WORKING LUNCH Channel’s future hinges o
Improved communications and collaboration between channel partners is essential to build a platform for the future according to delegates at a round table debate hosted by Entanet and Comms Dealer.
T
he communications industry has inflated itself into a business with great promise,
but its potential can only be realised if the channel adopts a more collaborative approach to partnering. We are quick to pronounce highbrow arguments in favour of having ‘new conversations’ with the customer and delivering extensive collaboration capabilities to end users, but the industry itself is not the paradigm of open and collaborative communication between partners. We can talk a good game but, perhaps, play like novices on our own pitch; and sticking to old habits will be a misjudgement of massive proportions. Advancing this most pertinent case for closer collaboration within the channel and putting words into action is Entanet, a company at the vanguard of breaking down communication barriers and pushing aside the hurdles that sometimes exist between partnerships.
According to the round table delegates, who are all experts in their fields, following a policy of building more collaborative and symbiotic partnerships could provide a vital antidote to the current state and create the necessary conditions
for the channel to unlock its full potential. “This is an exciting time,” said Nigel Redwood, Managing Director of
E-Know.net. “The hay is to be made over the next five years, and if you do it properly you’ll have a very nice business.”
We have entered a defining era of opportunity and risk and to sit still is not an option with growth the only way forward. But growth also brings growing pains, and the management of internal stresses within the structure and processes of organisations wanting to expand out of familiar territory is a high priority. Market trends are driving this change and a key feature in the success of this business transformation is closer collaboration between channel partners, an imperative that’s exercising the minds of all round table delegates.
“Our challenge is to take advantage of what the market has to offer while retaining the heart and soul of the company,” added Redwood. “It’s only during the past two years that our hosted delivery model has become acceptable to a large part of the market, enabling us to experience mid-market growth, but with
that comes the challenge of balancing our passion for customer service and getting the systems in place to facilitate growth.”
Also calculating his next move is Matthew Wring, Managing Director at eFar, a company that has built a strong reputation for its technical capability but is now looking to expand with the help of channel partners who value close collaboration. “Expanding out from our niche involves complexity,” he said. “Growth and efficiency are top of the agenda. How we grow and maintain our efficiency and the stresses between these requirements is a challenge. We are driving for efficiency, we have to live efficiency, which means fewer people and more systems. But the systems must deliver
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the right effect so customers don’t sense a lack people. What customers must experience is an efficient organisation. This takes time and investment, and we ask our partners how they can help us be more efficient.”
The quest for clear communication between partners can be suppressed by the channel’s structure with suppliers being at least one step removed from those operating on the ground. And the challenge for Entanet, which is also undergoing a phase of transformation, is to gain a clear understanding of its partners’ needs and pain points in order to build a platform that enables all partners to grow their business efficiently. Elsa Chen, Entanet’s General Manager, explained that
partner empowerment is essential to the future look of Entanet but this happy state can only be achieved if clear channels of communication are maintained between supplier and partner.
“As a wholesale service provider our challenge is to fully understand what the market wants,” stated Chen. “Partner enablement is the way forward and we are looking at areas such as API integration, improved marketing and sales support, and being as flexible as possible. Our aim is to create a platform that enables partners to add value while removing as much of the cost as possible when delivering an end-to-end solution.”
Entanet’s business
transformation is based on a two year high investment
sponsors of the Reseller of the Year
www.comms-dealer.com
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