ZOOM
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delivering that. But we are already seeing good momentum and execution working with the channel.” Joe adds that he is looking to recruit people with various but complementary skillsets. “I’m looking for people whether they have a consulting background, a pure technology background or a partner background,” he says. “Recently, I shared an advert on LinkedIn for a service provider leader, someone who can help build strategies around the service providers, so we’re out to market on quite a few roles.” Zoom Up But it is not only people that Joe is looking to add to the mix. Zoom is also looking to add more reseller partners to its roster through its partner program, called Zoom Up. “Zoom Up program has different levels from bronze through silver and gold to platinum, which are revenue based but underpinned by competencies,” explains Joe. “There are many different channel partners out there with many different values they can bring, from service providers managing telephony services to a traditional IT hardware provider partner that are managing room systems, to software integrators and those with end-to-end experience. There’s different value that different channel partners can bring. “Roughly 12 months ago, we had just under 600 live partners working with us. We now have more than 1,200. Some of that has come from shifting our focus and driving towards channel, but also when people see the great things that are happening, you create a kind of
with. “The value of Zoom is that there is a suite of products within a platform that’s all integrated and native,” says Joe. “And you can use whichever parts of the platform that you would like to leverage.” Another advantage is that Zoom does not solely work with one other software system, such as Microsoft. “We can sit alongside a platform, we can integrate with it, we can enhance it,” says Joe. “For instance, if you want to use our phone platform, but still Microsoft, you absolutely can. It’s all integrated. “The companies that do well are those that play well with others. Gone are the days where you just build a platform, and no one else could either integrate or use anything outside of that platform. “The value to the end user of being able to purchase the device is being able integrate it into their environment and having the ability to switch from Microsoft or Zoom. That enhances the end user experience, so it is where we play nice with our rivals. Education But while there are an attractive suite of products, services and solutions on offer from Zoom, some in the channel do need education about this, notes Joe. “Gone are the days where you walk through an airport or get a cab, and you’d see a Zoom billboard here, there and everywhere,” he says. “But now Zoom is well known, but we’re known for being a video platform although we provide so much more than that. Our marketing investment now is very targeted at working with many different segments within the business environment, whether that’s SMBs, enterprise to multinational companies. We are also driving that message and education through the channel too.” Workvivo One major platform that Zoom is pushing is Workvivo, which designed to simplify communication and drive engagement. As Joe notes, when Meta decided to close Workplace recently, it named Workvivo as the only preferred migration partner. “What’s better than a customer reference? One of our competitors shutting down their platform because of the pace of investment and innovation that we’re driving and then recommending us as the platform to move to,”
Zoom Up program has different levels from bronze through silver and gold to
platinum, which are revenue based but
underpinned by competencies.
FOMO – fear of missing out – so other resellers are attracted to us because they can see the value that we’re driving within their ecosystem of partners. It’s the laws of attraction.”
Suite of products There are plenty of reasons
that Zoom is attractive to resellers to get involved
he says. “My phone was ringing off the hook from customers wanting to know how they can do that.
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