Mar/Apr 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

Core Communications “In some ways it’s almost too much [at first] for resellers that are used to selling a traditional dial tone,” says Pasquale. “Technologies with advanced performance analytics can be difficult to process.” Partners need to have the right skills and training, Pasquale said, in order to successfully transition to a specialty market. “There is a lot of work that has to go on there, to get partners to un- derstand what a solution like unified office can do to their customer base, and how to position it correctly. Not everyone will make the transition – but there are a few that are getting it.” The payoff, of course, is increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Cus- tomers are thrilled when you provide a solution that makes an actual difference, with clear and measurable results. Pasquale gave an example of a busy hotel in Miami, which has suc- cessfully implemented a call routing system to prevent customers from going on hold. “They love us in this hotel, and we haven’t even started to take them where we intend to yet,” he said. As with resellers, customers also need to be eased in with new technologies. “Whenever we go into a vertical, we always start out with our basic communications system first so that we don’t overwhelm the customer with new technologies,” Pasquale explained. “The trick is to start slow, and ease them into the next layer of offerings.” o Source: CompTIA TOP 2 BOX (NET) BOTTOM 2 BOX (NET) Very Important Important Somewhat Important Not Important Don’t know Not applicable 20% 17% 3% 3% 2% Reasons for Specializing in a Vertical Industry by Job Role Source: CompTIA Customer demand Significant revenue opportunity Competitive differentiator Vendors pushing us in this direction In-house skills map to specific vertical Declining margins in other areas of the business Horizontal solutions not as lucrative IT Staff Business Staff 64% 59% 58% 48% 41% 44% 24% 26% 20% 26% 20% 20% 17% 15% Current Familiarity with Individual Emerging Technologies Source: CompTIA 3D printing 5G Artificial intelligence/ Machine learning Augmented reality Biometrics Blockchain Drones (applications/analytics /managed services) Drones (hardware) Internet of Things (applications/ analyctics/managed services) Robotics Virtual reality 26% 27% 19% 47% 34% 27% 28% 42% 30% 30% 26% 43% 31% 29% 39% 32% 15% 39% 47% 26% 45% 29% 20% 44% 36% 42% 28% 42% 31% 44% 29% 44% 31% Insignificant or No Knowledge/Familiarity Some Knowledge/Familiarity Significant Knowledge/Familiarity 71 March - April, 2019 | Channel Vision