didn’t know anything, and still doesn’t know.
But still, a certificate is not only a condition for an organization to obtain franchisee status, it is also an excellent sales tool, because customers trust certificates and choose a specialist with an eye on these documents.
Certification as a commercial direction for the 1C company
Today in our country there is already a whole market based on obtaining certificates from 1C. Certificates are sold (a specialist writes an application in which he asks to write down his certificate for a specific company), certificates are obtained not only for the sake of prestige, but also for a company that seeks to obtain the status of a 1C partner, including for a fee.In order to successfully pass this exam, many programmers sign up for 1C courses, which are also paid, and the exam itself is also conducted on a paid basis. As a result, obtaining 1C certificates, the ability to record these certificates on a specific legal entity, preparation for the exam - all this forms separate market. As a result, certification loses its original meaning. It becomes necessary not to evaluate the knowledge of specialists, but so that the 1C company can make more profit.
ISO 9001 certification
For 1C partner companies, another type of certification has recently appeared, intended for legal entities - certification according to the ISO 9001 standard.The 1C company itself writes about this:
1C has approved the most authoritative and largest international certification organizations - Det Norske Veritas GL (DNV GL) and Bureau Veritas Certification - as QMS certification bodies in Russia.
Also on the 1C website it is proud to report that more than 9,000 companies were able to pass this certification according to strict international standards. It is also explained in some detail how strict and objective the companies that issue such international certificates are.
But practice again puts everything in its place. And a company that managed to obtain an ISO 9001 certificate, in terms of the quality of work and the level of knowledge of its specialists, is no different from many companies that do not even plan to receive such a certificate. In general, the international ISO 9001 certificate is nothing more than marketing ploy aimed at attracting trusting customers. It has no practical value.
The global organizational problem of the 1C company is that all work with partners, with franchisees, is aimed exclusively at increasing sales of software products, but not services. And for the client, software without service, without implementation, makes no sense.
As a result, the 1C company declares franchising exclusively in words. It gives sellers of packaged solutions significant discounts, calls them partners, but does not develop them in any way, does not motivate them to increase their level of professionalism, and does not introduce any quality standards. All actions aimed at the development of franchisees are aimed exclusively at increasing sales volumes, and improving qualifications, professional growth and quality control remain only in words. In general, the 1C company declares, but does not carry out practically any of the actions that clients expect from a large company and its representatives (partners).
The reason for such passive behavior of representatives of the 1C company, in my opinion, is the lack of interest in improving the qualifications of franchisees’ specialists and improving the quality of their services because the 1C company does not receive royalties from the sale of services that franchisees provide to clients.
For 1C company, only one thing is important – sales of “boxed solutions”. This process is profitable. 1C company and its employees are not interested in what happens to the software after the sale, how the buyer uses it or why he doesn’t use it.
As a result, 1C franchisees are, in fact, separate companies that work completely independently, differ from each other in the level of knowledge of specialists, principles of working with clients, priority areas of work, etc. They are united solely by the name 1C, as well as the software products themselves. In all other respects, 1C franchising is present only in words.
1C franchisee: aggressive marketing or deception of customers?
I decided to highlight one more advantage of the 1C franchisee status. The fact is that many franchise companies use their status to introduce themselves to the client as a 1C company.How does this happen?
The same marketing scheme works very widely here, which can be classified as work “on the verge of fraud.” The essence of the scheme is that the franchisee’s company, as expected, is listed on the 1C website in the partners section, is a separate legal entity, and has its own name.But all this is not mentioned when communicating with the client unless absolutely necessary. They simply introduce themselves as “We are 1C”, then they constantly say “We are about 1C”, repeat in different options combination “We are 1C”. As a result, the client gets the impression that representatives of the 1C company themselves are working with him. He associates representatives of the franchisee company with representatives of the 1C company, which is not entirely correct.
For comparison. For some reason, you don’t associate people who come to your office to install Windows with Microsoft representatives, right? And if such an association were to take place, then the level of your expectations from the work of these people would be much higher, as well as the level of prices for services that you would consider normal.
So it is here. If a person does not understand that one of the many franchisees is working with him, and not the 1C representatives themselves, then he will perceive the inflated cost of services as normal, but for obvious reasons he will also expect more than most franchisees can give him in principle.
The 1C company “turns a blind eye” to this; I have never seen them conduct investigations into such misinformation or punish this or that partner, and therefore this approach flourishes.
Even telemarketing companies and cold calling departments potential clients actively apply this principle. I personally saw how the department where women worked on such calls used the following call script:
“Hello, we are a 1C company,” after which the real name of the company is pronounced very quickly in a tongue twister. And further – “we offer 1C programs, services for setting up 1C software products,” etc.
As a result, the client has the complete feeling that he received a call from the 1C company
Why is that bad?
It would seem, what difference does it make how the specialists introduce themselves, since they are doing the work anyway? In fact, this approach is bad because the client places very high expectations on the franchisee company, often even too high. This is also bad because the client does not choose and does not compare. It seems to him that he has already found the best, because what could be better than the developers themselves?!The client completely places all his hopes on the contractor company and is completely confident that they will cope, because in his understanding they are 1C!
If the franchisee company honestly explained that they are 1C partners, but not the 1C company itself, then the client would most likely take a time out for a while, perhaps compare offers from different companies, but at the same time his expectations would be completely consistent with reality.
And with this approach, the result is that there is no alternative for the client (wherever I turn, it will be 1C), as well as inflated requirements and expectations in relation to the contractor company.
1C franchisee: lack of a systematic approach to work
Unlike many other software developers, the 1C company has not yet developed any general requirements There is no standardization for the work on implementing software, there is no standardization of some kind of general, mandatory for all, systematic approach.As a result, franchisee companies operate as they see fit. Who understands, for example, the implementation of a ready-made software product, that’s how he performs this task.
The lack of a systematic approach and lack of understanding of how to actually act correctly leads to the fact that managers design departments They are more concerned not with solving the problems posed by the client, but with how, in the event of any conflict, to prove that they are right. They come up with rules and collect signatures, all for one purpose: to have at least some kind of protection in case of problems.
This shortcoming in the work of the 1C company interferes with the work of many franchisees, and clients often do not understand what they can demand for their money and what is a separate service.
The topic of 1C franchising is very broad, and therefore I will tell you in more detail about how franchisee companies work, what pros and cons are present in their work, as well as in the 1C franchising system in general, in the next article
In my last letter, I talked about how terrible 1Sniki can be (unless, of course, you guessed correctly with their choice).
It is clear that the text was half-joking, but there is some truth in any joke.
How to find an adequate partner with whom you can work happily ever after? In today's article we will discuss choosing a contractor.
All the questions that I wrote down are questions that I myself would ask the contractor, or that potential clients asked me.
Make your own list based on what you want to attract the company for - 1C: Franchisee. If you just need a license, many questions disappear, it’s enough so that you get an invoice with the correct details, and don’t get lost on the way to your office with the box)
Organization of processes
1. How is the problem stated and fixed?
It is important to understand how the company usually records a task. Great amount conflicts occur because the task was not initially recorded and agreed upon properly.The contractor should have an approach that is clear to you and close to you: in what cases is a letter sufficient, when the technical specifications are written, and what it is, when are the functional requirements. Is the statement of the problem accepted orally (in general, it should not be, no matter how convenient it may be!). Ask for examples of problem statements - there should be some.
It’s great if big development tasks are described not only in the form Technical Specifications(a document that is understandable to developers, but says little to users), but also in the form of functional requirements.
2. What are the criteria for a project to be completed?
Clarify how your potential colleagues understand that the work is done and everything is fine? How does the acceptance process work?There are many companies that sign documents by hook or by crook, and then you have to run after them and beg them to finish the work. In this case, we hope that you will not sign the act “just like that,” in advance, but will first demand that “everything is fine.”
How should you and your partner know that “everything is okay”? The criteria should be described by your contractor, and it’s great if he himself asks you about these criteria first. It's great if we're talking about about the test cases that will be recorded and which the system must successfully pass.
3. Do you have technical support?
Oddly enough, it happens that the franchisee company does not have technical support. This may turn out to be an unpleasant surprise if you bought 1C from them and expected to continue contacting them with questions.
It’s also not very good if technical support is (nominally) provided by the same specialists who are also involved in projects. It’s always more interesting to work on projects, and they won’t have enough time for you, believe me.
4. Describe the process, how will the project proceed?
Well, we could do without comments here.When it comes to technical support, your potential partner should have an answer to the question “how the application is processed” - from how it is accepted (how you will send it) to the moment you accept the task. How is it determined who will work on the application, how the deadlines are determined, how you (the client) are informed about the progress of work.
If we're talking about a project- especially! Everything should be described, the processes are clear (both to your service provider and to you). How is the task described, when does development begin, are there stages, how is a large task broken down into small ones, how does development occur, will you be shown intermediate results, when? How will changes be implemented in your company? How will users be trained?
5. Do you have all your specialists on staff?
In fact, there is nothing wrong if your counterparty has freelance employees. By and large, this is his business, and now more and more companies (especially in the IT field) are switching to working with remote employees.The question is rather whether your service provider managed to establish a productive interaction with them: how he selects them, how he manages them, whether he is responsible for their actions (or inactions).
6. Do you work with regions?
Working with regions is always more difficult than working with local companies. This requires greater organization and clarity of processes. Undoubtedly, the experience of successfully working with regional companies indicates a certain degree of maturity of the supplier.If you have many branches scattered across the country that will also participate in the project, this issue becomes especially important.
Pricing Approach
It’s not even a matter of whether the contractor’s prices suit you or not. It is still very difficult to compare them (at a lower cost per hour, for example, you can “increase” the hours).
Rather, the question is How clear and comfortable is the pricing of a potential service provider for you?. Will the result of cooperation be an unexpected surprise - an invoice with an indecently large amount?
7. How do you evaluate tasks? What if you actually spend more time than you estimated?
Labor costs for tasks can be estimated in different ways(but in any case, your contractor should have some kind of approach; ask them to tell you where the labor costs come from). But the main thing, of course, is that you don’t have to pay “after the fact”, after the work has already been done, as much as they counted.That is, in any case there should be such a sequence: received the task and clarified it - assessed and agreed on the assessment - completed. And if the task itself does not change, then the cost of its implementation remains unchanged. And how much time your counterparty’s employees actually spent – 10 hours, or 100, it doesn’t concern you, right? If you gave the go-ahead to pay 20 thousand rubles, then that’s what you would like to pay.
8. How is time away from home calculated and paid? How is it confirmed? What if there was no result, or we don’t like it?
I'll tell you a secret, in general, not every task requires travel. Moreover, very few tasks require travel.For example, we almost always work remotely - this saves the specialist’s time, the customer’s money, and also allows involve more highly qualified professionals in the work(it’s clear that a cool specialist won’t go on field trips, but solving issues remotely is fine). Please forgive me these 5 seconds of self-promotion).
But if a trip is still needed, it should always have specific goals and an understandable cost.
That is:
- A specialist will come and conduct training, it will take 2 hours and will cost XX thousand rubles” - the right approach.
- The specialist will come and fill out the LURV (working time sheet), how much time he spends with you, how much you will pay - not quite correct.
9. Tell us about your tariffs?
Well, actually, the counterparty should tell you about the tariffs. What options are there, what is included and what is not included in the tariff, how tariffs change, and so on. Everything should be clear and precise.Organizational experience and maturity
This is a set of questions, the answers to which can lead you to think about how experienced the organization is, how stable its work is, and whether it can be trusted. As in many cases, none of the answers is definitely “yes” or “no”.
An organization can operate for 1 year, and at the same time be more dynamic, stronger, more experienced and even larger than a company operating for 10 years. But still, there is some correlation between “what this company has already done” and “what it can do with you.”
10. How many years have you been on the market?
All clear:-)11. What does your director do?
A very creative question. A director can do different things - sell, lead the largest projects, be responsible for online promotion, hire people, engage in strategy (some believe that this is the most correct thing).
Bad answer - I am the director, as well as a programmer, service engineer, salesperson, accountant, and technical support specialist.
12. Show reviews from other customers
Read and analyze the sincerity of reviews. Try calling one of your former clients - if everything was fine, most likely they will not hide contacts from you.13. Tell us about your current projects
Provides an opportunity to assess the scale and type of clients with which the company is currently working.14. What can you do? Why so little/why so much?
The company can follow the path of narrow specialization (“we only deal with automation retail stores clothes"), and along the path “we can do anything.” In any case, the company must be aware of the path it is taking, what risks there are, and how the company copes with these risks.15. How many certified specialists do you have?
Certificates, of course, are not the most important thing– you can be an excellent specialist and not have certificates, and vice versa. But still, their number in the company says something. There are many types of certificates in the 1C sphere, so as not to understand all their diversity, just know:- There is a certificate 1C:Professional. This is a Padawan - an aspiring Jedi.
- There is a certificate 1C: Specialist, or 1C: Specialist Consultant. This exam is much more difficult to pass, this is a Jedi.
- There is an extremely difficult certification 1C:Expert on technological issues, and 1C: Manager of (corporate) projects. Having people with such certificates on staff means collaboration with Master Yoda (or Darth Vader, depending on which side you choose).
16. Introduce your methodologist/accounting consultant
The trick is that it should exist at all. Often the company is not mature enough to have such a specialist. And if it is not there, each accounting task will take more time than it should (since programmers will have to figure it out). And some things are fundamentally impossible to do correctly when programmers are running the show.17. How many implementers do you have? developers?
If a company does not have individual implementers (and we have programmers who both implement and install programs), this should be cause for concern. Developing software and launching software for a client require different qualifications, different areas of activity, and even different mindsets.Very often, excellent programmers somewhat dislike users and communicate with them without enthusiasm. And software implementation is mainly about communicating with people. A lot of communication with users. That's why It’s good if implementers are individuals who love people more than code.
Universal adequacy
18. How many clients would you take on at one time?
Everyone wants to take on more clients, more, MORE! And more anti-greed pills, please :)But adequate companies usually understand their real capabilities, and have a good idea of the amount of resources they can allocate. Of course, there is no “correct” answer here - someone could take on a dozen clients, someone two, and someone a hundred. And of course, depending on which clients, depending on which projects, depending on when (right now, or within one or two months).
This is rather a topic for discussing the company’s capabilities and how adequately the company’s management evaluates these opportunities.
19. We find ourselves dissatisfied with something, what should we do, where should we call?
The wrong answer is “oh, you'll never need it, everything will be fine.” Wherever the process involves interaction between people and people, there are possible errors, problems, overlaps and misunderstandings.The company must have an “escalation” process- if there is a problem in operational work, you need to contact us here, and they will solve it here. If you haven't decided here, then here. And here's the phone general director which solves any problem)
20. Why do clients leave you?
Clients are leaving everyone! No matter how well the company works, no matter how wonderful its employees are, no matter how the processes are written.
Clients are leaving, and there are many reasons for this.– sometimes the client grows out of the company that accompanies him, sometimes vice versa. It happens that something in the company changes so that support is no longer necessary. It happens that decision makers leave.
The ability to honestly talk about your failures, without embellishing them - and at the same time draw the right conclusions, is a sign of good, adequate contractors.
