In November, Sprint announced a labor force reduction that would eliminate between 2,000 and 2,500 positions, one of which was that of Sprint director of indirect channels, Steve Rowley. Jaime Jones, senior vice president for general business and public sector, said there are no plans to replace Rowley and that, in addition to direct sales operations, Jones will preside over indirect sales, a role he has been filling as Rowley’s supervisor since January 2009. PHONE+ sat down with Jones to discuss the modifications he is planning for Sprint’s indirect channel operations.
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| Sprint Channel Chief Jaime Jones |
PHONE+: Sprint recently has done some restructuring in channel operations, including the elimination of the director of indirect channels. What is the expected result of these changes?
Jaime Jones: During the last restructuring, we saw an excellent opportunity to more closely align our channels to improve integration, increase growth and gain efficiencies. By combining the solutions focus and capabilities of the business indirect organization with the market presence of our field and small business sales organizations, we can elevate the focus and increase delivery of value-added and differentiated partner solutions to our business customers. Our goal was to seamlessly align business indirect operations, partner support, marketing and sales resources in an effort to simplify the sale and support of Sprint solutions in the marketplace.
P+: What will your role be in the newly restructured channel operations?
JJ: The integration of this channel into the field sales organization gives me the opportunity to oversee and direct both channels for the benefit of our customers. As senior vice president of Sprint’s General Business and Public Sector, including the business indirect segment, I — along with my lead team — hold responsibility for optimizing channel performance, enhancing brand recognition, leveraging resources to ensure optimal growth and delivering solutions that satisfy the needs of our client base. My goal in 2010 for this channel is to regain our top channel carrier position by developing strategic partnerships with our Business Solution Providers (BSPs). We will introduce differentiated solutions, including 4G mobile broadband, Ethernet access and global MPLS, Sprint Mobile Integration and SIP trunking to enable unified communications.
