contact centre in the same way we disrupted video conferencing. “Obviously the pandemic helped us a lot in that, and hopefully something like that doesn’t happen again, but we can definitely achieve a very healthy growth rate in the sector.” Growing up That last point about the pandemic almost goes without saying. Zoom grew over 20 times in a year in 2020 and was one of three apps that were downloaded over 300 million times in a single quarter; along with Pokemon Go and TikTok. That growth often comes with pains. From tempering fears around security to tackling ‘Zoom fatigue’ both in terms of helping people engage in meetings and removing the brand from the phase, the collaboration provider is now engaged in the seemingly impossible task of slowing the runaway train that is Microsoft Teams. “We’re being forced to grow up very quickly right now,” said Maris. “Meetings are simple and there aren’t many services involved with the meetings because it’s pretty much a plug- and-play solution. “Now that we’re really becoming a platform, it’s about making sure that we understand what the customer is dealing with. These
challenges differ depending on whether they’re in the contact centre, in telephony, or need revenue-accelerated services. “There’s a lot of different aspects to how we’re dealing with that hybrid work market, which is why we need partners to help us develop our solutions, and implement them into their customers.” Pivoting to Partners This pivot towards selling through the channel is a marked change compared to the initial direct model that we’ve been accustomed to and is reflected in its recruitment in recent years. In February 2022, Zoom appointed Dion Smith to head up the EMEA Channel business, with Maris joining Zoom in March last year. Both bring a wealth of experience in selling to the channel, specifically extended periods at Dell EMC where Smith was Head of Channels and Maris held the role of Head of EMEA Channels when it moved from a direct-to- channel selling model. Maris said that Zoom has “a couple of main drivers for [this] year and the channel is a big part of that,” adding that he is looking to draw on his seven years at Dell EMC to make Zoom’s channel proposition more attractive. “I’ve got a lot of experience from a direct-
Dion Smith Head of EMEA Channels
www.zoom.us
Now that we’re really becoming a platform, it’s about making sure that we understand what the customer is dealing with.
PIVOT!!
PIVOT!!
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