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
    • Tech Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 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
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 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
    • Tech Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 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
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • 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

Telephony/UC/Collaboration


Are Carriers Stepping on Agents Toes?

  • Written by Channel
  • November 10, 2008

 

 

 

 


Josh Anderson, founder and CEO,
Telephony Partners

Retention is a critical component to the success of every distribution tier in our industry. Carriers, master agents and subagents all have a vested interest in maintaining business that they fought hard to acquire. That said, the agendas of these three entities can sometimes clash. The carrier naturally wants to retain the business on its network. The master agent and subagent want to retain the business in their base, irrespective of the network.

These potentially conflicting agendas create a question of protocol that may become more salient as our economy slows further and retention becomes more important. To wit, are carrier retention efforts, even if such retention would maintain the customer in an agent’s base, fair play? Or is retention the exclusive right of the selling agent?

The fear many agents feel when learning of a carrier’s proactive retention and renewal efforts likely is driven by stories or experiences of customers (usually the big ones) being renewed and, in the process, removed from the agent’s base. However, it’s clear that only a select few agents have coherent retention plans. Most are so focused on acquiring new business that they don’t pay much attention to business that’s falling away.

Nevertheless, agents are fiercely protective of their customer base and rarely want anyone to initiate dialogue without their oversight. If the carrier isn’t respectful of this relationship, a well-meant attempt to renew a customer could upset the agent, the customer, or both, and result in the business being moved out of spite.

We should all be able to understand the logic behind a carrier wanting to have a hand in retaining business it has, but too many carriers try to pursue renewals under the agents’ radars; without a doubt, there is fact behind agents’ fears that these renewals will end up removing the business from their base.

I would like to see some written ground rules, perhaps even integrated into the agent agreements, governing retention efforts. Even if the carrier says agents only get paid on what they renew, I would rather understand that policy clearly at the outset rather than have to battle it out with a carrier after the business disappears.

While I think that master agents and subagents have common interests in this regard, I think there is definitely value that a master agent should be bringing to its subagents in the way of retention management. A good master agent should clearly communicate with its agents the rules governing retention and should talk with the agent if it chooses to proactively perform retention efforts of its own. A good master/sub relationship should involve enough explicit protections and implicit trust that these efforts would be welcomed by the subagent.

What do you think? Are proactive retention efforts by carriers or master agents out of line? Would ground rules make them better or just spark conflicts? Is it ever legitimate for a carrier to remove a renewed customer from an agent’s base?

Josh Anderson is the founder and CEO of Telephony Partners, a telecom master agency he founded in 2002 leveraging engineering and software expertise. He also is a member of the 2008-09 PHONE+ Channel Partners Advisory Board.

Tags: Agents Telephony/UC/Collaboration

Most Recent


  • Ingram Micro Cloud Summit: From the Expo Floor
    "By gaining access to an ecosystem of partners, we’ll put distribution at the center of our channel strategy,” summit participants said.
  • complexity, maze
    Analysts: Cisco 'Bitten by Macro Issues' in Flat Q3 Earnings
    "Order as early as you can, because I think these delays are going to carry on into 2024, maybe even 2025," one analyst told partners.
  • Russia Ukraine war
    Cisco Reports Slumping Services Revenue, Cites War in Ukraine
    Cisco also cited China's spike in COVID-19 as a negative factor last quarter.
  • Twenty, 20
    The CF List: 2022's 20 Top SD-WAN Providers You Should Know
    A leading SD-WAN provider has to show greater value across a number of different domains.

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

  • Cisco Webex Screen Shot
    Cisco Targets Hybrid Work with Revamped, Newly Branded Webex Suite
  • Cloud Computing diagram for Microsoft gallery
    Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral Adds Capabilities for Global Businesses
  • Call Center Contact Center
    Avant Analytics: Expect Big CCaaS Adoption, Fueled by AI, Through 2021
  • Top Stories
    Top 20 Stories in May: AWS Leader, Bullies, Michael Dell, SD-WAN Rankings

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 14, 2022 - June 15, 2022

MSP Summit

September 13, 2022 - September 16, 2022

Galleries

View all

Ingram Micro Cloud Summit: From the Expo Floor

May 20, 2022

What Does TSB Consolidation Mean for Vendors? Channel Reacts to PlanetOne-Avant Deal

May 19, 2022

The Gately Report: BlackBerry Ups Investment, Support of MSSP Partners

May 19, 2022

Industry Perspectives

View all

How SD-WAN Helps Secure the Expanding Network Perimeter

May 19, 2022

A Sneak Peek at the 2022 BrightCloud Threat Report

May 17, 2022

Build Customers for Life with CX and Lifecycle Selling

May 16, 2022

Webinars

View all

Simplifying SaaS Security for MSPs

April 27, 2022

How to Supercharge The Network to Support Your IT Superhero Moves

May 3, 2022

The 2022 MSP Challenge: Scale Service Delivery Despite the Talent Gap

April 21, 2022

White Papers

View all

The New Bottom Line: How MSPs Can Meet the Healthcare Crisis While Evolving Their Businesses

April 19, 2022

How to build a Security Operations Center (on a budget)

April 4, 2022

The AT&T Cybersecurity Incident Response Toolkit

April 4, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, ThreatLocker on Unlocking Partner Potential

Agents Share ‘Secrets,’ Industry Opportunity

May 11, 2022

Vonage Addresses Potential Partner Opportunity via Acquisition by Ericsson

May 5, 2022

Lumen Technologies ‘Built for Growth and Scale’

May 4, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@barracuda seeing huge shift to managed services among partners at #discover22 dlvr.it/SQmR1y https://t.co/driODezzpS

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@ConvergeTSC has just announced the acquisition of PC Specialists (@TIGConnect). dlvr.it/SQmMqK https://t.co/suLrTFx1W1

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

Photos from Expo @IngramMicroInc Cloud Summit for @pluralsight, @Vonage, @CloudCt4, @watchguard, @TenableSecurity,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Zoom channel leader @LauraPadillaSF has taken a new role with @airtable. dlvr.it/SQm6pd https://t.co/R71QtFlwwy

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

Was Cisco right to blame "external factors" for its latest numbers? @zkerravala, @AnuragTechaisle, @OmdiaHQ and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

The deal between @Avant_CCC and @PlanetOneComm comes at a critical juncture in the channel, as vendors envision dea… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 19, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@QNAP_nas warns of #ransomware attack on storage devices. dlvr.it/SQhjs3 https://t.co/2FL32Zh5Be

May 19, 2022
ChannelFutures

We're excited to announce that @Alvinstafford of @thinktrue_ & @MorganGranfield of @digitalrealty will be on the pa… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 19, 2022

MSSP Insider

Business advice for MSSPs and news from the broader security channel.

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 © 2022 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