ShoreTel Expands Cloud Opportunity for Partners

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ShoreTel® (NASDAQ: SHOR), the leading provider of brilliantly simple™ phone systems and unified communications solutions, today expanded its innovative Champion Partner Program with a focus on cloud communications. ShoreTel is the first UC provider to offer channel partners a simple, customizable and lucrative program for growing and differentiating their cloud communications business and to enable partners to accommodate the growing demand by end-users for cloud services.

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The Champion Partner Program is designed to foster a qualified channel of UC leaders with unique expertise in providing businesses with ShoreTel's end-to-end communications products and services. The program now includes cloud partner tiers that enable existing and future ShoreTel channel partners to take advantage of one of the fastest growing communications segments.

"As part of the ongoing integration of our internal cloud and on-premises teams, we're now enabling the channel to sell the full ShoreTel portfolio," said David Petts, senior vice president of worldwide sales at ShoreTel. "More than 600 Champion partners will have access to sell ShoreTel Sky supported by ShoreTel sales experts upon adding cloud tiers to their selling portfolio. In addition, we're recruiting new partners into the ranks. With the cloud track in place, partners can earn high commissions for the life of the customer, while businesses receive the solution that best meets their needs."

Developed with channel partner input, the cloud track of ShoreTel's Champion Partner Program provide all the tools channel partners need to increase their profitability and revenues by growing their cloud business. These include in-depth training and tutorials on:

• how to sell cloud solutions
• how to create cloud demand
• how to define cloud sales compensation models
• how to customize the end-to-end solution that maps to an individual buyer's journey and business.

"ShoreTel has been Datamart's partner for 13 years. We have always found them to have an excellent track record for reliability and outstanding customer service," said Scott St. Clair, CEO of Datamart. "Recently our customers have begun asking for a state-of-the art, cloud-based communications solution that can also support unified communications and advanced application integration. I am excited to be broadening our partnership with ShoreTel to provide their best-in-class technology for both on-premises and cloud. As a result of their unique and innovative portfolio, we are now able to customize solutions to best meet our customers' individual requirements, ensuring their continued satisfaction while we build and differentiate our business."

"End users are becoming increasingly comfortable with adding cloud-based services to meet the demands of their business," said Joe Rittenhouse, president of business development at Converged Technology Professionals. "New, innovative enablement programs from ShoreTel now allow us to fuse professional services with ShoreTel Sky cloud-based offerings in flexible ways and enter into discussions around cloud-based applications with end users and prospects. These channel programs demonstrate how ShoreTel's new leadership and strategy has transformed the organization's momentum as well as the way they interact with us as partners. I'm very excited with what the future holds for our partnership with ShoreTel."

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

• Partners in the Enabled tier enjoy the highest commissions and can 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 for more information.

Related Links & Conversation

• Subscribe to ShoreTel's blog.
• Follow ShoreTel on Twitter and Facebook.
• Read ShoreTel Customer Success Stories.
• Bookmark this Unified Communications Glossary.
• #ShoreTel, #UC.

About ShoreTel, Inc.
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 and "brilliantly simple" are trademarks or registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

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

SOURCE ShoreTel

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