M2 Group chief operating officer, Scott Carter
Complete business phone systems and communication company, Commander, has plans to make big moves in the channel space, according to M2 Group chief operating officer, Scott Carter. Carter claimed the changes come as a result of the proposed M2 (ASX:MTU) and Vocus Communications (ASX:VOC) merger.
Carter said the company is planning a “major assault” in the channel market in 2016.
“We want to take advantage of the channel, going into 2016. Commander has always had a channel-led strategy. With the advent of that merger appearing, we have over 70 business partners around Australia and we have aspirations this year to double that number.
“We also have come up with an aspirational target of adding 100 per cent growth YoY,” he said.
With the advent of the Vocus merger, Carter mentioned it brings in the “next big piece” for the company – a national fibre network that gives it access to 3,500 buildings where businesses are around Australia.
“Bringing that footprint in and adding it to the heritage of Commander’s channel – the IP voice product range, next-generation telco services and Energy – we now need to grow the channel. So, Commander is going to have a pretty big 2016 to make sure we capitalise on the opportunities that are happening.
“Those opportunities are wrapped around the fact that businesses need to make changes, or at least be ready for change in the next 12 months as a result of the nbn. On the back of a three year rollout plan, now is the time to move and focus on growth,” he told ARN.
In terms of seeking partners, the company is looking to grow its partner base across Australia and is on the look-out for those that serve as trusted advisors to the channel, especially within the SME market.
“A lot of our partners are partners of larger telcos and what we’re now able to do is have partners that are focused on growth. Our target market is the SME market so, we’re looking for partners geographically across Australia.”
Commander has also been making moves to establish its name in the industry. It’s been active in major sporting programs and has invested in upgrading its website.
“We’re working on supporting our channel’s marketing and digital strategies, we have state-based support for them, we have Australian-based support for them, we develop technology solutions where they’re able to sign a customer on and monitor them through.
“In addition to that, we have local warehouses where we’re able to provide equipment to the customer on an OPEX basis, which helps our partners to ensure they’re able to deliver the services to customers in an OPEX model that makes sense,” he added.
The company has also increased its investment into training. Named M2 Uni, its training program will receive 18 new online modules to further educate its channel.
“It’s been a major investment [of ours] in terms of time and money. It’s cost us twice what we’ve invested in this previously, but that’s where the importance lies. We need to take advantage of great opportunities that we’ve got and we’re confident in this strategy,” he concluded.
