Zoom to Launch 2.0 Version of Channel Partner Program

ZOOMTOPIA — Zoomtopia 2023 kicked off Tuesday, with the conferencing giant’s Partner Connect happening at the same time as the main event.

This year is the second year for the partner-centric portion of Zoom’s annual development conference, and in 2023, it makes its way to the main stage with an entire day dedicated to partners. In a sit-down with Todd Surdey, head of global channels and business development at Zoom, Surdey told Channel Futures that Zoom is anticipating more than 1,000 partners to attend the affair.

The event yielded several announcements relevant to partners, with Zoom releasing a series of enhancements to its partner incentive and support programs. One of the most innovative and fresh features to grace Zoom’s 2.0 partner program is the intro of an artificial intelligence-fueled marketing tool, which lets partners produce AI-generated marketing materials in more than 150 languages.

Zoom’s Todd Surdey

According to Surdey,16 of the top 25 (65%) deals in the company’s second quarter closed because of partners, with him adding the decision to revamp Zoom’s partner program comes at a vital time, as “providing the highest level of solution and service for their customers and achieving greater rewards and profitability is more critical than ever before.”

Zoom’s 2.0 partner program version is slated for an early 2024 launch.

Introducing the Zoom 2.0 Channel Partner Program

With a vast focus on resources, training, and overall attempts to make the partnership process smoother, Zoom will add a plethora of programs to target channel partners along their journeys.

Surdey says that owning the customer relationship for many Zoom partners is paramount, which is why it created the partner-customer success program. He says the program is to educate partners so they can “take on full ownership of the post-sale customer relationship and generate mutual growth through enhanced adoption and renewal of Zoom services.”

And then there’s help in the form of Zoom’s partner support program, which “empowers partners to provide customers with technical support by introducing four support levels based on their level of investment in Zoom,” the company said.

A fresh partner licensing program will also grace Zoom’s 2.0 partner program at the launch. We learned that the new model will “provide entitled partners with more comprehensive collections of internal-use licenses so partners can readily utilize Zoom’s solutions and effectively demonstrate them to customers.”

All of this, Surdey shares, is tied to the “Zoom Up” program, which gives partners access to incremental packages based upon their “Zoom Up” level, “extending near instantaneous awarding and provisioning of licenses so partners do not have to wait.”

In April, Zoom said it would acquire employee experience platform Workvivo. Today, some of the fruits of that acquisition appear to be ripening. Now, via Workvivo, Zoom will offer a referral program for partners who can refer leads and receive commissions for the sale of the Workvivo platform.

Zoom has made it unmistakable that the service-provider segment of partners is influential, indicating as much with the eventual launch of what it calls a strategic service provider program. Surdey adds that the channel partner program is “a track within the Zoom Up program tailored to the needs of telecommunications carriers that focuses on collaborative solutions and technical integrations.”

Placing a Focal Point on Channel Partner Advancement

Zoom will launch three new partner levels – silver, gold and platinum – which target different kinds of partners who wish to get on board. Depending on the Zoom accreditations one has, those in the new channel partner program can access the level of partnership they want to achieve. Moving up merely requires demonstrating product competency.

“When it comes to existing partners, they will automatically transition to their corresponding level at launch and will immediately have the opportunity to move up as desired,” Surdey told Channel Futures.

Further, Zoom will invest in more partner program rewards, with Surdey noting that the updated partner program will feature what he calls “significantly greater rewards of profitability, access to resources and Zoom investments.”