2013 UC Channel Study: Initial thoughts
2013 UC Channel Study: Initial thoughts by Orrin Broberg
The 2013 UCStrategies UC Channel Study is complete, and the results are compiled. It’s clear that 2013 will be another year of transition for the industry. The good news is that, overwhelmingly, the channel is looking at solid growth for UC products and services. Ninety-six percent of the Solution Integrators (SI’s) we surveyed experienced growth in their UC business in 2012, with 33 percent reporting over 20 percent growth. The not so good news is that the gap between SIs/resellers and vendors is widening in some key areas such as sales and sales operations, leading to lost sales and missed opportunities.
Our study objectives were to find out what SIs/resellers need most to be successful, how well vendors are meeting these needs, and how vendors can help their partners be more successful at selling UC products and services. The survey participants provided insights in a number of areas, including:
- What they value for their business success
- What they’re looking for in terms of vendor support in various areas including business development, sales and marketing, and technical support
- How well their specific vendors are meeting their needs
- Ways in which vendors can better help them succeed
A recurring theme in the survey was that vendors and SIs need to work more closely on lead generation and sales opportunity development. Some vendors are better at providing lead generation and working with their channel partners than others, but even the best are inconsistent and inefficient. Cisco, ShoreTel, and Microsoft got the highest marks.
On the topic of sales opportunity development, the study shows a continued frustration with inadequate sales resources, uneducated customers, and lack of sales support from the vendors. Looking at the responses as a whole, the problem is not uneducated customers, its unprepared salespeople. This is the missing link for most resellers.
Selling a UC solution to replace an existing PBX based on cost savings alone is not a strategic sale. In fact, it is basically “order taking.” Further, many of these cost-focused sales won’t deliver on the value that unified communications promises. If you don’t have a strategic solution, what does that say about your client relationship?
The channel study also suggests that the SIs need help in connecting the dots for the customer. By this I mean that the traditional relationships with IT aren’t always the best place to start. SIs need to be positioned at a high enough level with their customer organizations to help them discover the true strategic value of UC solutions. Many of the survey participants noted that the vendors need to do a better job of identifying the strategic value and communicating the business benefits of their UC solutions.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as our survey findings, which are presented in the channel study report. There is a lot of useful information for vendors and resellers in the study report. If you are a reseller, then you will see what other resellers are saying and get a glimpse at best practices. If you are a vendor, this is access to unique third-party information that will fill in the gaps and help you maximize your investment in your reseller partners. Vendors and resellers interested in purchasing the report can contact Blair Pleasant at or .