Managing the growing complexity of the CCaaS and UCaaS environments is one of the biggest challenges currently facing channel partners.
Often times, managing these diverse channels can be both overwhelming and time-consuming.
But by adopting the right technology solutions and streamlining their platforms, partners can overcome the problem, said Emily Masterton, regional vice president, EMEA channel sales at 8x8.
"Today, there is a pressing need for businesses to bridge gaps between channels and teams, both internally among employees and externally with customers," said Masterton. "This involves adopting new technologies and solutions that drive superior communication and business success.
"According to the 2024 State of Business Communications research, over 60 per cent of business leaders are seeking a combined UC and CC platform. Those who are already leveraging such a platform have experienced numerous benefits, including increased productivity, streamlined workflows as well as improved employee and customer experience."
Masterton, who started at Oak Telecom almost 17 years ago before going on to work for Unify and Atos, said that another key challenge is keeping up with the rapid pace of technological change, which requires constant updating of skills and knowledge to effectively manage channel partnerships. In that regard, she said prioritising the user experience is vital for IT managers, ensuring employees can easily communicate and collaborate using innovative tools.
"By managing channel complexity, streamlining operations, and staying on top of technological advancements, channel partners can address today's challenges more effectively and pave the way for sustained growth and success," said Masterton.
Buyer’s remorse
In terms of the most significant current trends, Masterton said that the big one is the proliferation of digital technology, which is continuing to influence strategic decisions across the UK telecoms and IT channel. She has also seen an increasing number of organisations seeking solutions that incorporate multiple technologies and integrate across all communication channels.
"According to our 2024 survey, more than half (56 per cent) of respondents have suffered buyer's remorse with the UCaaS and CCaaS solutions they purchased in response to the pandemic, and they have or are considering switching to another provider," said Masterton. "While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, today's progressive partners are focused on delivering high-value outcomes in one model that is simpler to use and more flexible."
Telecoms and IT channel professionals are also putting greater emphasis on ensuring their systems are scalable and adaptable to changing organisational needs, said Masterton. To achieve this, she said that collaboration between IT departments, stakeholders and vendor partners has become essential to ensuring a unified approach to addressing scalability and growth challenges.
Another important factor in navigating the evolving telecoms landscape, said Masterton, is AI and automation. Now more than ever, she said businesses are using AI to develop offerings that foster innovation, boost operational efficiency, enhance customer experience and generate new revenue streams. That’s evidenced by the fact that 41 per cent of contact centres and IT leaders recently said companies will fall behind if they don’t adopt conversational AI capabilities, according to 8x8 research.
By way of opportunities, Masterton said that businesses should look for channel partners that provide them with agility and flexibility. For example, she said that the ability to choose how they work with vendors – either through an agency or reseller model – can be a significant advantage.
8x8’s FY25 channel vision
As far as 8x8's own plans are concerned, Masterton said that its channel vision and goal for FY25 is to be the best vendor in the industry for partners to work with. That requires, she said, focusing on accelerating further growth with partners, helping them drive more successful business outcomes in an increasingly competitive market. To achieve, she said that the company is looking at the full partner and customer journey from processes, programs, people, products and platforms.
"Based on recent discussions with our partners, we have noticed common trends in what businesses want from the vendors they work with," said Masterton. "These include the ability to grow revenue and maintain profitability, as well as build margins and competitive compensation for long-term growth. Our Elevate Partner Program is specifically designed to address these needs.
"As well as this, offering multiple products to customers can foster a sense of loyalty and retention. As a result, partners wanting to deliver a comprehensive package to their customers may be more likely to choose our platform, as it enables them to offer a full suite of solutions.
"This fiscal year, our goal is to further expand and accelerate these partnerships within our dynamic channel team. Recognising partners' desire for deeper relationships and involvement in the sales funnel, 8x8 is incorporating this vision by creating avenues for enhanced collaboration and engagement throughout the sales process. Ultimately, we want to be the best partner in the industry."
Improving partner experience
To improve its partner experience, Masterton said that 8x8 has based its ethos on three key principles: simplicity, scalability and profitability. By mapping out the partner journey, she said that it ensures they gave end-to-end support.
"We have clear rules of engagement and processes in place for how we work and support our partners," said Masterton. "We developed these by working closely with our partners to understand how the Partner Program would work best for them, whilst also encouraging regular feedback and improvement. We also take the time to listen to our partners on what it is that they need from the partnership to build loyalty and growth, ensuring that 8x8 continually develops and learns.
"This approach means that no matter how a partner does business with 8x8 – whether as an agency or reseller – 8x8 is always there to help the partner grow their business, delight customers by contributing to their business success, and enjoy the value of the Program benefits."
Masterton said the Elevate 3.0 Partner Program offers partners exclusive incentives, experiences and executive insights that grow as they climb the new tier system. She added that 8x8 also encourages partners to continue engaging with certifications, enablement tracks and their dedicated channel account managers to build joint business and marketing plans. When partners hit their revenue tiers and ensure they have the right certifications, she said that they will move up through the program tiers.
"The key benefits of the program include growing your customer base, building new revenue streams, and increasing profits in the model you choose," said Masterton. "Carrying over from the previous Partner Program, Elevate 3.0 features a marketing development fund, which supports long-term goals and acts as a way of collaboratively building marketing plans with partners, focusing on return on investment.
"There are also strategic opportunities for building joint marketing plans. For partners without in-house marketing, we offer marketing-as-a-service to package everything for them. This program will be invaluable to help grow the sales pipeline."
Moving forward, Masterton said that, amid ongoing uncertainty, budgets will continue to tighten further and businesses will be asked to do more with less. As a result, she said that AI and machine learning will play an even more important role, reflected in the fact that 78 per cent of UK IT decision makers are deploying AI and automation, according to 8x8 research.
"A key aspect of this will be the increase in sophistication of AI chatbots," said Masterton. "Across the Channel, chatbots will be able to serve more customers, without requiring additional staff in contact centres. By automating repetitive tasks and routing inquiries to the most relevant agent via chatbots, human agents will be able to focus on tackling more complex requests, improving both efficiency and the quality of customer interactions."