As the newly-appointed president of sales for Mitel U.S., the subsidiary organization that oversees Mitel’s sales and distribution activities throughout the United States, it gives me great pleasure to introduce myself and update you on some of the significant milestones we have reached in integrating Mitel and Inter-Tel into a single visionary, resourceful and customer-centric supplier of business communications solutions.
Having worked in the industry for over 25 years with the last 10 spent in various executive capacities with Inter-Tel, I can assure you the excitement and anticipation is palpable. Everyone associated with our company, whichever side of the house they come from, is committed to ensuring we have the resources needed to succeed at every level. From a product, services, applications and channel management standpoint, Mitel is in the midst of aggressive transformation.
The synergies that existed between Inter-Tel and Mitel made the merger logical from many perspectives. Mitel had historically served medium- and large-sized businesses while Inter-Tel’s strength resided in the SMB sector. Both companies have been successful in creating portfolios of applications and delivering solutions to serve customer needs. This heritage is a great foundation on which to build the combined company, and it gives Mitel U.S. a competitive advantage that we expect will benefit partners and customers for many years to come.
So what can you expect to see from us in the near and long-term future as we continue to evolve to even better serve customers?
First, you may have noticed that this publication is now called Mitel Report. We are taking steps to ensure that we address the interests of partners and customers who may not be completely familiar with the company’s entire unified product portfolio or go-to-market programs. For example, we are expanding coverage to include news from both the Mitel and Inter-Tel product lines, share insight into emerging trends and issues, and highlight best practices that illustrate how our solutions positively impact customers’ fundamental business processes.
Mitel U.S. is also in the midst of providing comprehensive training that will enable many partners to sell an expanded array of solutions. For example, a sizable number of Inter-Tel channel partners have or will soon complete certification programs enabling them to sell the large Mitel 3300 platform along with desktop appliances and applications. This changes the landscape dramatically for many in our sales channel, who can now pursue and capture growth opportunities in the mid- and large-size market, a sector that may have been out of reach in years past. We anticipate that many more traditional Inter-Tel partners will also opt for certification on Mitel products, greatly expanding our market reach.
In addition, our team is overseeing the certification process for many of Mitel’s traditional partners on Inter-Tel systems. A growing number are interested in selling the Inter-Tel 5000 solution, which already has a sizable presence in the domestic SMB market. Along with certification on this platform, many members of the original Mitel channel are learning the capabilities and nuances of Inter-Tel’s unified communications and collaboration applications, expanding our ability to serve those who appreciate the benefits these IP-powered solutions offer customers to tangibly improve business processes.
Many of our channel partners have also demonstrated their commitment to the new Mitel organization by becoming an Exclusive Business Partner (EBP) and offering the full line of our combined product portfolio. As I write this column, we have secured some 60 dealers who have signed on to take advantage of this opportunity to help make their business and Mitel even more successful. We are proud of the faith they have placed in us and will not let them down.
As exciting as these recent developments are, I am probably most enthused about the rollout of our managed services program to the combined channel. For those of you not familiar with this, Inter-Tel was unique in the enterprise communications industry for its innovative managed services program, which delivers an entire communications solution for a fixed monthly fee. Included in the bundle is all system hardware and software, business-specific applications, carrier services and connectivity, data network build-out and provisioning, and ongoing maintenance and support. The program also gives customers the flexibility to migrate to new technology when they choose to do so.
As a contributing factor in the merger of the two companies, Mitel U.S. is fully committed to continuing and building this program. In fact, we expect to introduce it to traditional Mitel dealers in the near future, enabling them to differentiate themselves by offering an end-to-end solution that creates recurring revenue, builds brand loyalty and increases profits. Customers benefit by enjoying significant cost-efficiencies and the comfort that all their communications needs will be professionally managed, enabling them to focus on running their businesses.
In addition to the managed services component, all Mitel U.S. partners will have the opportunity to leverage our entire support team including resources for data networking and product solutions, carrier services, financial programs, CommSource products, and applications and technical support. The objective is to provide the finest and most appropriate service to customers, and the best way to accomplish this is by offering thorough training and support to those organizations that represent us in the field.
We offer an expansive portfolio. But more than that, it is our commitment to create a complete and comprehensive services team, coupled with manufacturer-supported financial programs that are flexible and easy to apply. We are not only interested in being the largest provider, but also the best.
Mitel U.S. may be a new name in the industry, but our philosophy is built on the very foundation partners and customers have come to expect: delivering advanced technology that meets discerning customer needs today, tomorrow and well into the future.
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