White labelling is the process of taking a product or service produced by one company and rebranding to make it appear as if the seller made it. This strategy is important to the success of numerous resellers and MSPs across the Channel as it means they can offer a product or service without needing to create or maintain the technology or infrastructure in-house.
“At its core, white labelling allows you to put your name on a product or service while leveraging a third-party vendor for the underlying technology,” explained Cliff Chandler, head of sales at NTA. “This practice opens the door for [channel] businesses to take full ownership of their offerings.”
Chandler said white labelling helps channel companies have much more control over the customer experience. He said, “This streamlines the customer experience. Picture this: a user encounters an issue and knows precisely who to turn to for help. There’s no confusion, no redirection to a faceless vendor.
“This clarity is invaluable as nothing erodes trust faster than a customer being sent on a wild goose chase when they’re in need of assistance. Clients appreciate the security of a dedicated point of contact.”
So, what types of solutions suit white labelling? Although white labelling emerged in the hardware space, with resellers putting their own logos on desk phones and other workplace technologies, nowadays software is also frequently white labelled.For James Lockhart, head of product marketing, TelcoSwitch, software-as-a-service (SaaS) is particularly suited to white labelling.
He said, “Almost any SaaS product sold by the Channel could be delivered as a white labelled solution, with a few notable exceptions; particularly cloud office platforms, where businesses are expecting to buy a Google or Microsoft package. This covers not only UCaaS and CCaaS, but everything from cybersecurity through to chatbots and CRM software.
“The power of this is that through integration, all these tools can be intrinsically linked together into holistic service wraps, allowing effective managed service providers to add deep value to their customers with joined up propositions, which are then delivered under a single brand.”
Lockhart added that whether a solution is “suited” to white labelling usually rests on if the vendor constructed it for that purpose. He explained, “There is a big difference between a platform that has been designed and built to be delivered as a branded solution, with white labelling simply added on as an afterthought, and one that has been designed solely with the managed service provider in mind, where white labelling is ingrained into every aspect of the service. It’s usually pretty clear which category a platform falls into when you look under the hood!”
Hilary Oliver, chief customer officer, Tollring, highlighted how channel companies can use white labelling to bring together solutions from multiple vendors.
She said, “White labelling suits software solutions that are being resold through the Channel, especially where channel providers bundle multiple services to add value to their proposition. White labelling enables a combination of solutions from multiple vendors to be presented as a single service.”
Oliver also discussed the reality that some brands are useful to include alongside a white labelled solution. She explained, “Some partners prefer to white label their overall solution but keep branded product names for individual services within the solution. This enables them to leverage vendors’ brand names as well as accompanying resources, whilst promoting their branded product as the overall solution.
“This is the least resource-intensive option which enables a partner to benefit from building their own branded solution, but also benefit from the promotion of seamlessly provisioned brand names within the offering.”
Leni Van Hees, senior customer success manager, Dstny for Service Providers, added, “White labelling is best used when it is a piece of an overall puzzle, but it isn’t strictly reserved for products which form a part of an ecosystem. When it comes to front-end products, anything and everything can be white labelled, regardless of your position in the Channel.”
True white labelling
So, what are the markers of a good white label solution? Ross Clinch, enterprise partner manager, Evolve IP, said, “The success of a white label model often depends on the size of a reseller. One size and one solution doesn’t fit all. Often larger resellers have more resource to add their own bespoke development and flavour to the overall solution and take it further forward by making it more of their own offering.
”Some smaller resellers might be trying to embrace a type of service which is too big and complex to manage which is not suited to their customer base.
“White labelling has to fulfil a specific purpose. The most successful resellers develop a story and a go-to-market strategy to hit a particular vertical sector and build credibility and relevance to further accelerate adoption.”
For Oliver, from Tollring, vendors must offer their partners a range of options to set them up for success. She said, “A good white label solution should go beyond logos and colours. It involves ensuring the channel provider can deliver a complete package of services integrated across their entire portfolio, with supporting documentation and resources available in that same brand.”
Oliver emphasised the role APIs can play here. She said, “A solid API framework is critical for the integration of a white labelled service into the portfolio, for easy provisioning and customer management. Multi-tiered branding options are sometimes required for onward sale through a partner’s own channels. A demo system should also be available, either unbranded or in the white label brand, and applications should have consistency in URL domain for a seamless experience.
“It’s important to note there are two sides of a white label service – what customers see and what the internal team sees. Software vendors that can deliver white label solutions need to ensure branding flows across everything, from provisioning through to system notifications, product support and sales resources.
“Channel partners need to weigh up the cost of the whole solution and all the elements within being white labelled, versus the lower resource and cost option of their own white labelled offering with product brands within.”
For Lockhart, from TelcoSwitch, this is about delivering an end-to-end service. He said, “The most important thing for vendors to ensure they deliver is truly end-to-end and customisable branding for their partners. Obviously, it’s easy enough to deliver a solution where the reseller can pick a colour for a dashboard or customer portal and add their logo, but realistically this is just the bare minimum.
“We try to consider the entire cycle of the customer’s relationship, from pre-sale through to in-life. That means the reseller needs access to white label tools from sales and marketing assets, through to the product help centre and support collateral.
“On top of that, the level of customisation available to partners should mean that they are able to leverage their own brand identity in a more powerful way than simply picking a pantone and adding a logo.”
Lockhart pinpointed one simple way to know if a vendor has got this right. He said, “What workshops with our partners tell us is that every facet of the product must be considered, from the URLs the reseller is able to use on their login pages, through to any welcome SMS or email messages the platform is sending.
“All these elements should be brandable, reliable and point to the partner as the owner of the proposition. In short, we’ve done our job as a white label provider if the customer never even knows we exist!”
That chimed with the view of Jack Michalski, director of channel partnerships at TSI. He said, “White labelling capability is more than just being able to have a solution branded as the reseller. It may sound obvious, but a white label solution needs to be truly white labelled. [That means] the partner’s brand is the only brand visible, right down to the SSL certificates so end-users would have to dig deep to discover that the platform does not belong to the reseller.”
Other key considerations, Michalski explained, include flexibility and customisation, scalability, stability and agility. Those factors mean channel companies will be “able to keep up with changing end-user needs, and able to fulfil them”.
For Jonathan Walker, managing director, Luminate Wholesale, the white labelling of the past needs to be taken to the next level. He said, “In the ever-evolving landscape of reselling and managed services, simply standing out isn’t enough. The days of just adding your logo to a pre-existing product are behind us.
“Today, success lies in the ability to create and own fully customised product sets that reflect your brand’s unique identity and vision. Resellers and MSPs are no longer just looking to differentiate their offerings—they’re seeking ways to revolutionise them. The focus is shifting from traditional white labelling to a next-level approach: full customisation and brand ownership.
“While white labelling has been a powerful strategy, allowing businesses to deliver pre-made solutions under their own brand, the future demands more. It’s no longer just about slapping a logo on a product; it’s about shaping that product to fit your brand’s voice and identity. This level of customisation offers a deeper connection with your customers, enabling you to stand out in an increasingly commoditised market.”
It is important that partners have the options they need to meet customer needs. John McKindland, head of partner channel, UK, Sona Business, said, “A good white label solution should provide a menu of options rather than a straitjacket of restricted services.
”Resellers have control to mix and match all under their own brand to further elevate their pedigree and deliver maximum value to customers, without the threat of a rival coming along and stealing their lunch.”
Working with a vendor that truly understands the Channel and the interconnected relationships is also important. Richard Carter, non-executive brand ambassador, AudPro, said, “The most important factor for resellers choosing white label solutions isn’t necessarily the product itself, but the vendor that delivers it.
”They must know the Channel and truly embody a collaborative culture, understanding how a reseller works to remove challenges and foster a mutually beneficial partnership.”
Getting it right
Resellers and MSPs might also want to examine why they want to white label to ensure this is the right approach for a particular offering.
Lockhart, from TelcoSwitch, explained, “In truth, we believe that white labelling is not always the right choice for channel resellers. Sometimes, the reseller may be better to serve as the trusted adviser to their customers and demonstrate relationships with industry leaders from a number of areas of the telecoms and IT markets.
“After all, the largest brands in each category have spent years cultivating their position, and, in many cases, are already delivering above the line spend on their resellers’ behalf.”
Lockhart cautioned that, despite this, he is seeing a commoditisation of products in all areas of telecoms, from mobile to connectivity and UCaaS. This, he explained, is “squeezing margins, with channel resellers competing on price more often than they would like”. White labelling can help to address that challenge.
Lockhart said, “Effective delivery of white label solutions is where the smartest and most creative managed service providers are able to combat this commoditisation, cherry picking the best products and combining them into comprehensive service wraps under a single brand.
“The delivery, management and support of those services is how the provider offers a greater level of value. The reseller can offer everything their customer needs, delivered under one roof, deepening their relationship with the customer.”
Most of the benefits of white labelling ultimately boil down to differentiation. Van Hees, from Dstny for Service Providers, said that white labelling allows channel companies to set themselves apart from the competition.
She added, “With a white label product, MSPs and resellers get to add something to their toolbelt for a fraction of the cost and resource of a self-build whilst avoiding the feeling of a product being mass produced. After all, you don’t want to be seen using the same third-party product as your competitors, instantly killing any kind of differentiation.”
White labelling can also ensure resellers can dedicate more time to their customers, with their technology taken care of by their vendor partners.
Carter, from AudPro, explained, “A reseller’s time should be spent building relationships, gaining their customers’ trust and proving their value, not selling or designing marketing campaigns. In turn, this enables vendors to deliver their solutions to wider audiences and deliver their solutions en masse with much smaller investment and risk.
“The investment required to produce top-quality assets is also quite significant. Being able to take that off your reseller’s shoulders not only enables them to spend more time engaging their customers but enhances their credibility too, with a more refined end-product than the typical reseller without a trained eye could produce.”
Carter argued that this “symbiotic relationship” isn’t just important to the Channel, it’s vital for the industry’s continued growth. He added, “Channel resellers shouldn’t live in constant fear that their vendors could steal their customers away from them, going direct. So, truly Channel-committed vendors are more than happy to anonymise their brand in order to prove that dedication to Channel growth.”
Building on success
How can resellers and MSPs build on a white label solution? Oliver, from Tollring, said, “Resellers and MSPs can build on a white label solution by delivering a service wrap around their solution. This could include support services, training for end users and sales training for account managers.
“We all know that it is much more cost-effective to sell to the existing base than to gain new customers, so adding more value through services is a good way to upsell and build on the white label solution.White labelled solutions should also evolve as the technology landscape develops.”
McKindland, from Sona Business, said, “Having the ability to bolt-on additional services is crucial for resellers to maintain a competitive advantage. For us it’s about listening to partners. You can’t stand still. Listen, adapt and evolve is our mantra.”
Michalski, from TSI, added that white labelling can help partners expand their offerings into new sectors. He said, “White label customisation capabilities empower resellers and MSPs to exploit opportunities within the Channel, as well as expanding into different markets, such as education and hospitality where the needs can be much more specific, following more regulations than a simple office set-up. White labelling also enables resellers and MSPs to build their own brand and be the face of the technology.”
White labelling ultimately allows resellers and MSPs to make technology their own. Clinch, from Evolve IP, said, “The key to success is taking a solution and making it more of your own. Start with a clear vision of the type of business you are seeking to win and work back from there by finding the best-fit solution and service provider.”
With the right partnerships, channel companies can ensure the continued success of their business. Walker, from Luminate Wholesale, said, “The future of reselling and MSP success lies in the ability to offer not just white labelled products, but fully customised solutions that reflect your brand’s unique identity.
”By partnering with providers that offer this level of flexibility and control, resellers can build stronger brands, maintain healthy margins and, ultimately, deliver exceptional value to their customers.”
This feature was included in our October 2024 print issue. You can read the magazine in full here.