ShoreTel Unveils Revised Partner Program

ShoreTel, Inc. announces the various adjustments that were made to its Champion Partner Program. The changes include a streamlined discounting scheme, a tightened opportunity registration program, a modified version of the company's existing MDF program, and a simplified support pricing structure. A new accreditation program is also launched to complement ShoreTel's Champion Partner Program.

According to ShoreTel, the changes are introduced so that channel conflict can be eliminated and ShoreTel partners can easily set a price and market the company's premises-based unified communications solutions.

Discounting

The existing four tiers - authorized, silver, gold, and platinum - still apply, but in the new discounting scheme, discounts are specifically designated for each tier. In the past, the discount for each tier was based on exclusivity, skills incentives, and other revenue bands. The new discounting structure, on the other hand, is made consistent throughout the world and across all the different ShoreTel partner types, such as direct market resellers, service providers, and value added resellers.

Opportunity Registration Program

To iron out other channel inequalities that cannot be addressed by the recently implemented uniform discounting structure, ShoreTel has also enhanced its opportunity registration program. The changes are designed to prevent high-tier partners, who can give more substantial discounts, from filching accounts that are about to be landed by low-tier partners.

"Even the smallest, authorized [partner] will have a discount advantage over platinum partners," said Jeff Mattan, senior director of worldwide channel marketing programs and strategy for ShoreTel, in an interview with Channel Partners. Mattan explained that if further discretionary discounts were necessary to acquire an account, the partner who did the deal registration was the sole partner that could clinch it.

Rewards are added for opportunity registration by enforcing exclusivity and by making the discounting an automatic procedure. In the new opportunity registration program, an extra discount, as well as submission and approval processes that are well defined and subject to auditing, has been established.

To obtain an approval for an opportunity registration, a partner should submit documentation, like a TCO analysis or a network diagram. Once approval is given, the partner then has 180 days to close the deal. Once the deal has closed, the partner is allowed 180 more days to market additional solutions at a discounted rate.

MDF Program

In the same interview with Channel Partners, ShoreTel's Mattan said, "MDF today is confusing in that there are revenue thresholds to hit before you start accruing. A lot of small partners never hit that, so they never get money."

The company's new MDF program gets rid of the requirement for minimum sales revenue. In addition, a discretionary fund has been set in place to reward - based on an application process - deserving smaller partners. As partners advance to higher tiers, their respective accrual and reimbursement rates also increase.

Support Pricing

ShoreTel's support pricing has been made simpler and more straightforward by shifting from a "buy price" system to a discounting structure, which is consistent with the other ShoreTel pricing schemes.

New Accreditation Program

Apart from the Champion Partner Program, ShoreTel has instituted a new accreditation program that enables partners to boost their value to their customers. The accreditation program aims to expand their knowledge of the company's various solutions.

Most of these changes and new additions will be implemented worldwide on January 1, 2014. (KOM) Link.

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