Bridgepointe Technologies hired Jamaal Savwoir, a veteran of the supplier and distributor levels of the channel, to work with partners of its newly minted BridgepointeCX division.

Savwoir, an alumnus of 8×8 and most recently Intelisys, will serve as vice president of channel for BridgepointeCX. The BridgepointeCX practice emerged from Bridgepointe’s December acquisition of PPT Solutions, with PPT taking on the Bridgepointe brand at the beginning of May. Savwoir takes responsibility for BridgepointeCX’s strategic partnerships and alliances and its relationships with partners.

Bridgepointe’s Jamaal Savwoir

PPT, now branded BridgepointeCX, provides consulting, managed services and staff augmentation around customer experience-related technologies such as contact center as a service (CCaaS).

“I’ve seen the value that BridgepointeCX can deliver to partners and clients first-hand over the past few years,” Savwoir said. “There is a gap between where partners end, and service providers begin that Bridgepointe CX fills perfectly. Simply stated — I’m here because we provide a service to partners and customers that no one else can. I can’t wait to help our channel partners drive greater value with their CX clients.”

‘Open for Business’

Moreover, Bridgepointe executives say Savwoir will help reaffirm the commitment to technology services distributors (TSDs) and technology advisors that don’t carry the Bridgepointe brand. Prior to the acquisition, PPT Solutions partnered with the national TSDs to help subagents implement CCaaS and CX projects. And Bridgepointe chief strategy officer Scott Kinka said that motion is continuing.

Bridgepointe through the funding of Charlesbank Capital Partners has purchased companies such as PPT Solutions as “strategic adjacencies” to its core technology advisory business. As a result, the IT strategists affiliated with Bridgepointe can use the BridgepointeCX services when engaging with end customers to provide more expertise and potentially expand wallet share. But that won’t come to the detriment of partners outside the Bridgepointe brand, Kinka said.

Bridgepointe’s Scott Kinka

“He’s coming in here to continue to support independent agents and the other TSDs, to continue to support them in the same way that PPT Solutions was as a supplier in their portfolio,” Kinka told Channel Futures.

Savwoir said that, as of Wednesday, he had already engaged in conversations with two national TSDs about opportunities to renew a joint business plan going forward.

Kris Kramer, Bridgepointe’s managing director of CX Services, emphasized the theme of partnerships.

“BridgepointeCX is focused on helping partners deliver for their clients with a full suite of CX services that go far beyond just contact center technologies to include CX strategy, outsourcing, implementation, and ongoing managed services — ultimately driving value from technology investments and delivering quantifiable business results,” Kramer said.

PPT’s Kris Kramer

Jamaal Savwoir Career Background

Savwoir since 2021 has led partner experience at ScanSource-owned Intelisys. He most recently held the title of vice president of partner experience and marketing. He also brings a sales engineering background from the supplier side of the channel. He directed channel sales engineering for 8×8 and also led technical evangelism for Star2Star.

And those interactions have brought him into close contact with the partner community.

“People in the channel look to him as a thought leader around CX and a guy that they know they’ll get value out of on their deals,” Kinka said. “To me, this signifies that …

… we’re open for business regardless of the route.”

Savwoir told Channel Futures that he first encountered PPT Solutions a few years ago when he was working at 8×8. He said that at the time, they came across as more of a partner than a supplier. But he ultimately understood the more of the services they provide.

“I really got to see PPT’s expertise around the consultancy side of helping businesses map their customer journey and really understand how to accomplish a meaningful transformation,” he said.

PPT expanded its presence in the channel, often attending TSD events a potential supplier for partners to utilize. And the company saw increased adoption on the channel side, with more technology advisors bringing PPT into their CCaaS deals.

CX/CCaaS Challenges

Although many channel partners sell CCaaS, Kinka and Savwoir said such technology tends to require deeper consulting and implementation chops than partners typically give.

“Many of our partners in the channel have done a good job of leveling up their skill set. But sometimes when you approach a customer you need a team of experts,” Savwoir told Channel Futures.

And over the years, plenty of partners have lost customers because they couldn’t provide a deep enough level of professional services around a customer experience solution.

“Now we have a value prop that says, ‘Hey, if you lost the contact center deal, you have an opportunity to go back to the same customer with a value prop around outsourcing,'” Savwoir said.

Savwoir said he enjoyed his time working at Intelisys, including the opportunity to build relationships with suppliers and partners. Moreover, he said he felt the TSD renewed its sense of momentum among partners.

“We had a great run revitalizing the brand, reconnecting with partners and delivering real value around education and enablement, and I’m very proud of that. And I really am grateful for the team that we put together.”

Savwoir is also chief technology officer for the Xposure Diversity & Inclusion Council. Recently, he earned honors as a Channel Futures Circle of Excellence inductee.