How UCaaS Benefits IT Resellers
Not all that long ago, business communication needs were relatively simple. Most companies paid a fee to their local phone service provider based on the number of PRI (primary use interface) circuits assigned to their location and their number of active lines. Each circuit supported 24 calls and a single data channel simultaneously. Legacy technology ensured secure internet connectivity between fixed locations.
With today’s global embrace of multiple modes of digital connectivity, effective business communication needs are far more complex. Although numerous business owners were initially pleased with the results of using multiple applications for team chat, video collaboration, and remote file sharing to keep their digitally dependent workforce connected, many now find that trying to meld disparate technologies (or too many with the same basic purpose) increases communication costs while diminishing workforce efficiency.
In response, many organizations looking for cost-effective solutions are turning to unified communications as a service (UCaaS) providers. With market analysts anticipating a CAGR of more than 25% through 2028, IT resellers are taking notice. Once you understand why UCaaS is popular with resellers and their customers, you may also want to consider how taking on the role of a white-label service provider could benefit your brand.
The Basics of White Label UCaaS
White-label products are developed by one company, then offered to multiple vendors to brand and resell. Whether that reseller is adding UCaaS to a list of products and services they’ve offered for years or building an entire brand based on a partnership agreement, resellers partnering with an established UCaaS platform provider gain the ability to provide cost-effective business communication solutions to their customers.
Related: Reselling UCaaS: Why This Model Is Gaining in Popularity?
In this mutually beneficial business arrangement, UCaaS resellers own the customer experience. The technical aspects of that service are handled by the white-label platform provider. With the right partnership, the service provider reaches more customers, and their reseller partners offer everything needed to brand a secure, reliable, scalable UCaaS platform as their own.
Why Are So Many IT Decision-Makers Choosing UCaaS?
For decades, sales teams relied on direct mail marketing and face-to-face meetings to engage prospects and communicate the value of their products and services. Incoming and outgoing calls were routed over copper phone lines. The maintenance of that system was typically managed by an in-house team, at least for corporations large enough to justify the investment.
As digital communication services like video conferencing, live chat, and automated messaging began dominating the workplace, business owners began adding additional software and services intended to help keep pace with the communication needs of their remote workforce and the evolving expectations of their customers.
While intended to facilitate effective, efficient communication between staff members and increase consumer satisfaction, business owners (and their management teams) adopting multiple technologies have grown increasingly frustrated trying to work through the challenges of the disconnect created by their use of complex business communication “solutions.”
UCaaS solves that dilemma by unifying corporate-wide access to cloud-sourced voice, video, and data from a single user-friendly interface accessible from nearly any digital device. Business owners who choose UCaaS tend to be attracted to the following benefits.
The Ability to Modernize Without Expensive Equipment
UCaaS gives business owners the consolidation they need without having to invest in expensive technology. Any business can get started with UCaaS with the following: internet service, a downloadable softphone app, and an internet-capable device: any combination of PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Although many eventually choose to upgrade to VoIP-enabled in-house business phones, it’s not a requirement. Many business owners find they can continue using their analog phone system with a UCaaS platform by taking advantage of SIP (session-initiated protocol) trunking and VoIP (voice over internet protocols). SIP converts analog voice transmission to data packets, VoIP transmits those converted signals. Legacy phone systems that are not SIP-enabled can be converted with inexpensive analog adaptors.
Access to Customizable, Cost-Effective Connectivity
Numerous sources credit the cost-effective nature of UCaaS for the dramatic increase in demand. Others are quick to point out that business owners appreciate having the freedom to build a communication stack best suited to their internal communication needs while also accommodating consumer preferences.
Some companies choose to start with just enough access to support a limited number of remote workers; others want a corporate-wide roll-out with everything UCaaS has to offer. Subscription services, and the number of employees with the ability to utilize specific features, can be added (or eliminated) as needed.
Many corporate decision-makers find that adopting cloud-sourced business communication solutions also minimizes (or eliminates) the need to keep an entire team of IT professionals in-house. Plus, the right partner offers communication charges that are predictable, easily managed, and consolidated into a single invoice, even for services spanning multiple locations.
Features Designed to Enhance Workplace Efficiency
UCaaS service providers offer a lot more than easy access to multiple modes of business communication, like cost-effective voice, video, and data. UCaaS also offers business owners and corporate decision-makers the option of incorporating applications and integrations into their interface, including customer relations management (CRM) tools, data analytics software, and workflow solutions intended to give managers and their teams the insight they need to boost overall efficiency and maximize productivity.
Many of these user-friendly solutions are fully customizable to ensure team leaders and business managers have access to the most relevant industry-specific data sets. With standard-based APIs, it’s easy for UCaaS subscribers to integrate familiar third-party applications. It’s a feature that gives their UCaaS-connected workforce the ability to work with multiple applications simultaneously from a central location.
Access to Advanced Call Center Functionality
Call centers typically handle incoming and outgoing voice communication on behalf of the companies they represent. Call center representatives can also be tasked with booking appointments, forwarding calls, and providing remote workers with access codes to important meetings. Although the option of investing in basic call center features is important to a considerable number of UCaaS subscribers, many also take full advantage of their provider’s AI-enhanced business SMS, chatbots, and text-to-speech (TTS) services.
Related: How to Decide What White-Label UCaaS Service Provider Is Right for You
Once a tool primarily used for “read along” service, TTS is helping numerous companies reach a global audience by helping eliminate language barriers. SMS and chatbots paired with today’s teachable AI technology offer conversational communication with relevant information obtained from business directories and call logs.
Customers engaged with SMS and chatbots have access to live representatives as needed. Real-time call analytics reveal call volume, hold times, contact duration, outcome, and which multimedia channels customers engaging with a business’s UCaaS call center rely on most often.
How Does Offering UCaaS Benefit IT Reseller Partners?
In today’s uncertain economy, business leaders are actively looking for simple, straightforward workplace solutions that help keep their companies at least one step ahead of the competition. There’s little margin for error. UCaaS IT resellers provide access to the type of communication services today’s businesses rely on to control overhead costs.
They provide access to the numerous tools department managers and their teams need to streamline their workflow, maximize productivity, and devote more time and attention to their products and services. These details are just as important for IT resellers as their platform subscribers because the benefits essentially sell themselves.
Although numerous telecom service providers promote their reseller arrangements, partnering with a UCaaS platform reseller ensures access to the latest features as technology advances and client needs evolve. That advantage gives IT resellers the ability to leverage their brand as a one-stop communication service provider their clients can count on today and in the future. When an IT reseller adds UCaaS to their list of related products and services, there are numerous advantages for their customers, their business, and their brand.
Maximum Revenue Stream and Minimal Start-Up Costs
UCaaS resellers have the ability to provide everything cloud-sourced communication has to offer without having to absorb the high cost of product development and implementation. There’s also no need to employ a team of IT professionals to monitor, manage, or maintain the infrastructure.
With the right platform partner, IT resellers have a turnkey arrangement with minimal start-up costs, month-to-month terms, and rates that ensure consistent monthly revenue. The best UCaaS reseller providers offer a variety of service options and add-ons and also allow their reseller partners to customize their services and set their own prices.
Easy Service Management and Reseller Support
Adding UCaaS capabilities to a list of products or services doesn’t have to significantly increase reseller workloads. In addition to handling the technical aspects of the services they provide, the most reputable UCaaS reseller partners simplify the business end of their arrangements with automated service quotes and invoicing, QuickBooks integration, and a taxation engine. That gives their reseller partners more time to devote to what they do best, lead management, customer engagement, and other pursuits that promote business growth.
Since it’s always in the best interest of any white label provider to ensure their retail partners have everything they need for ongoing success, UCaaS reseller platform providers that understand the needs of their reseller partners offer platform training, billing service training, and 24/7 reseller support.
System Security and Dependable Connectivity
Security breaches can be catastrophic for resellers offering cloud-based services. Reseller customers will expect assurances that their calls are private, documents protected, and their sensitive information is secure. Well-established UCaaS platform providers prioritize the security of their services with features that surpass the protection of basic encryption.
The best providers take that level of security to an entirely different level with advanced automated threat assessment tools designed to help detect and deter unauthorized access and fraudulent activity. Connection failures are detected within milliseconds to help ensure uninterrupted service.
With enough built-in redundancy, a reseller brand’s reputation is spared the potential backlash caused by internet outages, power outages, or gateway issues. Should connectivity fail for any reason, incoming calls can be routed to an alternate number.
Enhanced Brand Reputation and Consumer Satisfaction
In time, UCaaS resellers establish their reputations as local business communication experts offering the type of flexible services their customers can rely on. Not only does access to an in-demand product give their business a competitive edge, but most resellers also have the freedom to offer their telecom solutions as a bundled service.
The ability to provide cost-effective, scalable business communication solutions, including in-demand features like contact center support, video collaboration, text-to-speech, chatbots, social integration, real-time call data, and faxing service, helps ensure IT brands can continue to meet and exceed consumer expectations. That’s the type of service most likely to translate into optimal consumer retention and brand loyalty.
Discover How Reselling UCaaS Can Benefit Your IT Business
Reselling UCaaS makes it easy to expand your IT business in a way that exceeds consumer expectations. Be aware that not all reseller opportunities give you access to the type of service you need to build a consistent, long-term revenue stream.
If you’re considering your options, you’ll want a reseller partnership with a service provider that offers the training and support you’ll need to ensure continued success. To maximize your earning potential and optimize consumer satisfaction, ensure your reseller arrangement allows you to offer bundled packages and set your own prices.
At SkySwitch, we bring a lot more than technology to the table. As a SkySwitch reseller, you’re sure to appreciate our UCaaS reseller platform training, tier-one support, and our team of dedicated onboarding specialists. Our reseller start-up costs are minimal, we offer the 24/7 support resellers need to provide exceptional customer care, and you can learn and deploy our services in as little as 30 days. Contact us today to get started as a SkySwitch reseller.