Sprint Corp.'s (www.sprint.com) data services reorganization will centralize portfolio access for partners and resellers, and it will offer a unified sales team, a dedicated back-office support organization and individualized marketing plans for partners. Along with the enhancements, the carrier will implement deeper accountability policies.
The carrier announced July 12 it would decommission its DSL platform in 32 markets, while it would roll its E|Solutions IP services division into the Sprint Business unit, home of the partner and reseller programs. E|Solutions' customer and technical service operations would integrate into network services. The changes will leave 1,100 people without jobs.
"This is a transition in terms of strategy," says Darlene Daude, group manager for Sprint Business' indirect channels divisions.
Sprint also plans to use the streamlining to ramp up partner channel support. Partners and resellers will not feel any personnel changes from the retrenchments, the company says.
Sprint soon will unveil a Partner Care Center for centralized support for back-office issues such as commission status and administrative support. The center will have toll-free access and dedicated support representatives. The integrated service organization (ISO), a dedicated resource, will continue to offer partners pre- and post-sales care, order entry and network engineering. E|Solutions and Sprint Business account managers will be centralized in Dallas.
"This [centralization] will give partners more streamlined access to the full suite of products and services," says Daude. "And because of the synergies, it means greater speed to market."
One new portfolio item also is coming soon. Replacing the decommissioned DSL product will be a high-speed Internet access platform that offers enhancements in speed and bandwidth.
"We'll be transitioning to another DSL platform, and we will continue to offer DSL in the channel," says Daude.
Sprint Business also will implement programs to work more effectively with business partners in exchange for greater accountability and stricter guidelines for program participation. For example, it will eliminate across-the-board co-op marketing dollars in favor of an individualized "build a business model" strategy.
"What I want to do with this group is work with these partners on a case-by-case basis," says Daude. "Some partners want access to co-op dollars, some of them need spiffs or leads, and we will sit down and ask what it will take to drive opportunities to their organization -- and we craft the marketing plan for them."
The co-op strategy was difficult to track and yielded low return on investment, she says.
"We have to figure out together the formula for success, and after, if the success isn't met, we review why that didn't happen," she says. "We'll take [that information] and roll it into, what kind of partner model should we go after in the future?"
The business partners are expected to hold up their end of the bargain.
"We meet with partners and say what do you need from us to be productive?" says Daude. "And more than ever, because of profitability, there's going to be a more stringent inspection process, and we're going to be holding partners accountable for the commitments that they make to Sprint."
The focus will be on partners whose business objectives are aligned with Sprint's. she said. The carrier will determine new criteria for regional and national partners, and for master agents, in the coming days.
