“We know that staying in business long term is achieved through constant development and improvement, so it is important to step back from the day to day running of the business and take a longer, objective view of what we are doing“ said Oak joint founder and CEO Phil Reynolds.
“We will continue to develop superior products, but recognise that technical excellence alone is not enough. We must keep the commercial relationships right – and recognize how the commercial needs of businesses in the channel are changing.”
Working with Neil Moulton’s new consultancy Chaucer Channel Solutions, Oak has addressed the key question of what it needs to do to keep resellers happy and to build revenues with them. Neil, well known and respected throughout the channel after many years working on the manufacturer side with Siemens and, more recently, in distribution with Westcon, was ideally placed to conduct market research among business owners and senior managers of resellers.
“When you drill down, many of the so-called channel strategies in our marketplace are little more than volume-based commission schemes,” said Reynolds. “Our partners have enough on their plates in meeting customers expectations: SIP is established and the VoIP floodgates are opening. Desktop integration is filtering down to the SMB marketplace. It’s a hugely competitive marketplace out there - the last thing they need is supplier relationship that doesn’t recognize the need for flexibility and genuine support.”
A major focus for Oak in 2008 will be its IP and enterprise call recording products.
“More resellers are selling call logging and recording as an integrated proposition. With Oak products they can source from a single developer, which means a single point of contact for installation, training and support – and our live, customized end-user web demos to clinch the sale, " commented James Emm, Joint CEO, Oak.