Bluetone Communications is debuting its new agent and reseller program, leveraging its portfolio of next-generation and traditional voice, data and mobile solutions, and whiat it calls an “aggressive compensation structure” that includes commission rates of up to 38 percent.
Bluetone, a seven-year veteran in the telecommunications space, is primarily focused on helping businesses of all sizes migrate to next-gen communications approaches. It has an expansive portfolio that includes everything from IP PBX and SIP trunking to POTS consolidation and 800 inbound services. Its primary focus for growth in 2014 is TDM/POTS replacement and IP voice services (1+ and 800 inbound services) via the channel, according to Patrick Tata, vice president/general manager for Enterprise Services at Bluetone and the company’s channel chief.
“The partner landscape is changing, as agents embrace new technologies and a whole new cadre of IT VARs sees opportunity in the IP and cloud space,” said Tata, who comes to Bluetone after a 14-year career as a co-founder and channel leader at PAETEC (later Windstream). “The IP voice space is our sweet spot, and we see IP migration as an inevitable transition that is happening across the business landscape. Companies are looking for the flexibility, cost savings, scalability and disaster recovery elements that come with IP, and we’re here to help agents and resellers make the most of the opportunity.”
That’s not to say that technologies like PRI aren’t part of the package for its partners. “IP is the future, but TDM still persists in many large enterprise environments,” Tata said. “For those serving customers that are not ready to migrate, the options are dwindling: Resale is dying, and the big carriers aren’t offering these technologies via their partners anymore. We’re committed to offering agents and resellers a full slate of alternatives to meet those business needs.”
In terms of the channel program’s architecture, Bluetone will offer commissions for master agents and independent agents that start at 10 percent but which can reach 38 percent for selling advanced IP services. For resellers, margins will be “compelling,” the company said.
The structure of the program is laid out as a matrix, with seven layers of volume-based pricing and commissions, and multiple retail price points per product. And when it comes to support and the back office, the company has a team of 70 people in a dedicated call center to help with trouble tickets, provisioning and sales support; and, an automated portal gives partners access to their accounts with the ability to see billing and commissions, and to track orders.
“We are obsessed about over-delivering to both our customers and agents,” said Tata. “We’re going back to the basics in many ways, by giving higher rates and more commission along with a customer service level that is second-to-none. We’re looking to help out partners maximize and optimize earnings with not just a competitive program, but a disruptive one.”
