As technology evolves, businesses have more options than ever before at their fingertips… but weighing up the specifics of what employees and customers need has never been more complex. This is where the Channel comes in, with resellers and MSPs uniquely positioned to act as the local technology expert for businesses operating in their community.
“The Channel acts as a vital bridge between technology manufacturers and end users,” explained Richard Howson, partner account manager, Evolve IP. “The Channel is the gateway to new technologies and new opportunities – offering support, training and knowledge sharing. From a reseller perspective, they need to differentiate and stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive cloud-based, as-a-service world. It’s about being able to offer everything your customers need. If you can’t, then someone else will.”
Steve Flavell, co-CEO and co-founder, at LoopUp, added, “The Channel plays a pivotal role in helping organisations across the UK when it comes to adopting new technologies. It constitutes a vital and symbiotic link between technology providers and end customers. This helps end customers discover helpful new technologies and helps technology providers access their target markets.
“Beyond the fundamental access, the Channel also enhances the new technology’s credibility. The Channel’s relationships with end customers often go back a long way, and the trust that comes with those relationships adds important weight and comfort to the technology provider’s value proposition.”
Flavell emphasised the significant role the Channel also plays in scaling the adoption of new technologies. He said, “Channel also facilitates scaling, enabling technology providers to access their target markets more rapidly and at a lower cost of customer acquisition, which in turn helps pricing and adoption.”
One example Flavell pointed to was Microsoft Teams and emerging multinational telephony capabilities. He explained, “Microsoft sells more than 90 per cent of its software via a very well-established Channel ecosystem, making this channel an important route to market. For vendors aiming to present a compelling value proposition around vendor consolidation to multinational enterprises, leveraging this trusted, scalable and timely channel is essential for success.”
As new technologies emerge, the sun also sets on older technologies, and the Channel helps businesses prepare for that too. Cherie Howlett, CMO, Jola, commented, “The Channel educates businesses to adopt new technologies and find smarter ways to solve problems. We highlight products being switched off, such as 3G and PSTN, to help companies prepare with improved, more cost-effective solutions.”
Howlett discussed how channel companies can help businesses balance the need for upgrades at a time where many are looking to cut costs. She said, “With technologies being switched off and the current economic climate, demand for cost-effective, managed mobile data solutions from the Channel has never been as high.”
As such, Howlett explained, Jola is currently seeing a rise in demand for SIMs, not only for use in 5G/4G routers, pre-Ethernet connectivity and Ethernet back-up, but also for digital signage, monitoring and smart devices. She added, “Resellers, manufacturers and service companies are finding new uses for mobile data daily, and as we accelerate towards 5G, this is unlikely to slow down.”
Maximum visibility
Channel companies can and should be guiding local businesses through their technology choices, but being ready to provide advice is only half of the battle. Channel companies also need local businesses to look to the Channel for their technology needs. Businesses need to be educated so they can understand the value of having their technology delivered by a managed services provider, rather than going to their Highstreet and making consumer-style technology purchases.
For Howlett success here rests on making sure your company is visible to nearby businesses. She said, “Marketing is key. Companies need to know their target audience, requirements, buying habits, competition and unique selling points. Businesses need a multi-touch marketing strategy to reflect common problems and highlight unique solutions. It is important to be visible on and offline.
“Your website needs to be visible in searches for your audience, your content should be clear and your call to action should be easy. Be where your buyers are.”
The importance of word of mouth should also not be underestimated. The Channel is full of technology experts who provide businesses with the exact technologies their organisation needs. Those customers can be vital in opening new opportunities.
“As a channel-only business we recognise it’s our partners who are on the front line,” explained Howson, from Evolve IP. “We support them to become the local trusted advisors. In many ways the channel eco-system has gone full circle with a resurgence of smaller service providers offering local support and local knowledge.
“Word of mouth and recommendations start to snowball to build even greater levels of local business.”
Howson added that attending local events can be another way to “get your name out there [and] keep you in the spotlight”.
Trusted advisors
How can resellers and MSPs become trusted advisors for organisations in their area? Howson, from Evolve IP, said, “Becoming a trusted advisor takes time and is based on many factors. It’s much more than a transactional sale. You need to take a genuine interest in the success of a client, to ensure best-fit solutions are delivered that deliver maximum impact. MSPs and resellers need to embed themselves within industries and communities they serve.
“This builds credibility, awareness and trust. It’s important to listen first and act second. Understand requirements and build effective solutions on a best-fit, transparent basis. Sometimes that might even involve saying no to an idea they have. It’s about keeping your promises.”
It is also important for channel companies to be consistent to ensure their organisation is trusted by local businesses in the long-term. Howlett, from Jola, said, “Resellers and MSPs can become trusted advisors for organisations in their area by joining local trade associations, winning and promoting opportunities won in the local area and delivering a constantly reliable and excellent service.”
Agility and speed
There are a multitude of benefits for businesses in having their technology needs met by a local business, with the ability to provide quick support a key winner.
“There are many advantages to being local,” commented Howson, from Evolve IP. “That could be speed of service and being faster with more personalised support. Customers do like working with local suppliers with a tangible office to know where to find them. It builds confidence and accountability. Local suppliers are generally more agile and can act quicker.
“There are geographical traits and different loyalties too. People like to buy local to support their local economies. Local suppliers tend to better understand local issues.”
Jola’s Howlett said, “Our partners pride themselves on excellence and trusted relationships with their customers. They understand their unique requirements and deliver what they say they will when they say they will.
“Being local, they can spend time with customers face-to-face in their offices, offering personalised support that the competition cannot compete with.
Partner support
Wholesale partners and vendors can support resellers and MSPs to ensure they can meet customer needs in their local communities in various ways.
For Howlett the priority is to enable channel companies to be in control of the customer experience. She said, “MSPs and resellers partner with aggregators and experts in their fields to allow them to deliver the widest range of solutions at the best possible prices. They look for partners with automated portals so they can retain control of their customer experience.
“Channel-only suppliers are only successful if their resellers are successful. As a result, the best channel-only suppliers will have a tried-and-tested go-to-market programme to help resellers be successful as quickly as possible.”
Howlett added that Jola partners developed a programme to provide partners with a process for targeting and closing opportunities. This, she said, has become a proven process and is helping to maximise customer satisfaction.
Partner programmes can also include marketing support to help channel companies reach into their local communities.
Howson, from Evolve IP, explained, “We offer a wealth of support to ensure our partners can meet their customers’ needs. Access to training to upskill and be self-sufficient means they can be relied upon. Marketing support, sales enablement tools and data analysis make a huge difference.
“We become an extension of their team, a valuable resource on tap when they need it. Strong marketing campaigns help partners to shout louder locally to capture more business.”
Businesses and organisations around the UK will continue to need support to choose the right technologies for their employees, customers and users.
And the Channel is primed and ready to play that role… it’s time to go after those opportunities!
This article was included in our June 2025 print issue. You can read the magazine in full here.