57 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2023 | CHANNELVISION First Comm is a cloud communications company out of Akron, Ohio, that has been in operation for more than 25 years. First Comm sells and supports cloud and telecommunications solutions, including voice, UCaaS, CCaaS, SD-WAN, managed security and technology covering other areas. Propelling it to success is its unique ability to harness its power through its presence in the channel. First Comm operates in the wholesale and indirect channels, making use of its diverse product suite to make it easy for its indirect team to promote different sales verticals. At First Comm, pride is taken in the unique levels of support that it extends to partners and clients. This includes post-sales support across its NOC, Customer Care and Account Management Groups, the latter of which is wholly dedicated to supporting their enterprise clients. “Support is really our biggest differentiator, overall,” said Kevin Bartnicki, First Comm’s vice president of business development. “When you call us, you get a First Comm Employee who is knowledgeable about our products and the clients account. You get the same person every time, a support specialist who understands what is typically being asked or talked about. In this way, First Comm can help you to stay current when it comes to cloud communications products. “We focus on the customer journey, from presale to post sale” continued Bartnicki, noting that this customer-first attitude is pervasive across all of the products in First Comm’s portfolio. “At the same time, that journey to the backend is really what it’s all about.” During the past year, First Comm has dedicated time to cultivating its relationships in existing markets as well as in new regions in the Southeastern and Southwestern portions of the United States. These, Bartnicki noted, have traditionally fallen outside of the general geographic scope of where this Midwest-type company has operated. “Things have really started to take off in the last few months,” said Bartnicki. “We’re starting to see the payoff with new hires, new logos, new partners and larger UCaaS and CCaaS wins than ever before. We’ve started some new great partnerships with some TSBs [technology solutions brokers] that we really like, and we’ve been able to partner with them on multiple deals.” First Comm also has been continuously working with its vendors and different software specialists to bolster its Teams offering. In particular, its focus has been toward incorporating new ease-of-use features to give customers added control and a streamlined Microsoft experience. Factoring in these advances – in addition to its continued and extended focus on partnering with IT consultants – First Comm expects to only continue to see growth in the long term. “It’s a great scenario. The IT consulting and IT world are the perfect partners, really,” said Bartnicki. “They already have the knowledge of networking and the IT sector. By adding our voice and communication products, it can only help to make the overall process even easier. I love the growth that we’re seeing by partnering with the IT experts right now. “ There is no doubt a market for cloud-based communications and voice services, especially when they are accompanied by personalized tiers of support that allow organizations of virtually any size to excel. First Comm sees its products as easy to understand, easy to support and a great add-on for any MSP, ITSP and IT consultant that wants to add to their portfolio and help their customers better understand and manage their communications. o For more information on First Comm, visit www.firstcomm.com or call (800) 860-1261. By Brady Hicks Kevin Bartnicki, First Comm VP of business development Support Comes First at First Comm CORE COMMUNICATIONS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=