Vodafone now stocking Sony Xperia E5 handset
O2 and Carphone Warehouse are also selling the mid-range device from the Japanese manufacturer
Operators
July 15, 2016
More than 100 indirect partners were invited to VPS Conference to hear plans to move Vodafone’s partner programme to a more UC-based setup
Vodafone will bring in its revamped partner program by the end of the calendar year, it unveiled at its latest VPS conference.
The operator set out the schedule for the overhaul of VPS in front of more than 100 partners at the Vox in Birmingham today (July 14).
The new VPS will see Vodafone ditch its present tiering system, which sees dealers categorised as Silver, Gold and Platinum Partners, for a system recognising unified communications capability.
The new tiering ranks will be Approved, Specialist, Advanced, and Total Communications Providers. The latter will be reserved for those partners offering Vodafone’s full range of services, according Vodafone UK director of partnerships and alliances Nick Birtwistle, who spoke at the conference.
“We know it is not enough to just sell mobile anymore in this market,” he told Mobile News. “It is also what customers are asking for. They want services that allow them to grow and expand their business.
“It is also aligning with our strategy of uptake of UC and convergence. It is a progressive programme of where we are going as a business. That is really critical for satisfaction and uptake of products and services.
“It is also future proof – the next big thing is IoT and as new products and services come on line, they can slot in easily in to the new programme.”
The revamp has been in the works for more than a year, with Vodafone announcing plans at the last VPS Conference. Dealers will be given a number of weeks to familiarise themselves with the programme, which is now open to applications, and will remain so until Autumn. Vodafone will then determine which tier dealers are assigned to, then fully roll out the new system in January, Birtwistle added.