Strengthening Reseller and MSP Relationships: The Key to Thriving in the UC Space
The unified communications (UC) market is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by the rise of platforms like Microsoft Teams. These changes are reshaping the dynamics between vendors and their reseller and MSP partners. As these relationships evolve, so do the challenges and opportunities.
How Tollring’s Reseller Relationships Have Evolved
In the past three years, Tollring has seen a significant shift in its reseller and MSP relationships. Microsoft Teams has been a game changer, giving Tollring the opportunity to reconnect with traditional UC partners. These partners are now offering new Call Recording and Analytics solutions built for Teams, which not only gives them fresh opportunities to engage with customers but also opens new revenue streams.
Additionally, Tollring is working with new partners such as IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Cloud Service Providers. These partners, who were previously outside the UC market, are now being asked by their customers to extend their Microsoft Modern Workplace services to cover UC. Tollring’s solutions help them seamlessly meet these demands, offering new opportunities for growth.
Filling the Gaps: Supporting Resellers Where It Matters
While the value of our Analytics and Call Recording solutions is clear to many resellers, we’ve noticed that there is often a gap when it comes to sales training and enablement. Resellers see the potential, but they need support in guiding their sales and pre-sales teams to identify specific customer opportunities and, more importantly, in helping those customers understand the business case for our solutions.
At Tollring, we’ve developed extensive enablement programs to address this need. Over the years, we’ve built a wealth of experience in helping our partners navigate vertical-specific use cases and apply our solutions to different industry challenges. This training helps resellers and MSPs not only understand the value of our offerings but also effectively communicate that value to their customers, driving success in both the short and long term.
The Rise of Marketplaces and the Future of Partnerships
The future of vendor-reseller partnerships lies in the rise of online marketplaces. These platforms, such as Microsoft Azure Marketplace and AppSource, offer a seamless way for resellers to provide software solutions to their customers. Marketplaces are transforming how customers purchase and deploy software, making it easy for resellers to meet demand while maintaining margins and ownership of the customer relationship.
At Tollring, we’ve recognized the importance of this trend and have made our Teams Analytics and Call Recording apps available through these marketplaces. This strategic move ensures that our resellers can offer their customers scalable, easy-to-deploy solutions while benefiting from a streamlined purchasing experience. We believe this will be a key route to market in the years to come, particularly as customers continue to demand simplicity and flexibility in their software consumption.
Why Channel Partnerships Fail
Even with the best intentions, channel partnerships can fail. Two common causes are misalignment and poor sales enablement. If a vendor and reseller are not aligned on the market opportunity and how to go to market, the partnership is unlikely to reach its potential. Additionally, without strong sales enablement, reseller teams may lack the skills and motivation to sell the solutions effectively, causing the partnership to lose momentum.
The Keys to Long-Term Success
To build lasting partnerships, vendors must prioritize three key factors:
- Staying Ahead of the Curve
Continuous innovation is essential. Vendors must develop solutions that keep their partners competitive, profitable, and able to retain customers. - Sales Enablement is Crucial
A successful partnership depends on well-trained reseller teams. Ongoing training and support are vital to keeping sales teams motivated and well-equipped to sell solutions. - Partnering with the Right Players
Successful partnerships require alignment in vision and strategy. Vendors should carefully select partners whose goals align with their own to create a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship.
By focusing on these factors, Tollring remains committed to building resilient, long-term channel partnerships that benefit both us and our partners. As the UC market continues to evolve, we’re excited to work closely with our resellers and MSPs, helping them grow their businesses, meet the demands of their customers, and navigate the future of unified communications.