New Poly Partner Program Includes 'Best Parts' Of Polycom, Plantronics' Programs

The new partner program offers specific resources for different partner types and will reward for revenue growth and breadth of products sold across the Poly portfolio, Poly Channel Chief Nick Tidd told CRN.

Videoconferencing giant Poly, formerly Polycom and Plantronics, has combined the two separate firm's partner programs into one highly-anticipated channel program, the company said.

Poly on Tuesday revealed its new partner program for its combined 15,000 Polycom and Plantronics partners. The new program will offer specific resources for different types of partners, including solution providers, IT distributors, and service provider partners, under one umbrella, Nick Tidd, vice president of global channel sales for Poly, told CRN.

Separately, both Polycom and Plantronics have always been channel-first companies, Tidd said. "We've evolved both programs and took the best from each to get to where we are today," he said.

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Partners in the new program will be measured by their capabilities and will be rewarded accordingly, a best practice taken from the Polycom partner program, Tidd said.

Poly will also recognize the partner's level of commitment to the firm with partner-initiated revenue bonuses and a scorecard for partners that will help them track their own standing and time to next level, Tidd said.

"It's a self-paced way that takes out the guesswork for partners," he said. "[Partners] want to understand how they're progressing through the program and what they'll achieve for that."

The program will also reward for revenue growth and breadth of products sold across the Poly portfolio, Tidd said. "We understand that not all partners are the same and we want to recognize the investments that they are making," he added.

Poly on April 10 will launch its partner relationship management tool, which will replace both the Polycom Partner Connect and Plantronics Plantro.net. The Santa Cruz, Calif.-based provider said that the new Poly partner portal will include technical expertise, sales, and real-time learning resources, as well as a marketing assets and co-brandable templates for partners.

The new portal will offer a single registration system and be able to identify each partner by their segment -- solution provider, distributor, and service provider partner -- and generate relevant materials to each partner.

"It’s all about how we enable, onboard new partners, educate existing [partners] and create a curriculum for each partner type," Tidd said.

Poly in March updated its wireless headset portfolio to help remote workers stay connected from anywhere, including their home offices. The new Voyager 4245 Office Bluetooth headset replaces the decked version of the Poly 8245. The Voyager 4245 integrates with Microsoft Teams and features HD voice, long battery life, and a convertible wearing style, and will be available in the U.S., APAC and EMEA in May 2020, Poly said.