During my time at GITEX last week, I had a great opportunity to explore some of the latest digital transformation technology on the market. One of the most inspiring platforms for DX and CX experience presented by a brand this year has come in the form of the Avaya stand, which has been used to showcase use case scenarios from customers using the Avaya portfolio around the world.
As Avaya have begun to focus more heavily on the potential of their channel partners and integration solutions, I thought it would be interesting to speak with Fadi Moubarak, the head of channels for Avaya, about the upcoming plans for the business.
What Value is Avaya Showing to Channel Partners at GITEX this Year?
Fadi began by explaining what he believed Avaya was introducing to the channel network with their unique presentations at GITEX 2017. Interestingly, rather than using a product or service demonstration to interact with their customers, Avaya decided to present use case studies from customers across a range of verticals, who had adopted both Avaya, and third-party solutions to solve their communication platforms. Fadi explained:
“GITEX is a great opportunity for us to reach a wide range of customers and vendors at the same time. The GITEX expo attracts people from different verticals, across the globe, which gave us a great opportunity to show off the potential Avaya has to offer. We think that we’re giving our customers a great chance to explore the message that we’re putting across as a brand, that Avaya can offer an integrated solution for CX and DX options.”
Fadi went on to say that Avaya is concentrating on putting customer needs first this year. The brand has noticed an overwhelming amount of technology on the current market, and what they’re doing to solve that problem is transforming their strategy into a platform of development.
How Are Avaya Channel Partners Changing?
This year, Avaya is showing their channel partners how they can create their own unique value propositions, using the Avaya products, while ensuring that they’re not restricted by the brand portfolio. This is particularly important in a world where resellers and partners are being faced with a host of new technology from all verticals. Fadi noted:
” There’s an evolution going on in the marketplace. Some of our partners are already at the cutting edge, with the right skills to take their solutions to the next level. Other partners need a little help, and Avaya is there to offer a smooth migration path, along with a range of specialised software application solutions that make things easier for traditional partners. If our resellers know that their customers need a specific solution, they can call on another partner for help, while building their own skills and eventually becoming independent.”
Basically, Avaya isn’t simply leaving their channel partners to deal with the problems of digital transformation by themselves. Instead, they’re offering a unique form of open and flexible support to help resellers create the individual strategies they need to sell themselves in an age of change.
“We’re helping our partners to start shifting to the future so that they aren’t left behind.”
Are There New Partners Coming into the Picture?
Fadi also acknowledged that new partners are coming into the picture for the Avaya channel network.
“We have a lot of partners from the software seeing a need for their customers to integrate their business applications, with their communication strategies. These partners are coming to us and developing with us, using the help of our transition partners.”
Perhaps the key point to make about the future of the Avaya channel network is that the relationships between the different types of partners, from traditional to developmental partners and consultants, is changing. The connection is no longer hierarchal, and instead, we’re focusing on a more “meshed” community. Everyone can come together on projects to address specific customer issues.
In today’s competitive environment, third-party integration has become more of a crucial element, because no-one can accomplish anything alone.
“That’s why we’ve opened our platform to integrate with third-party applications in a more flexible way. A lot of the futuristic applications that customers want access today can be developed a lot faster in this format. Our platform is becoming more agile than ever.”
Today, Avaya is focusing on scaling and growing their business through their partners, with the knowledge that the brands who can’t integrate their solutions for customers, could be the ones that are left behind in terms of digital transformation.
What’s the Focus for the Avaya Channel Today?
For Avaya, the focus is clearly on the customer this year. Fadi suggested that companies are beginning to see a new class of customer, like start-ups that aren’t held back by any existing legacy technology: “These small companies of today are the enterprises of the future. We think that it’s time to empower these companies to work like an enterprise, in whatever format suits them best.”
Fadi said: “We’re very well positioned to go and serve these new customers because they need a range of solutions in their communication and software environments. With our open channel platform, we can deliver enterprise-class solutions for companies of all shapes and sizes. You don’t need a high budget to get a next-level custom-made service. We’re focusing on letting things flow naturally between Avaya and third-party integrations.”
Avaya is also launching a new program in the coming weeks for partners who want to access more “off-the-shelf” strategies for their end-customers. Similar to an open marketplace, Fadi said that the application centre will eventually allow people to pick and choose the integrations they need for their customers with speed and sophistication.
“That’s why we’ve made the system open, so that people can custom-make their own strategies, from AI to chatbots, and collaboration. It’s about bringing all the new types of partners together to work on applications around Avaya. The sky is the limit.”
Today, 75% of Avaya’s sales are focused around the channel. It seems that this new approach to business will help to make the company more successful than ever.
