New Cbeyond Program Makes for More Integrated Solutions, Selling and Service

Cbeyond (News - Alert) has created a new program to help it better align its interoperability, marketing and ongoing support efforts with those of the IP-PBX vendors.

 

According to Jason Walker, product marketing manager for Cbeyond’s SIPconnect service, the Cbeyond Platform Partner Program affords it the opportunity to better support its resellers and ultimately get the best solution to the end customer.

 

Through the program, Cbeyond works with IP-PBX (News - Alert) vendors to ensure their gear works seamlessly with its BeyondVoice with SIPconnect service, which allows small business customers to operate like enterprise businesses by easily adding pure digital voice lines, access to a wider array of rich, configurable features and eliminating expensive gateway equipment. The service provider has already certified interoperability with 25 phone manufacturers.

 

On the marketing side, the program will create a framework for Cbeyond and IP-PBX vendor partners to do sales referrals and other co-marketing.

 

Additionally, the program will establish Cbeyond as the integrator’s or customer’s first point of contact for maintenance and support. If a given call needs additional support, however, Cbeyond will escalate the interactions and bring the IP-PBX supplier into the conversation. But the relationship can also work in reverse in cases in which calls come in to the IP-PBX vendor.

 

There are three levels of involvement in the Cbeyond Platform Partner Program from which to IP-PBX suppliers can choose. The Platinum level, which requires a $50,000 upfront annual contribution and offers an exclusive level of joint partner recruitment and training activities and demand generation programs; the Gold level, which costs $25,000 and includes three aspects of the program mentioned above; and the Silver level, which is a baseline relationship for interoperability only, which involves a $5,000 interoperability fee.

 

Cbeyond has already done interoperability with 25 manufacturers at this point, all of whom have joined the Cbeyond Platform Partner Program at the Silver level, according to Walker.