https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

New/Changing Channel Programs


Getty Images

financing software

AppSmart Enhances Self-Service Tools, Reports Agent Marketplace Adoption

  • Written by James Anderson
  • April 19, 2022
More than 3,000 partners use the AppSmart marketplace, and more than half are active users.

AppSmart is enhancing self-service tools as its executives encourage partners to sell more SaaS-based offerings to their customers.

San Francisco-based AppSmart recently unveiled Experience 360, which includes self-service tools for quoting, ordering and commissions. AppSmart has also added account management support as a service, in which its team takes responsibility for implementation and customer support.

Renée Bergeron, senior vice president and general manager, said the updates allow sales partners to operate more autonomously.

Bergeron, Renee_AppSmart

AppSmart’s Renée Bergeron

“We’re a software company and platform company, so we’re leveraging our platform as the basis for everything the adviser does. We’re giving them all of the self-service tools and capabilities if they want to operate in a self-service mode. We still have the entire team to do assisted sales for them,” she told Channel Futures. ” … They’re used to operating on platforms, whether as a consumer or in business. They like having the ability to go quote at their fingertips without having to talk to someone.”

Bergeron said the tools can get partners the quick quotes they need for simple solutions. However, she said AppSmart is also trying to accommodate partners as they handle larger, more complex deals.

“A lot of partners are solving some complex problems. We have all of the pre-sales engineering capabilities across connectivity and cloud to help them figure out the right architecture and the best solutions to solve their customer’s problem. And then we can do a very specialized quote on these complex solutions,” she said.

Marketplace Adoption

Bergeron also shared data on how partners and their customers have been adopting AppSmart’s technology marketplace. She said more than 3,000 partners are on the marketplace. Moreover, she said more than half of those partners are active users.

“We see them on the marketplace every week, every month,” she said.

Morris, Jay_Morecomm

MOReCOMM’s Jay Morris

Jay Morris, chief aggregation officer of MOReCOMM Solutions, said the value of the marketplace approach differs based on the customers and partners using it. For example, he said some customers – such as larger enterprises – may require more information that requires the partner to interface with a person from the supplier. And some tech advisers, like Morris, will need to provide their customers with quotes with more vendors than those that are on the AppSmart marketplace. However, Morris said transactional and automated sales customer purchasing is the way of the future.

“It just depends on the customers partners are working on and the type of information that those customers require. But we’re headed to an automated world, and it’s going to continue to get better, and the systems are going to continue to improve, and the information is going to become broader and more complete as time goes on. It’s great for some right now. It doesn’t fit every tool bag, but it all had to start somewhere, and we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.

By Bergeron’s account, the future is already here, with marketplace activity doubling in the last year.

Technological Evolution

AppSmart has emphasized the cloud, SaaS and security providers it has enlisted for its 600-plus supplier marketplace. She cited Gartner data that the connectivity market growth is flat and the mobility space is only growing at a 2-3% CAGR. On the other hand, Gartner last year forecast nearly 22% year-over-year growth for public cloud services.

And some traditional agents, she said, have leaned into the change.

“I think it’s still early days for the agents that have focused historically on connectivity, but from [first quarter] this year to [first quarter] last year, the business has 400% growth,” she said.

Bergeron said AppSmart has set up “success plans” with the partners that want to adopt SaaS and IaaS offerings. And she said those partners are succeeding.

“All of them are shattering milestones for us. They start with one solution and five customers, and once they see that in effect, then they’re moving to all their customers and moving to the second solution,” she said.

AppSmart last year announced more funding for its Invest program. It also recently acquired the Microsoft-focused Canadian IT distributor ITcloud.ca.

Want to contact the author directly about this story? Have ideas for a follow-up article? Email James Anderson or connect with him on LinkedIn.
Tags: Agents Channel Chatter Business Models Cloud Distribution New/Changing Channel Programs Sales & Marketing Strategy Technology Solutions Brokerages

Most Recent


  • Making Waves
    7 Channel People Making Waves This Week at AWS, Cisco, Snyk, CrowdStrike, More
    Earlier this year, ServiceNow made a $25 million strategic investment in Snyk. This followed Snyk closing a $196.5 million funding round.
  • AppDirect-TBI, latest channel M&A
    Latest Channel M&A: ReliaQuest, IBM, Broadcom, Amplix, More
    Absolute Software, Procure IT and Qlik were among other companies wheeling and dealing in May.
  • CwCJ with Palo Alto Networks
    Coffee with Craig and James Episode 124: Palo Alto Networks
    Cybersecurity is on the agenda, as we talk threats, channel program and more.
  • CP Expo Best in Show 2023
    Images: Channel Partners Conference & Expo Best in Show Awards
    Vonage, T-Mobile, OpenText and 8x8 were among the winners. See who else took home honors.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Intelisys Interview Video Still
    Intelisys Lays Out 'Hybrid Distribution' Plan for Partners
  • Streamlined Processes
    Google Cloud’s New Consumption Packs ‘to Streamline the Partner Process’
  • IBM CP Expo 2022 Video Still
    IBM 'All-In' on Leveraging Hybrid Cloud Opportunity
  • trends speech cloud
    12 Big Cisco Partner Trends: VARs Embracing MSP, Agent Models

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Galleries

View all

7 Channel People Making Waves This Week at AWS, Cisco, Snyk, CrowdStrike, More

June 9, 2023

Latest Channel M&A: ReliaQuest, IBM, Broadcom, Amplix, More

June 9, 2023

Images: Channel Partners Conference & Expo Best in Show Awards

June 9, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 2023

How to Build an Organization That Attracts and Retains Talent

May 1, 2023

Webinars

View all

From Problem to Profit: Mastering the Science of Selling Using Business Outcomes

May 9, 2023

Meet the 2023 Channel Futures Channel Influencers

April 13, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 124: Palo Alto Networks

Motus: Partners Grasping Mobile Workforce Management Opportunity

June 9, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

April 24, 2023

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Channel people making waves include @mnair1, @George_Kurtz, @mike_at_vulcan, @jzoblin, @jpatel41 and more.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@motusdotcom wraps its #CPExpo experience, talks mobile workforce management opportunity in the channel.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

Find out why #companyculture is significant when planning a merger or #acquisition. dlvr.it/SqR4ks https://t.co/gAUxiEW4yE

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

Great conversation with @Tom_D_Evans of @PaloAltoNtwks talking #cybersecurity, channel, more.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

The latest channel M&A includes @ReliaQuest, @IBM, @Broadcom, @AmpliXIT and more. dlvr.it/SqQntD https://t.co/DektC1Xmz9

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

Find out why everyone is talking about generative AI and cloud in this exciting new article >>… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

In just 4 days, #ChannelPartners will come together in #London for #ChannelEurope. Professionals from the IT & Tele… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 9, 2023
ChannelFutures

Kicking off a multi-part series, get the inside scoop on what changes are taking pace in the channel. In this galle… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

June 8, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X