James Emm, Joint CEO at Oak Telecom told Comms Business Magazine, “We are addressing a number of issues with our new channel partner program. For instance, there are a number of large resellers for major PBX vendors not buying via our distributors which Oak needs to reach. The introduction of our tiered – Platinum, Gold and Silver – partner program will now provide a level of accreditation for those companies.”
Emm says that the new Oak partner program is a major initiative for the company as it will provide improved performance based margins, increased account management representation, technical and sales accreditation and dedicated support lines.
Joint architect of the Oak Telecom Partner Program, Product Manager Lee Essex commented, “As with any accreditation scheme we are seeking to form a close relationship with channel partners. We have existing good relationships with vendor and distribution partners and now need to focus on the third element – the resellers; after all, we have 20 years experience of working with the channel. Being close to the channel lets us understand their needs as well as providing us with access to the needs of the customer. In essence we want to set out a road map for resellers so that they can make more money out of ‘peripherals’.”
James Emm, “We aim to have five Platinum resellers and around 20 resellers in total included in the new scheme by the end of the year – several resellers we have approached have already signed up to the new program. Selection criteria are transparent in that £100k sales per year of Oak Telecom products qualifies for Gold level and £200k for Platinum.”
Emm is keen to stress the quid pro quo when he states that in order to qualify for the new channel program resellers must agree to undertake the accreditation training. “Our aim is to provide accreditation across our entire range and enable partners to become self sufficient on smaller, less complex applications such as call logging, basic CTI applications, voicemail and smaller call recording projects whilst Oak will continue to manage the installation of larger more sophisticated solutions.