“81% of adopters agree the pandemic has accelerated their organisation’s shift to XaaS from traditional IT, and 55% report that the crisis is causing their organisation to invest more in XaaS than initially planned.” (Deloitte “Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Study, 2021)
It is undeniable that the shift towards everything-as-a-service (XaaS) and subscriptions is disrupting the whole IT landscape – the traditional IT channel included. End customers are increasingly opting for cloud solutions on a pay-as-you-use basis as they realise the business agility, scalability and flexibility these solutions offer. The shift from Capex to Opex models makes new technologies more affordable and accessible too. This means they can leap frog their competition by using the latest technologies at a price that won’t break the bank, to give them the innovation they need to grow post-pandemic.
SaaS has the sass
This model is commonplace in consumer-based tech, with the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Uber. The customer journey is a carefully considered guide that informs every interaction they have with their customers. These Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) born companies are seasoned in this way of delivering solutions. But what of the traditional IT channel who are accustomed to product-centric approaches? The pivot to customer centricity is a major change in how channel partners go to market.
Resisting change is futile
With customers now demanding the same subscriptions and as-a-service models in their business as they enjoy with consumer tech, vendors are changing their offerings and approaches. They’re expanding their suite of cloud solutions, investing in customer success teams and skillsets, and evolving their partner programmes. The channel is undergoing an evolution, and channel partners must adapt or risk losing market share in an increasingly competitive cloud marketplace.
The ‘new’ normal
Shifting to a customer-first mindset is no easy task. Channel partners need to refocus their sales teams to look beyond the initial sale and hone their skills on customer retention. Partners will also need to look at other departments and realign marketing, finance and every department that encounters a customer. Customer success isn’t just about getting your customer to use a solution – it’s about making their experience with your business as seamless and enjoyable as possible at all touchpoints with your organisation.
The customer journey is the map to success
Breaking down the customer journey is vital for understanding how a customer interacts with your organisation, what their needs are at that particular stage and what you need to improve to ensure a great customer experience. Partners who adopt a customer success framework will reap the rewards of higher customer satisfaction, advocacy and predictable recurring revenues.
Solution lifecycle management as a proven recurring offer model for the channel
Solution lifecycle management is a recurring offer model for the channel that guides customer engagements at every stage of the lifecycle and is a proven and effective framework for partners to align to business outcomes, achieve customer success and increase profitability and recurring revenue.
We have developed our own solution lifecycle management framework. Our partners use this framework to apply our data, knowledge and expertise to solve challenges and streamline technology alignment to thrive in this rapidly evolving marketplace.
In our latest eBook we explore how this framework helps partners to maximise customer lifetime value in the increasingly software-driven economy. We also explore how the channel landscape is changing, how vendors are evolving to meet changing demands and the important role that we play in partners’ transformation to a new model.
Get your copy of our eBook and start your transformation today.
Sourced from: Westcon-Comstor News. View the original article here.
