To take on these challenges as an SI, telecoms reseller or CPaaS provider, you’ll need to adopt a more open-minded approach to channel partnership. As you move further up the value chain to support your customers with digital transformation, many telcos have also expanded their offerings to provide more than just underlay and bandwidth.

They’re evolving towards a consultative approach, offering a range of platform-based services and working collaboratively with SIs, telecoms resellers and CPaaS providers to gain a holistic understanding of their end-customers’ needs. This includes secure connectivity, reliable voice services and contact centre solutions. In fact, the right partner can help to provide seamless digital experiences to customers in many different regions, by properly integrating services into platforms and working together to deliver real strategic value.

For the best-possible support with moving up the stack, there are four things you should actively look for in a channel partner.

Today, customers expect choice. SIs, telecoms resellers and CPaaS providers are under pressure to offer a range of connectivity options, SD-WAN technologies, collaboration platforms integrated with GSIP and contact centre solutions with managed voice options. Furthermore, they must all be delivered in a secure environment and proactively managed by their service provider.

Even smaller SIs, telecoms resellers and CPaaS providers are now exploring reselling cloud-based collaboration and contact centre platforms with managed voice and managed security services. For this purpose, the right partner should be able to provide solutions from a range of different vendors, at competitive prices, to support a variety of different size customer requirements.

In the current market, a partner who can offer a new approach to commercial modelling – with a usage or outcome-based pricing model – is essential. Not only because more tailored, consumption-based services help to win business, but because it’s far more likely to make the contract profitable.

To ensure consistent application performance and uptime, you’ll want a partner who guarantees round-the-clock proactive service management and end-to-end visibility as part of their service. For rapid troubleshooting and problem solving, their service experts also need to thoroughly understand your end customers’ technology environments. And, where possible, you’ll want the flexibility to adjust responsibilities as well as the ability to adapt the service model to reflect your organisation’s strengths and ways of working.