Over Half of US ShoreTel Partners Now Offering Cloud Services

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ShoreTel® (NASDAQ: SHOR), the leading provider of brilliantly simple phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the addition of cloud tiers to the Champion Partner Program, with more than half of partners in the United States now offering cloud services.

Introduced in January 2014, the cloud tiers of the Champion Partner Program enable existing and future ShoreTel channel partners to take advantage of one of the fastest growing communications segments. ShoreTel is one of the first UC providers to offer channel partners a simple, customizable and lucrative program for growing and differentiating their cloud communications business and enabling partners to accommodate the growing demand by end-users for cloud services. ShoreTel was recognized last October in CRN's inaugural Cloud Partner Program Guide for the robust cloud partner program it designed to benefit the indirect IT channel and their cloud initiatives.

"Throughout the past year we've seen tremendous success with the cloud tiers of the Champion Partner Program. In fact, we have more than 50 percent of our U.S. partners in these tiers," said David Petts, senior vice president of worldwide sales at ShoreTel. "More than 40 percent of our U.S. partners carrying our on-premises solutions have added ShoreTel Sky to their business, and many more are joining every day. I am very excited by this, especially as several of them are already in the top 25 for sales among all cloud partners. This uptake shows our partner community's strong desire to participate in the growing cloud segment, which we've supported with education and training initiatives."

Matrix Networks is a ShoreTel partner in Portland, Oregon that transformed its business by adding ShoreTel Sky to its portfolio. "As a company built on 30 years of on-premises IT solutions, the transition to the cloud was a big step. When we looked at the business landscape we realized that not making the transition would be a disservice to our customers and in all likelihood a detriment to our business," said Kyle Holmes, sales manager. "ShoreTel Sky has been the bridge that has allowed this transition. Achieving the position of ninth in the U.S. for ShoreTel Sky revenue in our very first year with no prior experience in hosted voice deployments speaks volumes to the ease and efficiency of being a ShoreTel Sky partner. The addition of cloud services has re-energized the whole company, and allowed us to focus on strategic investments in marketing and sales training – increasing monthly recurring revenue opportunities and building a greater foundation for the future."

Developed with channel partner input, the cloud tiers represent flexible ways of partnering with ShoreTel, uniquely compensating partners in proportion to their performance and level of engagement. They select the tier and compensation plan that best aligns with their business model:

• Partners in the Enabled tier (including Matrix Networks) enjoy the highest commissions and earn these high commissions annually for the life of the customer. These partners dedicate a ShoreTel cloud sales resource and manage the sales process from prospect to close.
• Partners in the Approved tier, who identify and qualify a prospect and then hand them off to ShoreTel, can earn commissions annually for the life of the customer.
• Partners in the Referral tier, who simply provide prospects to ShoreTel, receive a one-time commission payment.

For U.S. resellers interested in selling ShoreTel cloud services, please click here to apply. Partners can also join ShoreTel at the Champion Partner Conference 2015, taking place April 29 to May 1 in Orlando, Florida.

About ShoreTel
ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a leading provider of brilliantly simple IP phone systems and unified communications solutions. Its award-winning on-premises IP-PBX solution and cloud-based hosted phone system eliminate complexity and improve productivity. Recognized for its industry-leading customer experience and support, ShoreTel's innovative business phones, application integration, collaboration tools, mobility, and contact center applications enable users to communicate and collaborate no matter the time, place or device, with minimal demand on IT resources. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit www.shoretel.com.

ShoreTel and the ShoreTel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks, trade names and service marks herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media contact: 
Katie Maller
408-962-2786 
[email protected]

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SOURCE ShoreTel

Related Links

http://www.shoretel.com

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