3 Partner Program Advantages that Make All the Difference

Navigating the dynamic world of business communications has always been challenging. But today’s hybrid workplace brings a heightened level of complexity that many organizations have not faced until recently. Workgroups are more distributed, new technologies emerge regularly, and customers expect better accessibility, faster responses and more personalized experiences.

The good news for IT solution providers is that companies need your expertise and guidance to address these new business realities. To maximize your ability to help, differentiate your business and ultimately become more profitable, you should expect the same level of support from your technology suppliers’ partner programs that your customers seek from you.

Three key partner program advantages can make all the difference:

The pandemic revealed pain points many businesses didn’t realize they had, including outdated technologies and processes, plus inefficient ways of enabling team collaboration and customer engagement. After quickly patching the gaps, many IT professionals and business decision makers are now re-evaluating their overall communications strategies focusing on two key areas: how to best leverage the cloud and improve customer experience.

With the continued acceleration of cloud adoption, having a reliable, feature-rich, user-friendly cloud solution in your portfolio is a must. Mobile-first, any device and integrated cloud contact center capabilities should also be part of your solution set.

Choosing to partner with vendors that offer these options will not only help you better meet each customer’s needs but also provide you with natural upsell opportunities to increase recurring revenue.

Great products are only part of the equation. The dynamic business communications landscape has also altered the expectations of you as an IT solution provider. To thrive in this climate, you should be on top, if not ahead, of market trends both in terms of business drivers and technology. That’s where a good vendor partner program comes in.

In-depth training on the latest technologies and customer enablement strategies should be priorities for you and are marks of a strong partner program. You should also expect rewards, market recognition or more advantageous commission structures for the commitments you make to increasing technical competencies through point-based programs. After all, when your expertise results in more sales for you, it also means more sales for your vendor partner.

Your expectations shouldn’t stop with technical training. Knowledge sharing from vendors regarding market trends will help you identify and exploit new opportunities. This support should come with resources that help you optimize lead-generation, plus include engaging and educational content for customers and turnkey digital marketing campaigns.

As customers try to find a balance in their communications strategies between continuity and scale, security and collaboration, structure and flexibility, they’ll require your deep understanding of their environments, use cases and business goals. You’re in the best position to tailor communications solutions that create a smooth path to the cloud or further optimize and extend their current cloud experience.

Typically, however, most vendors’ cloud programs fall into a retail-style approach where the vendor manages the customer experience after the sale. This option may work for some partners, but not for those whose differentiation as a true IT solutions provider lies in delivering professional services and supporting customers throughout their communications lifecycles.

New models, such as Mitel’s MiCloud Connect Partner Managed program, offer the best of both. In addition to the sales process, Partner Managed allows you to own onboarding, activation and customer support. It gives you control throughout the customer experience and provides opportunities to strengthen relationships and increase your revenue via professional services.

Learn more about how Mitel’s Partner Program and flexible cloud models can help you find the best solution for your customers while growing your business.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.