ChannelVision Magazine

trying to jam the carrier solution into the customer’s environment.” Longtime Intelisys partner Jack Zoblin from Cory Communications added, “After working directly for carriers for many years, I saw a big opportunity with small to mid-market businesses. I felt that I could make a positive impact by shopping on their behalf, allowing them to spend their time running their businesses instead of worrying about managing their telecommunications.” But the risks involved are monu- mental, and many channel manag- ers and support professionals on the carrier side can fail to empa- thize with agents during the tough- est of times. They don’t always understand that agents are under a high level of stress during customer outages (for a variety of reasons – potential lost commissions being one of them), and in turn can be dismissive, often causing the stress levels to jump even higher. The risks associated with being an agent, combined with the speed at which new technology is aris- ing, as well as the sheer number of suppliers in the market, has led to the proliferation of the national master agent channel. Hundreds of agents during the last 20 years have had supplier contracts terminated over items including but not limited to: failure to meet quotas, moving customers due to chronic service problems, bankruptcy by the sup- plier and even simply termination for convenience. Keeping the concept of empathy at the forefront, often time suppliers fail to remember that agents are running a business. They have their own retention to consider, and if a supplier is not performing up to the expectations set by the customer, the agent must do what it takes to keep their lights on. “We on the carrier side get myopic in the goals that we set for our programs, and we project them onto our partners,” said Curt Allen, former president of national master agent X4, and current chan- nel chief at Windstream. “I never liked having carriers tell me what success looked like when I operated my master agency. In my new role at Windstream Enterprise, the way we approach goal setting with our partners is by uncovering their defini- tion of success first, and building to that goal. Frankly, what we think the partner should do is irrelevant; it is all about what they believe is best for their businesses.” National master agents act as a buffer zone between suppliers and agents, giving agents the security of protected commissions while also providing an additional layer of sup- port and even business coaching. As recently as five years ago, the role of the master agent was essentially as a price broker, giving selling agents the ability to get multiple quotes across multiple suppliers for the same channel management THINK ABOUT IT Customized MOH and Professional Voice-Over requests are coming in Have a Best-in-Class Solution in place a MusicWorks, Inc. Company a MusicWorks, Inc. Company PremiumVoiceRecordings.com Create an active revenue stream for your business. Help your customers get the most out of their investment. Give your Channel another tool to help close the deal. Call us today at 866-989-MUSIC REFERRAL WHOLESALE WHITE LABEL March - April, 2018 | Channel Vision 57