New partners, customers, channel enablement
programs, certification and tools empower partners to grow
profitable cloud communications practices
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), the leading provider of global
Enterprise Communications as a Service (ECaaS), today announced the
next generation of its international channel program, Channel 2.0.
The program is designed to enable 8x8 partners to accelerate growth
by taking full advantage of the industry shift from product-based
on-premises solutions to cloud communications and deliver maximum
customer value. As part of Channel 2.0, 8x8 is announcing several
new partners and customers; the PartnerConnect portal to offer
self-service and automation for the partner engagement lifecycle;
enhanced sales and technical training and new partner
certifications; and expanded channel enablement offerings including
marketing and demand generation support.
The channel is critical to 8x8’s growth strategy, and the
company has seen strong momentum with global partners such as
Avant, CDW, CSG, Insight, Intelisys and Simplify. Today, 8x8 is
announcing several new partnerships with Telarus, LANtelligence and
PERRY proTECH in North America, and Great Outcomes in New Zealand.
See related press release on Telarus for more details on this
partnership. In addition, the company is expanding key partnerships
into new regions, including Avant, CDW and Intelisys Global into
the UK, and Exsel Group into Scotland.
8x8 channel partners have recently brought in several
high-profile global customers including GameStop Corporation and
OFX. New international customers announced today include
AutoCustoms, Gerber Technology, On Q Financial and phoenixNAP.
8x8 has experienced steady growth from the channel with 16 of
the company’s top 25 deals in fiscal 2016 (ended March 31, 2016)
coming through the channel, a more than 150 percent increase from
fiscal 2015. In addition, the 8x8 global channel team has doubled
over the past year with employees now in North America, Europe and
Australia.
“Legacy communications systems are unable to keep pace with the
constantly evolving needs of today’s global and mobile workforce,”
said Vik Verma, CEO, 8x8. “Retrofitting traditional on-premises
systems to meet these customer requirements is a thankless and near
impossible task. 8x8, with our international partners, is leading
the transformation from a product-centric to services-cloud model,
enabling our partners and their customers to seamlessly migrate to
a more flexible, services-cloud environment by providing the right
technologies, tools and support to rapidly transform and grow our
partners’ business and deliver the most value to their mid-market
and enterprise customers worldwide.”
The 8x8 Channel 2.0 program includes the following key
components:
8x8 PartnerConnect Portal:
The new 8x8 PartnerConnect Portal, available today in North
America, Canada and Australia, and in the UK by the end of 2016,
gives partners quick, easy access to information and resources, and
automates tasks and processes to better meet partner needs. The
single user interface allows partners to register opportunities,
receive online product and sales training, run marketing campaigns
and generate co-branded collateral all within a single portal.
Partners can also stay up to date on 8x8 product and company
updates and participate in the 8x8 partner onboarding program.
Sales and Technical Training and Certification:
8x8 today announced new partner sales and enablement training as
well as deployment and support certification programs. The
training, available starting this month, empowers channel partners
to more effectively sell cloud services. This includes live
instructor-led and self-paced classes for the company’s Virtual
Office and Virtual Contact Center solutions. In addition, 8x8
Academy, beginning in January 2017, will offer partners post-sales
Deployment and Technical Support certification programs to provide
value-added services and margin opportunities for partners.
Marketing and Demand Generation Support:
Partners can accelerate their sales and marketing efforts with
8x8. Via the PartnerConnect portal, partners can launch and manage
prebuilt, self-serve, multi-touch digital co-marketing campaigns.
In addition, 8x8 works with partners to help create marketing plans
that accelerate sales. As part of the Channel 2.0 program, 8x8
continues to invest in growing channel partners through
sponsorships, sales incentives and marketing development funds
(MDF).
Sales Enablement Tools:
Partners looking to transform their business from selling
traditional on-premises solutions to cloud can leverage 8x8 sales
enablement programs and tools to quickly become effective sellers.
For example, 8x8’s interactive Playbooks provide partner sales
teams real-time guidance on qualifying questions, value proposition
and discovery. In addition, the 8x8 Channel 2.0 program offers
sales enablement tools including online customer ROI tools,
co-branded marketing materials, sample landing pages, copy blocks,
co-branded integrated campaigns, battle cards, videos, case studies
and more.
For more details on the 8x8 Channel 2.0 program or to apply to
become an 8x8 partner, visit: www.8x8.com/partners.
Supporting Partner Quotes:
CSG
“CSG works with some of the world's leading technology brands in
the business communications market to deliver best-in-class
communications experiences to our customers in the Asia Pacific
region,” said Julie-Ann Kerin, CEO & Managing Director at CSG.
“8x8’s impressive global momentum and innovative Enterprise Cloud
Communications as a Service platform is disrupting the market and
providing the highest levels of quality of service, uptime and
security. By working closely with 8x8, CSG is seeing success in
offering, deploying and supporting highly differentiated cloud
communications solutions to our enterprise customers in the
region.”
Exsel Group
“Prior to working with 8x8, Exsel predominantly focused on
selling mobile technologies with over 75 percent of our revenue
from this market. Partnering with 8x8 has had a big impact on our
product mix, and our team has great confidence in the high quality,
reliability and security of 8x8’s global cloud communications
solutions,” said Tom McDonald, managing director at Exsel Group.
“Their industry-leading technology enables us to have more
solutions-led conversations with our customers and truly
differentiates us from the competition, allowing us to enter new
markets. We receive an unprecedented level of support and have a
true partnership with 8x8. Today, 75 percent of our new business
comes from cloud communications services.”
Intelisys
“As the industry’s largest technology services
distributor/master agent, our mission is to enable the growth and
success of our Sales Partners through the distribution of business
telecommunications and cloud services, education and strategic
support programs. Now as part of ScanSource, our commitment to
offer an unparalleled experience in the cloud and telecom space can
reach an even broader audience,” said Mike McKenney, Vice President
of Supplier Sales for Intelisys. “A stellar example is our
partnership with 8x8, which we are now expanding into the UK, as
they are one of the fastest growing Enterprise Communications as a
Service providers in our Supplier portfolio. 8x8 not only enables
our Sales Partners with market-leading, cloud-based unified
communications and contact center services but also provides the
programs and tools required to solve their end-user customers’ most
critical needs and drive revenue for our Sales Partners.”
Supporting Customer Quotes:
GameStop Corporation
“As the world’s leading specialty retailer in video games,
consumer electronics and pop culture merchandise, we are committed
to delivering fun, entertainment and innovation to customers of all
ages, anywhere and anytime,” said Brian Owens, senior director, IT
Engineering at GameStop. “To deliver on this, we needed a cloud
technology partner who offered a comprehensive suite of secure,
reliable and integrated global cloud communications and contact
center solutions that would enable us to conduct business anywhere,
anytime and in any manner to meet our customers’ needs. 8x8 fit the
bill.”
Gerber Technology
"As the industry leader in software and automation
solutions for apparel and industrial companies, Gerber Technology
serves more than 78,000 customers in 130 countries," said John
Capasso, CFO at Gerber Technology. "Enhancing communications and
collaboration with employees and customers is paramount for our
continued success. Working with 8x8 will allow us to achieve this
by upgrading our communications infrastructure with a fully
integrated, enterprise-grade, cloud unified communications and
contact center solution."
About 8x8, Inc.
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) is the trusted provider of secure and
reliable enterprise cloud communications solutions to more than
47,000 businesses operating in over 100 countries across six
continents. 8x8's out-of-the-box cloud solutions replace
traditional on-premises PBX hardware and software-based systems
with a flexible and scalable Software as a Service (SaaS)
alternative, encompassing cloud business phone service, contact
center solutions, and conferencing. For additional information,
visit www.8x8.com, www.8x8.com/UK or connect with 8x8 on LinkedIn,
Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161114005819/en/
8x8Neha Mirchandani,
669-256-5095neha.mirchandani@8x8.comorTracey Workman,
781-366-17898x8@inkhouse.com
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