Reseller Feature

Being names among the top global providers of business communications software, systems and services, when Avaya (News - Alert) makes a change to its channel partner program, is important news for many. Described as the next evolution of the company’s partner program, Avaya aims to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of its large and loyal based of channel partners with this latest set of revisions that promise to drive growth, increase rewards and reduce administrative requirements.

This announcement comes after a number of partner program news from other companies in February. Green Key Technologies, for example, launched a brand new partner program earlier this month. Around that time, Procera Networks (News - Alert) enhanced its existing channel partner program with a new Premier Partner program, an elite partner designation awarded to highly skilled partners.

“Avaya Channel Partners start from a position of strength, equipped with a portfolio of unified communications, customer experience and networking solutions that is unmatched in the industry,” said Steve Biondi, global channel chief for Avaya. “We are making that position even stronger with new program elements that will bolster their capabilities and reach as we streamline how we work together. We want and need our channel partners to be successful and our customers to be happy—we can only do that as a united front that respects the individual concerns of each party.”

Avaya is making four key changes to its partner program. The first is a new growth program that should appeal to Avaya channel partners “willing to go where few have gone before.” These new areas of market opportunity include Midmarket, Contact Center, Fabric Networking, Modernize the Customer Base and Cloud.

Second, Avaya has optimized its existing benefit programs by consolidating various incentives to make them more compelling. The result is that partners will spend less time researching and applying for incentives and more time growing their Avaya business with new customers and markets.

Third, partners with “the greatest scope and capacity” across Avaya’s solutions are now eligible for additional incentives, as well as discounted co-delivery services. In particular, companies that expand key market segments like midmarket, networking and cloud will enjoy extra benefits and rebates.

Finally, Avaya’s Co-Delivery Partner program has been added to recognize Avaya partners who deliver exceptional customer experiences. This particular aspect of Avaya’s partner program enhancements won’t start until 2017, at which time partners will be measured against industry leading key performance indicators and metrics to determine increased revenue opportunities for partners.