Avaya Financial Services (AFS) has extended until
September 2009 its 0% finance scheme laid out in 2008 for Avaya IP
Office (aimed at small to medium sized enterprises, SMEs) and its
Avaya Enterprise offering.
The IP-based communications supplier says that it is lengthening
the period of the offer due to strong demand by both partners and
prospective customers for flexible financing options.
What is clear though is the industry needs to be as creative as
possible in
attracting firms, especially SMEs, to invest in IT when it is
difficult to justify capital outlay, even when it relates to
business-critical technology. Leasing is a tactic that has
increasingly be been used as a cost-effective approach to
purchasing.
To attract more SME customers,
AFS has
increased the lease term for Avaya IP Office from two to three
years and more than halved the minimum deal size to $5,000
(currently £3,600). Paul Fazakerley, European Programme Director,
AFS, claimed that the financing option will be increasingly
attractive to SMEs whom he believes need technology such as Avaya's
to
gain and maintain competitive edge in difficult economic
times.
"Cash-flow constraints and concerns regarding the economic
environment mean many companies are reluctant to commit to
significant capital outlay, even for essential office equipment. As
a result, Avaya Financial Services has seen a three-fold increase
in enquiries from small, medium and large businesses seeking to
find more flexible ways of financing."