Sept/Oct 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

If you’re looking to build an ad- vanced network testing service that generates recurring revenue streams, you’ll need to be more strategic about selecting the right products. Speak with customers about their network test- ing challenges and goals. Ask what they think about the products they’re currently using and those you’re con- sidering offering. Ask them how they share data, what the workflow between engineers and technicians looks like, and how they currently collaborate and analyze data? What do they like and dislike about their current solutions, what are their pain points, and what test capabilities matter most? This will help you better identify the right solu- tions to offer. Next, carefully vet vendors by ask- ing the big questions up front. What is their history, especially as it relates to research and development? How are they leveraging cloud solutions to drive collaboration and reduce costs? Are the teams behind the testing de- vices and the software highly quali- fied? What cutting-edge capabilities are on their roadmap? How do they compare to the competition? Finally, understand that selling a network testing service platform will often involve going beyond targeting networking personnel to also engage with executive stakeholders that drive strategy. It’s important to make sure the value proposition of your network test- ing services resonates at the executive level. For example, the best way to win over a finance executive in charge of purchasing decisions is to clearly convey the cost savings, efficiencies and business value these solutions can create. But, the CTO might be more interested in a testing platform’s ability to optimize a network engineer’s time. While standalone handheld network testing tools have historically been lumped in with cable cutters, fiber tes- ters and other standalone tools, next- generation cloud-enabled test tech- nologies are creating an entirely new solution category, ripe with opportunity for the IT channel. Offering network testing tools is a great first step in help- ing customers better deploy and man- age their networks, but delivering net- work testing as a managed service will generate significantly more revenue for your business, while improving custom- er satisfaction, end user experiences and more. If you’re looking for ways to boost your bottom line in 2019, follow the above steps and explore launching cloud-enabled network testing services that can create new recurring revenue streams for your business. o Dave Kraig is chief revenue officer at NetAlly Contact Center Provide an exceptional customer experience. Delivered by OneStream Networks, backed by the Cisco Global Cloud. Cisco AMs, VARs and Resellers, contact OneStream Networks today! +1(585) 563-1850 sales@onestreamnetworks.com www.onestreamnetworks.com Unified Contact Center Enterprise helps you deliver proactive and highly personalized customer experiences for contact centers with up to 24,000 agents Comprehensive reporting gives you the business intelligence needed to optimize your contact center’s performance Partner Premier Certified A contact center enterprise. for the NetAlly device in action 67 September - October, 2019 | Channel Vision