Nearly a year after previewing its indirect sales strategy for its nascent business services, Skype Inc. announced Tuesday that it is formally launching a channel program for its Skype for Business Solutions in the United States.
The move comes a week after announcing that its business service Skype Connect (formerly Skype for SIP) is out of beta and commercially available – news that was overshadowed by rumors that Cisco Systems Inc. may be looking to buy the VoIP provider. This development, as well as the release of another solution for businesses, Skype Manager, in May, were prerequisites to the launch of the partner program and the reason for the delay, explained Ian Robin, Skype’s director of sales and commercial development, in an interview with PHONE+.
The Skype Channel Partner Program is unusual in the marketplace in that it does not offer its partners commissions or margins on Skype services. In fact, channel partners will not be reselling any Skype products to customers; all Skype products will be bought directly from Skype. Instead, the program seeks to fulfill the demand from businesses for VARs and integrators that can help them implement Skype services for their communications and collaboration needs.
The upside for the partners is the ability to generate revenues directly from customers on professional services, such as consulting, installation, configuration, maintenance and support services, related to implementing Skype services, explained Robin.
So basically, channel partners will help businesses set up Skype and buy and use Skype products, including Skype Connect, Skype Business Client and Skype Manager. For example, they will help Skype Manager customers use and manage the Skype Business Client on their desktop and mobile phones via business accounts or connect their existing PBX or unified communications systems to Skype using Skype Connect. They may also sell third-party hardware and software for use with Skype.
What Skype offers its channel partners, then, is training, sales and marketing collateral, customer tracking and reporting tools, as well as support and account management, Robin said.
Prospective partners can apply to be part of the program, but Robin said Skype will be “selective" about which partners it accepts, looking for those that have strong customer relationships and a proven professional services practice.
