Comms Business: Why is it important to look beyond the big brands that are dominating the headlines?
Matthew Worboys, Director – Business Development Channel at Gamma
“For Gamma we have always been about providing choice to the channel and offering solutions that meet their customers’ needs wherever they are in their telephony journey. Whether this be the need to shift from ISDN to SIP, move their telephony to the cloud or needing a full stack UC solution to empower their business. Whilst it can be challenging to compete with the big brands it’s important for the channel to remember where their value lies to that customer and how their overall package and solution can be tailored directly to that customer’s needs. The ability to differentiate is paramount and partners should not lose sight of this.“
Pictured: Matthew Worboys, Director – Business Development Channel at Gamma
Alan Chen, CEO of Yeastar
“Those who see further wins. Big brands may be more reliable and stable. But small & developing brands can still share the market and have a say. I believe Coronavirus has caused an uptick in interest in remote working technologies. As long as you catch the chance to start now with your sharp eyes, it is never too late.”
Pictured: Alan Chen, CEO of Yeastar
Mayur Pitamber, Solutions Product Marketing Manager, 8x8
“Microsoft, and Cisco clearly the big hitters in the UC space, and they’re great tools for collaboration and productivity but they lose out when it comes to price. If you think about it from an IT manager’s perspective, to install the tech on each endpoint is a huge expense per unit. For smaller businesses that perhaps don’t have the funds to spare, a single stack solution that can be scaled up and down as needed makes much more sense. This way, there’s no need to manage each individual platform too.”
Paul Clarke, UK Channel Manager, 3CX
“Whilst platforms like Teams are a valid choice for large enterprises primarily seeking collaboration tools, many businesses need a solution that combines communication and collaboration into one easy to use platform. Teams/ WebEx are less focused on telephony and still lack many essential features, particularly in the call centre realm. Resellers should focus on choosing a vendor who offers a full suite of communication tools, consisting of telephony, collaboration and remote working solutions.”
Justin Hamilton-Martin, UK Sales Director of Centile
“What may be right for one organisation may not be good for another. Again, this is where the channel has a big role to play, helping customers choose the best solution for them.
Once this current crisis is over, people will start returning to their offices and having physical meetings. After all, some communications are better face-to-face. However, with so many organisations experiencing the benefits of remote collaboration and UC for the first time, there is a strong chance that many remote working strategies will remain in place.”