Channel UC to enhance partner margins in Microsoft Teams with Analytics 365

Sydney-based unified communications (UC) distributor Channel UC looks to enhance partners’ margins and customer retention amid increased competition and margin erosion in the Teams calling space.

Channel UC said it is creating this opportunity for partners by enhancing its Microsoft Teams portfolio with Analytics 365 in a deal with UK software vendor Tollring.

Analytics 365 is a native app downloaded within Microsoft Teams that displays graphical charts on a dashboard to reveal trends and patterns of behaviour, which can be used for business strategies.

It also allows managers to analyse the level of service being delivered to customers, so that organisations can build a profile of what is best practice for individual roles and teams.

“Microsoft Teams has experienced phenomenal growth in the past three years and continues to drive growth through our partner community,” Channel UC managing director Brad Milne said.

“That growth, especially in the calling space, is also leading to increased competitiveness and margin erosion," Milne said.

"At Channel UC we are developing a product ecosystem that further enhances our partners margins with wrap around Teams solutions to enhance our partners competitiveness and stickiness," he added.

"Partnering with Channel UC gives our partner community access to a broader range of solutions such as Analytics 365," Milne said.

“Analytics 365 was developed by Tollring, a leading provider of analytics tools across multiple platforms," he said.

Tollring chief executive Tony Martino said, “as Channel UC has identified, Microsoft Teams isn’t going away any time soon, and introducing analytics as part of their Teams-wrap will allow businesses of all sizes and sectors to successfully balance employee well-being and performance.”

Last December, Channel UC partnered with US-based unified communications vendor Ribbon Communications to distribute its cloud-based voice system Ribbon Connect in Australia and New Zealand.

Channel UC was initially launched in July 2020, as a business unit within Mia Distribution specialising in voice enablement for reseller partners, which then separated at a new company in October last year.