Newsletter | Q2 2019

Ted Schuman
Founder/CEO, PlanetOne

From the CEO’s Desk

Now’s the Time to Move the Goal Post

We’re nearly halfway through the year, and business is good. So good in fact, we’re ahead of plan and moving our goal post further out for another record-setting year! If you’re not tracking along with us or better yet outpacing us, let’s talk. Our view has always been that success is best shared. If we’re killing it out there, you should be too. If that’s not happening, please pick up the phone and let’s start the conversation and create opportunity.

Speaking of opportunity, for those who made it out to our Vegas and Anaheim Tech Tours, as well as the Channel Partners event where we took mainstage and the small stage, thank you. All three events were successful, and the networking and knowledge-sharing certainly led to stronger working relationships and greater insights about what’s happening now and what’s coming next, as well as more than a few memorable moments.

Our time together also uncovered a handful of topics that I’ve had a hard time letting go of – especially around bad sales behavior, fraud and the inability for some to really move the needle. For those who’ve seen my LinkedIn posts, you know what I am referring to. For those who may not have, check it out and weigh in https://www.linkedin.com/in/planet1.

One area I’ve talked about a bit recently is the hype cycle around the “customer experience.” The customer experience, or CX as the industry has dubbed it, is not new. It’s foundational to any successful, sustainable business, and has been since day one.

In my thirty years of experience, if a business isn’t hyper-focused on its associates and its customers, what’s the point? At PlanetOne, we wake up every single day focused on amplifying the success of our partners and providers, and it shows in everything we do.

From our engagement models to our incentive programs, we are all in. Whether your business is behind goal or you’re ready to move the post, we’ve got your back. Our Rhode Island and Laguna Beach PlanetOne Tech Tours are around the corner and registration is open. Let’s meet face-to-face and make 2019 epic for everyone!

Cheers,

Ted Schuman, Founder/CEO
PlanetOne

Partner Success Stories: IP Stack

Company Name: IP Stack Technologies

Headquarters: Latham, NY

Website: www.ipstack.net

Year Founded: 2002

Key Markets/Verticals Served: IP Stack Technologies builds and manages enterprise IT and telecom solutions for clients across a broad range of vertical markets.

Specializations: Cloud, connectivity, voice, collaboration

IP Stack and PlanetOne Team to Win with SD-WAN

IP Stack helps clients identify the resources needed to fill the “expertise gap” around network and cloud migration, security, compliance, IT management and support. Dave Cafaro and Suzanne Kennedy lead the executive team, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications space.

Florida Retailer Taps IP Stack for Connectivity Upgrade

A long-time partner of PlanetOne, IP Stack was approached by a Florida-based retail client looking to upgrade its MPLS network in order to gain more redundancy. “The customer had set up a simulated SD-WAN network using broadband to carry voice,” said Suzanne Kennedy, Principal, IP Stack. “We brought in PlanetOne and convinced them that since they were already comfortable with leveraging broadband, they should upgrade to an SD-WAN solution. We knew would give them the best of both worlds, and at the end of the day, we were able to triple the client’s bandwidth and achieve full diversity within their network, all while saving them money.”

IP Stack reports teaming with PlanetOne in the implementation of the SD-WAN solution made it a win-win for both them and their client. “We identified what the end-solution should be for this client and PlanetOne took our requirements and identified a vendor that could provide the best solutions – it ended up being a good pick,” said Dave Cafaro, Principal, IP Stack.

People Make All the Difference

One of the things that IP Stack has really come to appreciate over the years is PlanetOne’s back office support. “From the contracts they hold with their carriers, to the personal touch across the entire company – working with PlanetOne is like working with family,” said Kennedy.

She adds, “In particular, we’ve relied quite a bit on Renee Schoedler to help keep things going with some of our more demanding clients. We love that we can always count on PlanetOne to step in whenever and wherever help is needed. As a small business, it’s great to have that extended team to rely on.”

IP Stack Sees Growth in Managed Services

According to IP Stack, its clients aren’t talking as much about the cloud as they are about managed services, and ways to balance and maintain their workloads. “Where we see opportunity right now is in helping clients identify ways in which to shift to newer technologies like SD-WAN, without overburdening their IT staff,” said Cafaro. “Pushing out these technologies as managed services will drive growth for IP Stack and our partners as more and more companies look to upgrade their network infrastructure. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry.”

For more information on the PlanetOne Partner Program, visit https://www.planetone.net/partner-program/.

Preferred Provider Spotlight: RingCentral

Demand Gen Programs for Partners (That Actually Work)

Most vendors’ idea of demand generation for partners consists of little more than stale content buried deep in the dark recesses of their partner portal.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At RingCentral, we help partners grow their customer base through world-class events, webinars, training, and content. Best of all, RingCentral’s demand gen programs come at no cost to our partners, and any commissions earned remain entirely in the hands of the partner for the lifetime of the customer.

Partner Customer Forums

RingCentral hosts in-person events in conjunction with one partner. We’ll book the venue/catering, and create invitation materials. In short, we cover all the costs.

What do we expect from the partner? Fill the room. We want partners to invite their customers that will be most interested in hearing about our industry-leading UCaaS and CCaaS solutions.

And the venues? We’ll host the event in some of the best venues in a partner’s area. Breweries, steakhouses, cooking classes, movie theatres–we promise to make it fun.

Partner Customer Webinars

For our partners with customers outside of driving distance, we also help facilitate Partner Customer Webinars.

On our end, we’ll take care of the technical details: securing a webinar bridge, creating registration pages and invites. We’ll also provide a RingCentral Subject Matter Expert to present the info.

As with our Partner Customer Forums, all we ask of our partners is to invite customers interested in UCaaS and CCaaS solutions to hear from our experts.

BDR Program

Leave the heavy-lifting demand gen to RingCentral. Our business development representatives (BDRs) will work a partner’s customer list on the partner’s behalf—saving time, money and resources.

How does it work?

Partners give us their customer list, and our experts review it for opportunities. A RingCentral representative will then actively engage customers on the partner’s behalf. When the deal closes, the partner gets paid. In the six months that the program has been active, the synergy between RingCentral and channel partners has helped build pipeline and close a number of deals. What’s more, this program has been a spark for reigniting opportunities that were previously thought lost.

Interested in learning more about these lead generation programs? Reach out to your RingCentral Channel Manager for more information. Not a RingCentral partner yet? Don’t miss out! Talk to your PlanetOne Channel Manager to join the program.

Employee Recognition: Eric Cooke

At PlanetOne, we value the contributions our employees make to ensure both our success and that of our providers and partners. In our newsletter each quarter, we shine a light on one of our amazing employees. This quarter, we are featuring Eric Cooke, Senior Technology Advisor.

Eric joined PlanetOne in 2014 and is responsible for introducing new solutions and innovations to PlanetOne’s partners. Based in our Southern California office, he is known for taking an unbiased technical approach when helping partners address opportunities that call for complex solutions.

We recently sat down with Eric to learn what he likes most about working at here at PlanetOne, and how he spends time away from the office.

What do you like most about your job? Working with PlanetOne?
Eric Cooke
Senior Technology Advisor

The best thing about working for PlanetOne is the family atmosphere. Monday mornings don’t feel like Monday mornings, and I truly enjoy coming to work because I work with people who are great to be around! Egos are checked at the door. No one is too good to take out trash or stock the fridge. And, everyone has your back so I never have to worry when I go on vacation or take time off that the world will collapse while I’m out. It’s a great feeling!

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t working?

In our family, road trips are very popular. We love spending as much time as we can exploring California – there is so much to see and do here in our home state. My wife and I also love to attend live concerts, and we are huge sports fans. Football, soccer, baseball (go Angels!) we try to take the kids to as many games as possible.

Do you have a ‘bucket list’? What are some of the things you would want to do if time or money were no object?

My wife and I love shows like Game of Thrones (sad to see it end!), and other movies and shows from the medieval and late medieval periods. Someday, we hope to spend time visiting the areas of the world, especially Europe, where these movies and TV shows have been filmed. It would be great to learn more of the history and experience the culture of these locales!

Do you have a favorite saying, mantra or quote?

I’m a huge fan of former San Francisco 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh. He used to say “Who’s got it better than us? Nobody.” It’s a saying that I find myself repeating often here at PlanetOne. Nobody has it better than us, and for that I’m truly grateful!

From the Heart: Easter at Phoenix Children's Hospital

Our “From the Heart” initiative for this quarter was an Easter project for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. We assembled and delivered 20 Easter baskets for their Adolescent age group.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital is a 433-bed, freestanding children’s hospital located in Phoenix, Arizona that provides specialty pediatric services in inpatient, outpatient, emergency, trauma, and urgent care. Affiliated with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, and providing pediatric training for medical students there, Phoenix Children’s partners with Maricopa Integrated Health System for a 3-year pediatric residency training program.

U.S. News & World Report has recognized Phoenix Children’s as a Best Children’s Hospital seven years in a row.

Volunteers play a very important role in providing hope, healing and care for patients and their families and are active within the Hospital and throughout the community. We were honored to be able to bring some joy to 20 special adolescents staying in the hospital during the Easter holiday and cheer them up with our From the Heart Easter basket delivery.

For more information about Phoenix Children’s Hospital and how you can help, please visit https://www.phoenixchildrens.org/ways-help