Lisa Del Real (RingCentral)
RingCentral has launched a new global program called Preferred Partner Program, with Australia’s Dialog Information Technology becoming the first to join.
The Brisbane-based IT services provider is so far the only of RingCentral’s global 9,000-strong channel network to be selected for the program, a year after first being recruited by the vendor.
The new scheme, which sits above the vendor’s existing partner program, gives members access to a RingCentral global executive, preferential treatment at its annual partner retreat and, in the future, will offer preferential pricing and discounts on certain products.
Specifically, the executive will act as the partner's "sponsor", serving as a direct line of contact for the partner for any decision-making that happens at corporate level, staying in regular contact with the partner's management team to update them on any company news, activity or planning.
“We reached a point of maturity in the program whereby it’s time to recognise those partners that show that commitment to RingCentral and are truly RingCentral champions,” said Lisa Del Real, RingCentral VP of global channel programs and operations.
“Partners like to collect their medals. This is something they can display on their website and their business cards to show they have exclusivity with us.”
According to Del Real, who is now Dialog’s executive sponsor, the service provider was chosen partly due to only selling unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) from RingCentral.
In addition, she added, Dialog was the first of 100 Australian partners to close a $1 million-deal.
In future, Del Real anticipates the Preferred Program will have up to 140 partners worldwide.
To join, minimum requirements include earning $40,000 revenue per year, being a RingCentral partner for at least three quarters, using the UCaaS product internally and publicly acknowledging RingCentral as their preferred UCaaS provider.
Dialog IT was established in 1979 and is part of the Dialog Group. Last August, it won a $3.7 million contract with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to develop a self-service platform.
Eight months previously, it also won a three-year deal worth just over $2.5 million for the provision of G Suite licences for the NSW Department of Industry.
