2020 Partner Directory - ChannelVision Magazine

2020 Directory | CHANNEL VISION 71 PROFILE C ox Business has emerged as one of the most powerful and established players in the channel. The company offers a robust portfolio that spans business internet, phone, TV and security, with bundled offerings tailored for the small, medium and enterprise customers. Looking ahead into the next decade, partners can expect to see the same level of consistency and commitment to excellence from Cox Business. They’re looking at a stable program, backed by the full support of the Cox Communi- cations and the guidance of a strong network of leaders and agents who are heavily invested in growing both their businesses and channel presence. “We’re becoming increasingly chan- nel-focused,” explained senior director of sales John Muscarella. “That’s the journey that we’ve been on and will continue to be on in 2020 and beyond.” Executive director, marketing Lisa Majdi also spoke about the company’s growth strategy. “Our leaders are always looking ahead at our future state,” Majdi ex- plained. “We saw this with the recent acquisition of RapidScale, which is 100 percent channel-based. The company is on the lookout for value and oppor- tunities to work with businesses to help them grow or enable them with our so- lutions. They understand there’s a lot of value, trust and expertise in the vari- ous compa- nies that we partner with. That extends to what the master agents are doing as well. So, there’s a big opportunity for us to work closely with our partners and to grow our busi- ness through them.” At the same time, Cox Business keeps an ear close to the ground in the channel community, which is a major reason for their continued success. “You can always find us at the Chan- nel Partners shows and master agent summits,” Muscarella said. “We’re spending time with agents, getting to know what our strengths and weak- nesses are and how we can continue to improve. I’m on calls on a regular basis with agents across the country, either thanking them for the opportunity to work with them, or trying to understand why we were not successful with a par- ticular opportunity and how we could fix or address their concerns.” According to Muscarella, these daily interactions serve as invalu- able learning experiences. Unlike some channel programs, which may strand agents and leave them to sell on their own, Cox Business partners will always have a number to call and someone on the other end to pick up the phone. “We’re listening,” Muscarella added. “We’re paying attention. We’re highly in tune with the agents that we engage with, and we’re adjusting and growing to meet their needs. So not only are we providing this great program for them, but we’re also looking into to how can we continue to grow and make it better.” Traditionally, Cox Business was known for its cable and fiber services. Moving forward, partners can expect to see more of a focus on services such as CloudPort, managed Wi-Fi and other managed offerings. These will be the main drivers for Cox Business in the years to come. “That’s where we’re going to be focusing the majority of our initiatives and engagement, because we want to grow beyond just being an internet pro- vider into more of a managed service provider,” Muscarella said. “You can see that through the RapidScale acqui- sition, as well as in the products that we’re bringing to market.” As Majdi explained, Cox Business wants to give customers and agents more than just service, but guidance throughout their whole lifecycle. “We have a very hands-on ap- proach,” Majdi said. “Plus, we’re look- ing into automation opportunities and ways that we can continue to make it even easier for our channel team. I think that’s an important aspect of our trajectory in 2020 and beyond. We’re also growing from a technology per- spective and trying to make things as easy as possible.” “2020 is going to be a pivotal year for us across the business,” Mus- carella concluded. “Our engagement with our agent program is going to continue to be significant. We’re look- ing forward to building relationships and ensuring that agents and busi- ness owners across the country know about Cox Business.” Cox Business: Invested in the Channel Cox Business’s Lisa Majdi Cox Business’s John Muscarella By Gerald Baldino