Expertise, choice, simplicity – we want it all, of course.
That applies to end user organisations everywhere, but it is perhaps even more important for resellers.
After all, if the communicative tech is tricky for those who take it to market, why would potential customers feel confident to invest?
Not every end user business has an IT department capable of simplifying the complex.
And most are too busy serving their own customers to have time to think more strategically about the way they communicate.
It’s why the role of the channel reseller has expanded so comprehensively from arms-length middle-man to, in the best cases, a virtual extension of a customer’s in-house resource.
And when that happens, the growth opportunities for BOTH parties are significant.
“We work very hard at ensuring our reseller partners are provided with everything they need to maximise those opportunities, both for themselves AND their customers,” says Simon Horton, Vice President of Sales, Europe at global voice and video comms giant Sangoma, which is a committed champion of that new channel model.
“It IS about choice and simplicity but it’s also about being able to provide a true end-to-end offering. That’s everything from the connectivity to the switching to the software to the endpoint device.
“We are the classic one-stop shop. Then we add into that mix our cultural commitment to building long-term, meaningful relationships with our resellers which go way beyond the purely transactional.
“We make it easy for resellers to work with us which in turn makes it easy for THEIR customers to work with THEM.
“Of course, the sales margins and the bottom-line costs are important to every member of the chain, but when that kind of mutually-beneficial dynamic is at play in any commercial relationship, the outcomes for everyone are always positive.”
In Sangoma’s case, those triple wins of ‘expertise, choice and simplicity’ form a common thread that runs through their entire offering.
The expertise comes from their award-winning set of products and solutions (many of which they build and own themselves) plus their constant focus on research and development plus their acclaimed ‘trusted advisor’ credentials.
The choice comes from their ability to provide effective on-premise AND cloud-based solutions that can be customised to suit an end user organisation’s individual requirements.
And the simplicity comes from their ‘all inclusive’ licencing model which allows for any future upscaling of functionality at no extra cost.
“We ask our resellers ‘what do you need?’ rather than telling them ‘this is what we have’,” says Horton.
“It is then easy for them to transfer all of that expertise, choice and simplicity into their customer conversations. They are able to talk confidently to customers about what it is they can provide because they have confidence in US to deliver.
“We own the IP and we are able to guarantee the products and solutions because we designed and built them.
“And, because everything is under the same roof, customers know they won’t end up in a frustrating to and fro with multiple suppliers when issues occur.
“That takes the pain away for the reseller AND their end user customer, and it counts for a lot in terms of added value.
“Everyone is craving those magic three ingredients of expertise, choice and simplicity so that’s what we are fully-focused on providing.”
But there’s another, final component to Sangoma’s reseller appeal.
Notwithstanding its ongoing caution, it believes refreshingly in resisting the temptation to allow the pandemic to disproportionately effect the way businesses now operate.
For them, the pandemic-enforced ‘hybrid’ working model is an unhelpful term which somehow prescribes a way of operating which may not actually serve all organisations well.
“The now and the future is really just about simplicity and automation coming together to drive effectiveness and efficiency,” says Horton.
“That is what today’s communications technology can provide and that is how businesses will grow. We like to look past the effects of the pandemic with optimism and positivity.
“And we like to talk about new processes and tailored ways of working that are right for individual customers as opposed to a blanket ‘hybrid’ approach.
“No labels, just the right solutions for the right people delivered in the right way”
How simple’s that?
To learn more about how Sangoma can help you AND your customers grow, visit www.sangoma.com
