Tag: 3CX

Gradwell scores 3CX contract

Posted on March 25, 2019 by - News

Gradwell Communications has been confirmed as 3CX’s first solutions provider for the UK as the company moves from a traditional box-shifter and software licence flogger to more value-add solutions and services.

Gradwell’s channel community will now have the opportunity to take full advantage of increasing demand for 3CX’s IP PBX, plus the telephony solutions and services that wrap around it.

3CX CEO Nick Galea said that Gradwell was a visionary in the UK business communications market, having been one of the first to launch a SIP trunk service.

“It’s an honour to be able to team up with an established and leading provider in delivering a complete solution for the on-premise and cloud market. Customers and partners will have peace of mind that they are buying a solution fully supported and guaranteed end-to-end,” he said.

“Delivering successful VoIP solutions is about so much more than providing the required number of IP PBX licences, and that’s where Gradwell’s value-add services come into play,” explained Gradwell’s founder and CTO, Peter Gradwell. Gradwell is one of the UK’s fastest growing cloud communications providers focusing on small to medium-sized enterprises.

As well as 3CX’s licences channel partners will now be able to drive new business and revenue generating solutions, from a single supplier, by offering Gradwell’s wraparound solutions including highly-secure hosting, server provisioning, SIP trunks, session border controller (SBC) installation, CRM integration and handsets. The Gradwell team also has extensive expertise with 3CX’s Call Flow Designer so can implement all necessary call routing requirements.

“Gradwell is the only provider to have developed solutions, specifically designed for the channel, which complements the features and functionality of the 3CX IP PBX. For example, with a Gradwell solution, the end user can push call recordings to cloud storage devices, freeing up considerable server space,” the company said.

Other value-add offerings from Gradwell include a team of 3CX accredited engineers dedicated to hosting and supporting 3CX, onboarding resources working exclusively on 3CX and a 20 strong front-line support team to answer and manage any issues.

Jamie Ward is now Gradwell’s newly appointed sales, and marketing director said that the new agreement with 3CX with other channel changes means he has taken the job during interesting times.

“Gradwell wants to provide the channel community with VoIP solutions that give them a huge opportunity to drive new business and increased revenue. The agreement with 3CX does just that. Our complete solution eliminates all the complexity around the deployment of a VoIP solution, not just for our resellers but for their customers. Happy customers, mean happy resellers and happy resellers mean repeat business for 3CX and Gradwell,” said Ward.

 

Now is the time to make a real killing from the ISDN switch-off

Posted on May 4, 2018 by - News

paulclarke3cxchannelmanager-580x358UK Manager, 3CX, Paul Clarke says that BT’s ISDN switch off is a significant opportunity for the channel.

Clarke claims that the channel can enhance the existing opportunities in light of the proposed changes, as well as the broader opportunities for businesses and how the channel can make use of these.

He said: ” We’re currently on the brink of another such change, with British Telecom steaming ahead with its plan to switch-off of ISDN and PTSN lines in 2025, with consultations about the change said to be starting in the next few weeks. If BT stops selling new ISDN lines in 2020 as expected, the three million ISDN lines still used by businesses in the UK will have to begin exploring IP-based communications. This change presents a great opportunity for the channel, but with the change-over deadlines looming, time is running out to react.”

Clark said that the task facing channel businesses is the same. It did not matter if it was an IP specialist or newcomer taking advantage of the new ground this change provides, or a traditional ISDN service provider adapting to the new IP business model. If the channel does not have a plan for converting ISDN customers to IP, they could be turning their back on vast potential revenue.

“By offering businesses of every size, in every industry, the tools, services and support they need to modernise their communications throughout, this change provides a fantastic opportunity for the channel to reach new customers. Communication has made huge technological leaps since VoIP was first introduced, and the channel should be capable of overcoming any concerns their potential new customers have about the change”, he said.

The UK faces a struggle in guaranteeing high-speed broadband consistently across the nation. This means that businesses in more rural locations might be unwilling to swap their well-established ISDN connection for a less-trusted IP connection, even if the existing connection is slower.

British Telecom isn’t the only company to switch off ISDN and PSTN connections: SwissCom phased out ISDN lines last year in favour of IP based services. SwissCom’s change has highlighted the benefits of IP lines; including lower costs, higher bandwidth and greater flexibility. Significantly, even areas with limited broadband connections are likely to see better speeds than the existing ISDN provides. Switching to IP can open up far more options to channel partners, as well as the business,” Clark said.

Some businesses may not immediately recognise the benefit of the additional services beyond voice that IP allows, offering services including instant messaging, and video, these can provide valuable revenue streams for the channel. The support needed to keep these services operational can also offer a financial opportunity to the channel, as long as it can show how these additional communication strategies can benefit businesses, he said.

This means ensuring businesses understand that working practices are changing, with flexible working meaning anywhere can be an office.

“Instead of communicating over fixed lines, using IP is a great way for businesses adapt to this change, as well as providing simpler, lower-cost communication with potential customers and partners anywhere, at any time, over any channel. By making this clear, businesses are more likely to embrace the opportunity to update their technology and reduce their costs at the same time”, Clark said.

Clark thinks that while it is undeniable that communication is at the heart of modern businesses. The ISDN switch-over may be one of the last chances for the channel to benefit from changing technologies, leading customers through potential challenges and helping them to make the most out of IP. However, time is of the essence and the channel needs to move now before businesses are pushed to make the change before the deadline.

“Guiding customers through this new landscape, for example by offering new forms of communication, could reward the channel handsomely. The alternative is settling for the leftovers come 2025”, Clark added.