There is little doubt that channels are important. The old saying that is one of the first things taught in MBA marketing courses to “think global, but act local,” remains extremely relevant as those with customer intimacy, e.g., the channel, are a vital part of the mix of hopefully not just meeting but exceeding customer expectation customers. It is for precisely this reason that the news from customer engagement and unified communications (UC) solutions provider Interactive Intelligence is of note. The company has launched significant enhancements to its Global Partner Program.
Delighting the channel and customers
As Interactive Intelligence explains, the enhanced Global Partner Program includes the following changes:
In addition to the SI, Telco/Carrier, and Channel Programs, Interactive Intelligence offers an Alliance Program designed for any partner offering solutions that are complementary to the Interactive Intelligence software and cloud services. Partners can list their solutions for purchase on the Interactive Intelligence MarketPlace, a virtual storefront for customers, partners and third-party developers that provides global exposure for increased revenue opportunities.
Interactive Intelligence also offers a Consultant Program for independent consultants that may recommend Interactive Intelligence as part of a client engagement.
Today, the Interactive Intelligence Partner Ecosystem comprises approximately 400 companies worldwide, including Arrow Systems Integration, Arvato (a division ofBertelsmann), Atea, brightONE, Cognizant, Hitachi, IBM, Iwatsu, KPN B.V., Maintel, NACR, Software House International, and Xerox Business Services.
"As we've expanded our product offering and global footprint, we realized that we needed to both streamline partner engagement and diversify our partner ecosystem," said Darren Gill, Interactive Intelligence vice president of channels. "The changes we've made are designed to better support our existing contact center-focused partners, while more quickly bringing to market our new cloud offering and building out our services business to reach new customers."
"The enhancements Interactive Intelligence has made to its partner program are critical for the company to grow to the next level," said Keith Dawson, Ovum's principal analyst for customer engagement. "Its new SI Program in particular will help Interactive strengthen its geographic reach, while opening up new opportunities for larger deals and across vertical and niche markets. Enhancements across the board will also help the company further penetrate the burgeoning cloud contact center market."
There has been a lot of conjecture over the past few years that as cloud adoption continues to gain momentum, channels would possibly become problematic. However, realities in the market are that properly structured partner programs, particularly for companies with a global reach, do provide benefits for all members of an ecosystem. In short, getting it right with the channels remains core to companies seeking to create sustainable competitive advantage.