2019 has been a year of massive growth for 3CX in Australasia, with sales increasing by a staggering 37% following the release of our most anticipated version yet, v16, which cemented 3CX’s position as a market-leading provider of enterprise VoIP solutions. As a result, there are plenty of opportunities for partners to make their mark with 3CX, particularly as a recent Sensis report found that only 20% of all Australasian businesses have embraced VOIP for their business communications. With 80% of the market still up for grabs and ISDN connections soon to cease, it certainly is an exciting time to be a partner in the region.
One partner who has been making the most of the boom is C2 Communications, 3CX’s first titanium partner in Australasia. We caught up with the company’s CEO, Craig Macdonald, to discuss the journey from IT service provider to VOIP extraordinaire, and to discover the secrets to their success.
Can you introduce C2 Communications, the first 3CX titanium partner in Australasia?
C2 Communications is an Australian full-service VoIP provider specialising in connecting businesses with VoIP telephony and 3CX. Based in Melbourne, we’ve been helping businesses reduce telephony costs for over 10 years, with exceptional results. We are proud to be 3CX’s longest-standing partner in Australia and are the trusted provider of 3CX systems to an amazing range of clients, from Pellicano to Lonely Planet and Boeing.
With a combination of technical and commercial expertise, we’re here to provide customer-focused solutions that streamline your communications and reduce costs by up to 80%
How did you discover 3CX?
We initially set up shop as an IT services provider but by 2008, our customers were requesting telephony from us on a regular basis. Rather than send them (and the potential earnings) elsewhere, we decided to add VOIP to our existing portfolio. We’d had some experience with other providers previously but started looking into 3CX following a recommendation from a friend. We were instantly hooked! I remember being wowed by 3CX’s functionality, the breadth of supported devices available and how easy it was for our technical team to get to grips with. Our tech guys are mostly Windows engineers, so it’s great that 3CX offers resellers the choice between deploying in a Windows or Linux environment depending on their preferences.
Years later with better broadband connection throughout Australia and the closure of fixed lines looming, business is stronger than ever!
What do you offer to your customers in terms of services/hardware in combination with 3CX?
We are a dedicated 3CX reseller and consequently, we focus on offering customers peripheral hardware and services that will maximize the performance of their PBX. We also sell 3CX as a fully managed solution, which includes our 3CX supported SIP Trunks and secure deployment in our private data centre. C2 understands that migrating to VOIP or switching provider can be full of complexity, so our aim is to make the transition as smooth as possible for our customers. We do this by treating all of our clients as individuals and offering bespoke consultations, system audits and design services which tailor the solution to the unique needs of the business. Thanks to our background as an IT services provider, we also maintain a complete suite of IT networking and desktop products that complement the 3CX solution.
Following deployment, we maintain strong relationships with all of our clients and provide training/ ongoing support wherever necessary in order to make sure their PBX is as loved as it should be!
As a business, what benefits have you seen since you became a 3CX reseller?
As a long-time 3CX partner (we signed up with the release of version 6), our credibility has grown alongside the phenomenal growth of 3CX. We have broadened our customer base and expanded our product set to support and to promote our 3CX software sales and we’ve seen consistent double-digit growth ever since. This year, we’re averaging a 25% increase in revenue YoY.
When we started out, we were providing 3CX solutions to small businesses but as the platform and our business have evolved over time, we’ve been able to take it up a gear. Thanks to the leads we’ve received from being a Platinum and now Titanium 3CX Partner, the majority of our business now comes from large enterprises, who often have multiple offices or even international locations. This is not only great for business, but also for the development of our in-house specialist 3CX staff, who have the opportunity to work on larger, more complex installs.
What would you say are the ingredients to your success as a Titanium Partner?
C2 Communications has over ten years of experience selling 3CX, giving us a proven track record of providing successful 3CX installations. Customers have referred new clients to us over the years and this has massively impacted how quickly we’ve been able to grow. These customer referrals are integral to our success and we’ve taken full advantage, by also asking our customers to provide testimonials and adding their logos to our website which helps to catch the attention of potential clients.
Behind the scenes, our success lies in our dedication to 3CX and in guaranteeing that we’re up to date with the latest innovations from each new product release. Now that we’re established in Australasia, we’re looking to develop the international side of the business and are frequently collaborating with other 3CX Partners on large, multi-national deployments. In light of this, we would always recommend that new partners build relationships with the 3CX community early on- you never know where those connections will take you in the future!
Interested in learning more about the 3CX Partner Program? Apply here.