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

Telephony/UC/Collaboration


Excel Names Stewart Agent Sales Director

  • Written by Channel
  • February 28, 2007

Excel Telecommunications Inc. in January named channel veteran Bob Stewart as its new director of agent sales.

Stewart is most recognized as senior director of alternate channels for Allegiance Telecom before it was purchased by XO Communications in 2004. He held that post for four years before jumping over to Birch Telecom, where held the same title. The gig at Birch was short-lived because the CLEC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2005, and laid off one-third of its workers. Stewart then decided to take a break from the telecom industry and for 18 months, he spent time on his boat and with his 6-year-old son. He also has done a little business consulting, which nearly lead him down a new career path home medical devices. After a period of time, I realized I missed the game, says Stewart, who concedes he considered retirement at one point.

He was ready to join the medical startup as a partner when he got the call about the opportunity at Excel. I wasnt looking, he says of the offer.

Stewart says his interest in Excel was philosophical in large measure. Having dealt with channel conflict on a daily basis over the years, there is no easy resolution to that. No matter what you do and how you do it, there is pain involved, he says. One thing I liked about the Excel configuration was firm and total commitment to one go-to-market strategy that being the agents.

Excels exclusive channel focus was announced when the company was formed in June 2006 after Comtel Telcom Assets LP completed its asset acquisition of VarTec Telecom Inc., including its VarTec Solutions subsidiary formerly known as eMeritus Communications Inc. eMeritus as well as the domestic operations of Excelcom Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Excel and Telco, were purchased from Teleglobe in the spring of 2002. By late 2004, VarTec filed bankruptcy and severed ties with a network of 130,000 independent sales representatives working for Excel selling residential services. However, VarTec continued to pay its business-to-business agents through the reorganization.

Stewart also says the companys approach to product development is refreshing. Rather than create products in a vacuum and then push them out to the market, fingers crossed and hoping for success, their approach is, Here is our network. Tell us what you would like, he says. They are communicating that to the agents and using that feedback as a template to design the products.

Stewart says a few large master agents have taken the company up on the offer to provide feedback on products that are expected to come to market this spring and announced along with some major agency agreements. No details were available at press time.

Excel operates a Feature Group D (FGD) network and switching facilities in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Orlando, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Sacramento, Calif.; and Seattle. The company has completed installation of an IPbased infrastructure, including softswitches from Veraz Networks Inc. and cutover of its FGD circuits. Based on the new infrastructure, the company expects to launch new products, such as integrated T1, MPLS, private line/VPN and IP video, as well as applications, such as Web and audio conferencing.

Stewart initially was hired to work alongside John Davis, who had been Excels director of channel sales, in running the channel on a regional basis, but Davis has since left Excel, leaving Stewart to run the program nationwide.

In his new role, Stewart says he has a few key priorities. My objective is to get inside of every single one of those [existing agent] contractual relationships and find out where it is today and where it was and where it might go, he says.

Stewart is reviewing all the current agreements to identify relationships that are growing and those that are declining. He says there are about 75 agents on the books, but probably 40 that are actively selling for the company. Some of the agents, he says, likely are not active in the business any longer.

He also is reviewing the agent agreement paragraph by paragraph with the legal team to make sure its partner-friendly.

To support his efforts, Stewart expects to morethan- double the number of channel managers during 2007. Presently there are six, and Stewart plans to have 15 deployed throughout the country by years end. Existing managers reside in New York, Florida, California, Texas, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Channel managers will be charged with recruitment and pre-sale support for agents. One of the things that I want to do is have a channel manager be in a position to facilitate new business. I dont want them burdened down trying to get a customers billing straightened out and doing administrative type work. I want that done by people with that focus, Stewart says.

For post-sale and other administrative support, agents and channel managers will turn to a channel support organization. Presently, that includes three people but will grow to six. Stewart says he expects this staff also will be regionally dispersed. One of the things I want to do is make sure we have coast-to-coast business day coverage, he explains.

Links
Excel Telecommunications www.excel.com
Tags: Agents Telephony/UC/Collaboration

Most Recent


  • call for speakers
    Channel Futures Leadership Summit Call for Speakers Open
    Speaker applications for “The New Style of Leadership” are open until July 3.
  • Microsoft Teams
    UJET Contact Center Platform Integrates with Microsoft Teams
    The aim is to enhance first contact resolution and customer satisfaction.
  • Dell Technologies World
    Dell Technologies World: 5 Top Customer Challenges
    There are five big challenges that customers are grappling with, according to Dell Technologies’ co-COO, Chuck Whitten.
  • endpoint security
    Endpoint Protection Provider Signs Avant in TSD Expansion
    Xcitium's vice president of strategic partnerships said Avant is leading the TSD channel in cybersecurity.

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

  • Woman with questions
    Should We Just Call Master Agents Distributors?
  • 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

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

Survey: Backups Are Prime Targets for Ransomware Attacks, Most Remain Exposed

May 26, 2023

Faces of the Partner: 6 New Tech Advisors Entering the Channel

May 26, 2023

Broadcom-VMware, Alibaba Cloud, Red Hat, Google Cloud: A Hefty Roundup

May 24, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Dell Technologies World: Dell Apex Expanded Across On-Premises, Cloud and Edge

May 22, 2023

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 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 No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

OpenText Simplifying Deal Registration, Doubling Down on MDF

April 21, 2023

Everything-as-a-Service: CloudBlue Touts Critical Customer Transition

April 18, 2023

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Who has been a diversity, equity & inclusion role model in your career? Take a moment to honor their initiatives in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 29, 2023
ChannelFutures

Paul Green @msp_voice will help MSPs gain more #customers and #sales at @ChannelEurop June 13.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@coalesceIO unveils revamped partner program. #datatransformation dlvr.it/SphJm4 https://t.co/s7fYAVmFGD

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam #Ransomeware survey: backups are not adequately protected, 85% suffered at least 1 attack in past year… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@MSPSummit call for speakers is open now through July 3. The theme for this year’s summit is “The New Style of Lea… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/SpgV6l https://t.co/JXKhJcw31A

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/SpgTQg https://t.co/7eIp0XgwQ2

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/Spg7JZ https://t.co/ETaeFysCYO

May 26, 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