You've decided to leave your legacy PBX behind and migrate to a cloud-based telecom solution. But you probably have some questions and realize you need help. Who do you turn to?
Going directly to a vendor limits your options solely to their platform and forces you to learn the intricacies of UCaaS and CCaaS on the fly. Sure, you’ll hear about the latest and greatest new features, but what about the stuff that vendors don’t tell you? You’ll need additional guidance to have a full picture of how that technology would fit within your organization.
If you’re accustomed to the traditional PBX world of Mitel or ShoreTel, then most likely you’re used to having a communication partner such as us. The UCaaS world doesn’t generally require a partner though, which brings in the opportunity for a different type of sales organization: technology brokers (formerly known as master agents).
Technology brokers represent many different business solutions from dozens of categories, making it challenging for them to be an expert in any of the products they sell. The multitude of choices can translate to a lack of understanding of each system and how it would benefit your organization. Sometimes, too much variety is not the spice of life.
Additionally, technology brokers are 100% focused on sales and profit margins. They're rewarded with exotic trips and sky-high incentives, which change frequently by each vendor. Whoever happens to pay the most on any given day is the solution technology brokers will push to sell; you're getting the product that's attached to the prize of the day.
While some brokers out there do a perfectly adequate job, there are several reasons a broker may not be your best bet regarding your UC project.
Aside from the above, here are a few of the main ones to consider:
No Partner-Led Discovery to Determine What Matters
Technology brokers typically cut right to the chase, talking product instead of getting to know your organization, department interfaces, and customer service needs.
Doing so leaves out a crucial part of the process: deep discovery. The right partner will get to know your business, the communications tools you use now, what's working, and what isn't to help you meet your objectives. After gaining a complete understanding of your unique situation, that's when they'll begin looking for platforms that will best suit your needs.
Since technology brokers are not experts on UC or your current technology stack, they have no way to guide you.
They Allow UCaaS Vendors to Control the Entire Sales Process
A technology broker’s job is to generate leads and make introductions to vendors. Instead of helping you evaluate various technologies, they allow the provider to control the entire sales process. This is not beneficial because the focus is on what the vendor wants to sell, not your company or goals.
Conversely, a communications partner will bring in specific vendors based on your actual needs and the alignment to your communication goals. Because there is a deep understanding of your operations, they can recommend the best fit from a different vantage point. Your communication partner will also be on the vendor discovery calls along with you, making sure the provider understands exactly what matters for your organization.
The Relationship Ends Once Contracts Are Signed
Brokers don't care about your success with your new system; they want to sell their product and walk away with money in their pockets. Case closed.
But there's more to be done once you've decided which solution to install. Brokers don't offer after-sales support, professional services, or complimentary products, which are crucial to maximizing your investment:
Implementation: From number porting to testing features, functionality, and everything in between, a lot of planning goes into a migration. Having a partner by your side is essential, ensuring everything goes smoothly on your go-live day. Some partners can perform implementation on your behalf (like us!), and some can be there to continue advisement on best practices, but a broker won't do either of those.
Customized Training: Customized training helps your team quickly adapt to the new system and hit the ground running without disrupting business. A good partner will offer different training methods and modes that fit your operations and objectives.
Supplemental Products: Even if your broker did offer complementary product lines, are they an expert in what they're selling? Maybe you need the proper headsets for your customer service center, real-time guidance, or a payment processing compliance integration. Whatever you require to help your business, your communications solution partner should be able to advise and provide that for you.
A communications partner's relationship with vendors is built on a solid foundation, with some even going so far as being let in on strategy meetings, sitting on partner boards, and numerous other partner perks. The end customer may reap the benefits in various ways, including implementation and support ticket prioritization, advance notice on updates, and seasoned contacts (instead of newbies or trainees) with the vendor organization, so outcomes are swift.
That said, not all communications partners are the same. Their relationships with the providers and their capability to perform implementation, ongoing support, and complementary products differ, depending on with whom you choose to work.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you'd like to learn more about the best options for your unified communications project.
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