Cloudli Channel to Beef Up U.S. Footprint

Cloudli recently announced it would bring its flagship offer, the Cloudli Connect platform, to the U.S. market, targeting growth via likely new Cloudli channel members who come aboard.

Cloudli is looking to make its name more widely known throughout North America, not merely in Canada, where the firm originated in 1982.

Nicholas Clapper, vice president of product management for Cloudli, shared that the move is to grow an SMB customer base in the U.S. that remains "underserved." Partners could earn a hefty piece of that pie.

The approach by Cloudli and Cloudli channel partners will not be to push a variety of unwanted features to increase the potential for higher recurring revenue.

"We're coming in with a different approach; we're going to make it simple at a competitive price that works for SMBs," he said.

Cloudli's Nicholas Clapper

At the beginning of the year, Cloudli welcomed Sangoma/Momentum channel veteran Jamie Minner as the company's new CEO, replacing Gavin Macomber. Two months later, it captured two more Sangoma executives, bringing Chris Holloway (former Sangoma VP of channels) to lead Cloudli sales as its SVP.

It also got Ryan Herrmann to join the company as Cloudli's VP of channels. Herrmann was VP of channel sales at Sangoma for a year.

Cloudli Channel to Benefit From Channel-First Mentality

Related:Cloudli Nabs 2 More Sangoma Executive Team Members

With channel leads set to run the East, West and Central regions in the U.S., Clapper said, "As things grow, we will add more, but this is our first foray, so we are starting there and we are only going to serve the partner community, so we are very partner-focused."

He also said that Cloudli will not try to compete with the channel but rather leverage it as its selling force in the new market.

"Our channel managers are empowered to take care of Cloudli channel partners, if that means a special break, assistance, entering orders, whatever they need, to make them feel appreciated."

Looking to provide a white-glove partner experience in the U.S., Clapper said Cloudli channel partners will gain access to a Microsoft Teams integration with the Cloudli Connect platform.

"We're not reselling Microsoft Teams ourselves, but it does mean that we can integrate our Cloudli Connect solution into that phone system," Clapper shared.

With Microsoft winning the collaboration battle, partner demand for the tool is off the charts, he said.

"On the partner side it is an easier sale; I know they are seeing demand," Clapper said.

Cloudli Channel Partners 'Cautiously Excited'

With a limited presence in the U.S., Clapper said that Cloudli channel partners are excited, yet remain "cautious because we don't have a giant brand presence."

Related:Cloudli Buys ConnectMeVoice, Expands U.S. Reach

Cloudli is, however, going to prove itself, Clapper said, noting that it knows the opportunity that sits before it, and it will do that over time.

Looking to fill what it calls "the SMB gap" that partners play a significant role in filling, Clapper stressed that Cloudli does serve organizations with three seats and fewer, and even larger SMBs, unlike most enterprise solutions.

They are betting on this winning the business of the companies they say need solutions to get work done, but are underserved by larger players extending unwanted features to increase their bottom lines.