Category: partnership

Business, channel, Customer Experience, partnership, Sales

What it means to be a trusted advisor

The most successful sales professionals don’t wait for customers to tell them they have a problem—they help customers identify opportunities and challenges before they become business issues. That is the difference between being a supplier and becoming a trusted advisor.

Building trusted relationships requires a balance of proactive engagement and easy accessibility. Proactive engagement means maintaining regular contact with customers, understanding their evolving business priorities, monitoring industry trends, and bringing forward ideas that deliver measurable value. Rather than focusing solely on products or renewals, effective sales leaders initiate conversations around business outcomes, efficiency, growth, customer experience, risk reduction, and innovation. Customers value partners who help them think ahead rather than simply respond when something goes wrong.

Equally important is ensuring customers have multiple, convenient ways to engage when they need guidance or support. Whether through account management, customer success teams, technical specialists, digital channels, or executive sponsorship, customers should always feel they have access to knowledgeable people who can provide timely advice. Trust is built not only through regular planned interactions but also through being responsive and available when expertise is needed.

To support this approach, organisations need access to a broad portfolio of complementary solutions. Very few businesses can meet every customer requirement with their own products alone. The strongest sales organisations recognise this and develop credible partnerships with trusted technology providers and service specialists. These partnerships allow sales teams to solve a wider range of customer challenges without compromising quality or integrity.

Customers rarely judge you by the size of your product portfolio; they judge you by your ability to solve their problems. Having a carefully selected ecosystem of partners enables sales professionals to recommend the most appropriate solution, even when it extends beyond their own organisation’s capabilities. This reinforces credibility and demonstrates that recommendations are driven by the customer’s best interests rather than by a desire to maximise product sales.

An ecosystem approach also positions the sales team as a strategic business partner rather than a transactional vendor. By understanding the customer’s long-term objectives and drawing upon both internal capabilities and external expertise, sales professionals can deliver complete solutions that evolve alongside the customer’s business.

Ultimately, trusted advisor status is earned through consistency, expertise, and genuine customer focus. It requires proactive engagement that uncovers future opportunities, responsive channels that encourage customers to seek advice whenever they need it, and access to a broad range of solutions delivered through both in-house capabilities and trusted partnerships. Organisations that combine these elements build deeper relationships, create greater customer loyalty, and generate sustainable, long-term revenue growth based on value rather than transactions.

Business, channel, Collaborating, Customer Experience, partnership, Sales

Uncovering the need for Ai in your business

To uncover the real operational need for adding AI to an existing contact centre, you must look past the technology hype. You need to identify specific friction points, cost drivers, and data gaps in your current setup.
Here are the top 15 questions to audit your existing infrastructure and discover if AI is truly necessary.

Current Technology & Infrastructure

  • What specific software vendors handle your current routing, telephony, CRM, and ticketing?
  • Where do data silos exist that prevent a single view of the customer?
  • What are the licensing costs and contract end dates for your current systems?

Operational Pain Points & Efficiency

  • Which routine, repetitive questions consume the highest volume of agent time?
  • At what specific points in the customer journey do users abandon self-service?
  • How much time do agents spend searching internal databases during a live call?
  • What manual, post-call administrative tasks take up the most agent time?

Performance Metrics & Cost

  • What are your current baselines for Average Handle Time (AHT) and First Contact Resolution (FCR)?
  • What is your cost-per-contact across voice, email, chat, and social channels?
  • How many interactions are abandoned entirely due to long queue wait times?

Customer & Agent Experience

  • What are the top three complaints found in your CSAT or NPS survey feedback?
  • What is your annual agent turnover rate, and what drives their exit?
  • How do you currently identify and support frustrated customers in real-time?

Data, Insights & Quality Assurance

  • What percentage of total customer conversations does your QA team manually review?
  • How do you currently track emerging trends or sudden spikes in product issues?

Get in touch if you could do with some help or a fresh pair of eyes on your current challenges

Business, Collaborating, Family, Leadership, partnership, Personal Management

No one is just TOO BUSY!

We hear it all the time, don’t we, and sometimes coming from our own mouths!


But what does it actually mean?

Life can be pretty hectic, with noise all around us and demands on our time and attention like never before. The digital world can become overwhelmingly distracting, with notifications pinging incessantly on our devices.

Ultimately though, we are in much greater control than we might think. It is also true that we make time for what is important to us. Or more accurately that which we believe should be important to us. After all, there is (for most of us anyway) nothing more important than our loved ones. But do we always make time for them, or do we succumb to the pings of our other attention seekers?
I often wonder if this is a self-induced state by building our importance so that we attract way more attention than is necessary. Should we instead, be ensuring that we are setting ourselves up better for getting out of the way, and reducing our personal involvement in matters that really do not need us?

It is worth asking yourself what you are currently involved in that you could easily step away from – you may just surprise yourself and your family and friends will thank you.

Business, Collaborating, Family, Leadership, partnership, Personal Management, Social

I haven’t made any New Years resolutions

No specific NY resolution from me

However…

> I will continue to work on personal growth every day.

> I will continue to challenge myself to be an outstanding human being every day.

> I will work diligently on my commitments every day: both business and personal.

> I will work on business development in Trust Partner Services Ltd every day.

> I will declutter my connections. Where I am no longer needed, I will disconnect, making room for fresh engagement.

Wishing everyone a very
rewarding and contentment filled 2023

Happy New Year

Business, Collaborating, Customer Focus, Leadership, Learning, partnership, Social

We’re in – are you? – Trust Partner Services Ltd

https://www.trustpartnerservices.com/trust-joins-the-chamber/

Trust partners with the Herts Chamber

Having watched from the sidelines for some time, we decided it was time to roll up our sleeves and join the fray.

We are now officially members of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and it is our intention to be a fully active member of this illustrious group.

Our WHY for this is a strong desire to be a supportive local business for other local business and to investigate further ways of acting more local. For as long as I can remember, our approach has been international, and that will remain, but we would like to become way more active locally. This is therefore, the first step into understanding the local landscape. We want to listen and learn and support where we can, as we understand our role.

Looking forward to meeting other chamber members and learning about our local business eco-systems


© 2022 Trust Partner Services Ltd Trust Partner Services LTD

Business, channel, Customer Experience, partnership, productivity

New to reseller market:  Daktela UK – One App for All your Business Communications

October 2022: Omnichannel Contact Centre provider Daktela UK announces collaboration with Trust Partner Services, a move which will open significant new business opportunities for a select number of channel partners in the UK.

Daktela UK is an experienced player in the cloud contact centre market. Established in 2010, their senior leadership team have worked in the contact centre industry for over 30 years selling solutions through direct and indirect sales channels.

Daktela have an ambitious recruitment campaign underway with a mission to establish a small number of strategic partnerships within the UK channel reseller community. 

Differentiation is a critical component for resellers, and Daktela enables their partners to do exactly that – instead of being one of several bids with the same technology offer, Daktela is both unique and incredibly functional and feature-rich, across the small to mid-enterprise customer space.

To ensure that they connect with the best possible channel partners, they have engaged Trust Partner Services to guide them.

“We are excited to grow our footprint in the UK with Trust Partner Services. Daktela has the best technology at the best price, and we see channel partners playing a significant role in our expansion plans,” said Steve McSherry, UK Country Manager at Daktela UK.

“Sophisticated customers expect a sophisticated experience. Businesses are turning to their providers to source the right technology, but we understand you need to differentiate to remain competitive. With Daktela, resellers can stand out from the crowd and have a real point of difference.” continues Steve McSherry.

Graham Bunting, Founder at Trust Partner Services, said: “Demand is growing for omnichannel as customers demand a better experience. Daktela helps businesses enjoy a more joined-up approach to communications. We will be working with resellers to help deliver this message and explain the benefits of Daktela. Partners can also bring their expertise with Daktela’s open API, creating a joint enterprise that benefits both parties. This, teamed with their staged approach to Contact Centre deployments, gives ultimate flexibility for resellers.”

About Daktela UK

Daktela UK is a leading provider of cloud-based communication, uniquely combining pioneering digital technology with over 30 years of real-world customer experience. They are on a mission to help UK businesses to create extraordinary customer experiences with their flexible, scalable packages. To find out more, contact:  info@daktela.co.uk or visit http://www.daktela.co.uk.

About Trust Partner Services

Trust Partner Services are a niche consultancy specialising in supporting Technology/Voice/Software vendors’ go-to-market strategy and ecosystem building in the UKI & Europe. Founder Graham Bunting’s experience of local markets, and network, is second to none, having worked at partner, distributor, and vendor levels.

To grow your business, we are committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. Simplification, communication, and localisation provide a clear advantage in any market. We are the company you can trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter to your channels and customers.

For more information – graham@trustpartnerservices.com

Business, channel, Customer Experience, partnership, Social

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be

I recently came across some photos and as is often the way, it sparked a bit of retrospection. Thinking back to the experiences I was afforded in a role I held previously when I was employed at global telecoms vendor Avaya – and there were many. These experiences were for the most part shared with the folks working in our channel partners and most of whom I have personally known for more than 30 years. This is going to shock the reader because I know what you’re thinking – you simply do not look old enough Graham! 😉

Anyhoo, back to my reminiscing. The photos that I came across were from a trip we had to the Kruger National Park, followed by a few days in Mozambique. I am going to share these on Linkydink and Twitter for my good companions and friends to join me in the (hopefully fond) retrospection. So no people tags here, but if you are reading and reminiscing too – enjoy

Business, channel, Customer Experience, Customer Focus, partnership, Sales

Physical exhibition events are back it seems

Very recently (well about 7 weeks ago to be more precise), we participated in the annual Channel Live expo, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

We have exhibited there a few times with our partners and had some decent engagement, and this time was no exception. In fact, I would chalk this one down as one of the most successful, in terms of actual potential partnership opportunities for our current vendor partner Inovo Telecom.

AI and Automation

My business partner and I had been asked to participate this year, as presenters for a couple of the theatre topics – “AI and Automation”; and “Creating Sticky Customers”.

Despite it being quite some time since presenting to an audience like this, I was really excited and as a result hugely enjoyed my session, which is a topic I have a particular passion for anyway (thankfully)

Enjoy

Business, channel, partnership

Building a reseller community – done right

You’re in an organisation that is providing solutions to address a certain business problem, and you’re seeking opportunities to grow your customer base.

You’re thinking that maybe you’ll find some resellers, as that’s a lower cost than hiring a number of new salespeople. The resellers get to sell your offer and you’ll give them a share of the revenue, or sell to them at a “dealer” price for them to invoice their customer and add a margin.

Happy days

Yet who should sell it and why aren’t folks beating down my door to sell my product?

Those that I’ve spoken to haven’t really engaged yet and haven’t heard anything back from them.

Some of them haven’t enough resources to add new products, services or take on new skills at the moment and others have none at all, so they are struggling to get started.

We have a few partners who have signed agreements but haven’t sold anything yet, and I’m not seeing any marketing activity from them.

How do I get this machine moving, as all I have managed to achieve is to divert my energy into trying to find partners and reduce my available time for what I was already doing…

This is not an unusual story, but actually, rather a common experience based on a lack of experience and knowledge. Businesses wanting to identify and develop a channel sales strategy, need to do so with eyes wide open and a good plan.

Often a business gets lured into thinking that hiring a sales partner is less costly than hiring additional sales heads, but this is simply not true. The cost model is merely different.

A sales channel definitely offers a greater opportunity to scale, and also potentially gives access to customers whom you might otherwise expend significant efforts to build a profile with, more easily. But do not think this is the cheapest way of growing sales. It simply is not.

How hard can it be?

There’s so much more to this than a vendor thinking that it’s worth giving it a try…. Because that simply will not end well. Why would a potential partner invest any of their time or effort if you’re not prepared to? If a channel partner gets the slightest whiff that you’re just “giving it a go”, you are toast and you will get nowhere. Do not expect a reseller to damage their hard-earned reputation by introducing your solution if they think you’re not here for the long term to support them, and their customers. It’s not going to happen.

Done well, the channel is beautifully symbiotic and it’s very much the way to scale your business

Need help getting figured out and getting started? Then get in touch with me and I will be able to set you on the right track – here or use the WhatsApp link below.

Chat on WhatsApp
Business, channel, Customer Experience, Customer Focus, partnership, productivity

Trust Business Partners and INOVO Partnership

Trust Business Partners and INOVO Partnership

London, 16h February 2020 – Trust Business Partners today announced that it has expanded its strategic partnerships through a new agreement with INOVO, who provide the tech and ongoing optimisation to boost contact centre efficiency, productivity and CX.

Trust Business Partners will be the face of INOVO in UKI & Europe, representing the brand through sales and marketing activity, recruiting new channel partners, systems integrators and creating local European strategic alliances. Trust Business Partners has over 30 years’ experience in the UKI & European contact centre space working directly with customers and partner channels.

INOVO is a cloud contact centre solutions provider that focuses on delivering business results rather than just enablement. The company devotes a dedicated team of industry specialists to every customer account to drive continuous improvements in efficiency, productivity and CX. INOVO’s clients vary from 10 to a few thousand seats across several sectors such as: financial services, retail, telecoms, healthcare, BPO, hospitality and travel.

INOVO was established in 2006 after a group of experienced contact centre specialists joined forces to disrupt the contact centre market. By adopting a “partner” over “vendor” approach, the goal was to deliver business services that extended beyond just providing great technology, and really focused on understanding, and meeting a customer’s unique requirements.

“Our success has stemmed from our ability to identify specific business challenges and use cases and be innovative in how we help businesses solve them. We look at a business holistically – whether it’s the underlying processes or the tech – and work with our customers to continually drive improvements. We’re looking forward to working with Trust Business Partners to help deliver this kind of business value to contact centres in UKI and throughout Europe,” said Wynand Smit, CEO and founding partner of INOVO

“Customers today demand well-informed and intelligent business conversations around technology and processes to enhance their contact centre and customer experience. INOVO’s ability to enhance services while improving time to resolution and reducing costs will be very attractive for partner channels seeking to grow additional revenue streams and service customers better. We believe that with this partnership, customers and partners in UKI & Europe will be able to differentiate themselves significantly with INOVO’s unique offer.” said David Pitts, Founder Partner at Trust Business Partners

About INOVO

INOVO is a cloud contact centre solutions provider that focuses on delivering business results rather than just enablement. The company devotes a dedicated team of industry specialists to every customer account to drive continuous improvements in efficiency, productivity and CX. INOVO’s clients vary from 10 to a few thousand seats across several sectors such as: financial services, retail, telecoms, healthcare, BPO, hospitality and travel. For more information, visit https://www.inovo.co.za.

About Trust Business Partners

Trust Business Partners are a niche consultancy specialising in supporting IT/Voice/Software vendors and suppliers go to market strategy in the UKI & Europe. David Pitts and Graham Bunting’s (founding partners) experience of local markets is second to none having worked at partner, distributor and vendor level plus running their own successful businesses.

To grow your business, we’re committed to innovation, partnership, and a relentless focus on what’s next. Simplification, communication and localisation provide a clear advantage in any market. We’re the company you can trust to help you deliver Experiences that Matter to your channels and customers.