Vocus opens up channel program across Australia

Vocus has opened its partner program to all Australian states for the first time.

The program has been running in the company’s home state of Western Australia for six years – originally starting under the Amcom brand that Vocus acquired in 2014.

The entire catalogue of products – including data centre space, dark fibre, internet services, cloud connect, unified communications – will be offered to the channel through a team of “channel account managers, sale experts and pre-sales solution architects” from Vocus.

Sean Clarke, Vocus national sales manager for business partners, told CRN that the monthly commission-based channel program is aimed to fill a gap that its in-house sales team does not cover.

“Our direct enterprise sales team sit in the higher echelons of the market – working with the big resources companies, miners, etc. But we saw this massive opportunity in the mid-market space, anything from 10 to 100 seats.”

The national channel is effective now after a soft launch.

“We have just relaunched the model here in WA and SA [started] just last month. We have guys on the ground now in Victoria and NSW, spreading the word in the market,” said Clarke. “We’re launching ‘properly’ by going on a roadshow next month.”

Clarke, who was also Amcom channel manager from 2010 to 2013, said that commissions were not “the be-all and the end-all” for Vocus.

“It’s about having the trust and the relationship with us. Making sure that [service providers] align to the values of our business, and that we understand what they’re trying to achieve.”