Dive Brief:
- Customer operations platform provider Front is expanding its channel program, with plans to sign new agreements with technology services distributors, value added resellers and other partners.
- The company hired former Dialpad channel leader Mike Kane as SVP of global channel sales and partnerships to lead the expansion. Kane brings experience and relationships in the TSD and technology advisor market from his previous eight years at Dialpad.
- Front is recruiting partners to help it capture market share over rival service desk providers such as Zendesk. “We’re entering a pivotal year for Front. Our partner ecosystem will play a huge role in our next chapter, and Mike brings the leadership, experience, and energy to make that happen,” Front CEO Dan O’Connell said in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
Front may be the tip of the spear for service desk vendors teaming up with TSDs and TAs to reach IT buyers.
Kane said support platforms like Zendesk, ServiceNow and Freshworks are largely absent from the TSD line card.
“I don't want them to read this, but I do think with our entrance, you might start to see some changes there,” Kane told Channel Dive.
Front has a head start with its Telarus and Bridgepointe relationships, and the company will deepen those partnerships, add new agreements and launch a new partner portal in the coming months. Kane said the company will strengthen its training to help partners cross-sell service desk to their contact center customers.
“If you look at the product and the existing TSD relationships already in place, the enablement is there, but I would say it's just not at scale yet,” Kane said. “That's when I'm tasked to build.”
TAs already sell cloud contact center and customer experience platforms, and they can now bolt on service desk features such as shared inbox, help desk and ticketing. Kane said Front’s platform will integrate with Zoom, RingCentral, Dialpad and others.
Most TAs rely on partners to deliver service desk capabilities rather than selling it themselves. Often the partner is a managed service provider with a help desk platform embedded into its services. Other TAs might introduce their client to a referral partner authorized to resell a standalone product.
With vendors like Front embracing a commission-based, agency sales model, TAs can monetize additional areas of the CX stack.
“We need more companies like Front recognizing that midmarket and enterprise firms are sourcing technology through advisors. The more tools we have, the more custom fit our solutions get, and the better the client outcome,” Houghton said. “So yes, the channel is definitely excited Front is making a charge into the advisor space.”
Front reported that it attained a record number of $50,000 customer bookings in the last year.
