Monday Morning Impact – April 5

Report: Hybrid Work is Here to Stay

Microsoft Corp. has released a new report suggesting that a mixed model of working from an office and working from home is likely to be the status quo at many companies, moving forward.

According to the company’s first-annual Work Trend Index, entitled, “The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work — Are We Ready?”, business leaders should resist the urge to see hybrid work as business as usual. It will require the rethinking of long-held assumptions.

“The choices you make today will impact your organization for years to come,” said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365. “These decisions will impact everything from how you shape culture, to how you attract and retain talent, to how you can better foster collaboration and innovation.”

The report finds that time spent in meetings has more than doubled globally, and over 40 billion more emails were delivered in February of this year compared with last.

73% of workers surveyed want flexible remote work options to continue. Remote job postings on LinkedIn increased more than five times during the pandemic. Over 40% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employer this year and 46% are planning to move now that they can work remotely.

In short, addressing flexible work will impact who stays, who goes, and who joins a company.

The 2021 Work Trend Index outlines findings from a study of more than 31,000 people in 31 countries and analyzes trillions of aggregate productivity and labor signals across Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn. It also includes perspectives from experts who have studied collaboration, social capital and workspace design at work for decades.

Channel Impact^®
The report reveals and validates trends that leaders should consider as the next phase of work unfolds.

Zoom Enhances Partner Program for Accelerated Growth

Zoom Video Communications, Inc. has rolled out new benefits and an expansion to its Master Agent Referral Partner Program. Changes include increased partner revenue on qualifying deals with Zoom Phone and Zoom United (a unified Meetings, Phone, and Chat offering), and a simplified commission structure. Zoom has also continued to expand its presence with the addition of six new Master Agents in North America and Europe.

Since the program’s inception one year ago, Zoom has recognized 11 Master Agents and more than 2,000 Sub-Agents participating in the program. Two Master Agents have already achieved one million in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

“We increased our partner bookings by over 7x year-over-year, and have seen tremendous momentum for our partner ecosystem,” said Laura Padilla, Head of Business Development and Channel at Zoom. “We have developed new solution offerings, reached into new sales segments and international markets, and continued to grow our upmarket business.”

In an effort to gather input from partners, Zoom has also launched a new Global Partner Advisory Council, which provides a forum for the exchange of information, feedback, and ideas.

Channel Impact^®
The move underscores the extensive growth that Zoom has enjoyed over the past year.

Dialpad Rolls Out New Partner Portal

Dialpad, a San Francisco-based UCaaS/CCaaS vendor, has announced the development of a new partner portal with simplified new tools and resources designed for the company’s network of channel partners.

“Our tremendous growth over the past year wouldn’t have been possible without our partners, and we’re thrilled to be able to simplify the selling experience for our calling, conferencing and contact center platform,” said Mike Kane, VP of Global Channel Sales at Dialpad. “The Dialpad Partner Success Portal, built on Allbound, will enable easier deal registration, better tracking of opportunities and accrued revenue, access to sales and marketing materials and the opportunity to dive deeper into Dialpad’s products and features with trainings and certifications.”

The Partner Success Portal is the first in a variety of updates Dialpad is in the midst of developing. The company is also building out a new Inside Channel Management (ICM) team to better support Dialpad’s channel program and to provide a more powerful experience intended to deepen relationships with partners.

The new Dialpad Success Portal is expected to go live in early April.

Built on the Google Cloud Platform, Dialpad’s cloud-based communications platform leverages AI-powered calling, conferencing and contact center features that provide real-time analytics on every call. The customer list includes Twitter, WeWork, Uber, Stripe, Netflix, Motorola Solutions, Splunk and Domo.

Channel Impact^®
Stimulating the use of channel-facing program features has become increasingly difficult in recent years, given the vast assortment of messages aimed at channel partners. Anything that effectively brings those features into a single point of access tends to see greater usage and, by extension, increased partner engagement.