To partners that had their doubts in the past, telecommunications provider TNCI Operating Co. is ready to recommit to the channel and is looking to prove it to partners, according to CEO Laura Thomas.
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'We're back, and we look forward to growing with the channel. We are going for double-digit growth in our agent channel in the coming year,' Thomas told CRN in an exclusive interview.
It makes sense that we are all so skeptical about it, but at the same time, we're glad it came so quick which will allow us to hopefully resume normalcy soon. The long-awaited 2021 is finally here and we're all just hoping for the best and the ability to have more in-person events such as going back on campus and social events to meet.
TNCI Operating Co., a provider of voice-, data- and cloud-based services, was established in 2013 as a byproduct of three providers. The company's namesake, TNCI, was a Boston-based telecommunications reseller, and two facility-based carriers -- Austin, Texas-based PointOne and West Coast-based Pac-West Telecomm Inc. -- make up TNCI Operating Co. today.
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Before the consolidation, the former TNCI sold 100 percent of its services through channel partners. But many partner relationships didn't survive the roll-up. Agents were eliminated from the program during the transition and contract terms were changed for some of the agents that remained, Thomas said.
'We really went through a period of time where people were very uncertain about the longevity of the company,' she said.
But TNCI Operating Co. has re-emerged, and because 98 percent of the provider's sales are driven by the channel, it's critical for the company to win back the favor of solution providers, according to the company. TNCI is hoping to welcome back former partners -- and recruit new partners -- to the family, Thomas said. The provider is working with about 15 master agent partners.
TNCI Operating Co. is planning a rebrand to introduce a new name and has made significant investments in products, infrastructure and people. To start with, TNCI has been expanding its network footprint and increased its head count by 20 percent across all areas, including tech, finance and sales.
'This is a company in transformation,' Thomas said. 'We are doing a significant amount of investment and are very close to announcing our rebrand among other announcements that will show the industry our commitment, and that we think this is a great industry with a lot of potential.'
TNCI Operating Co. offers a 'hybrid' approach to telecommunications, according to Thomas. The voice business makes up the majority of the company's revenues today, which is being helped by competitors stepping away from voice offerings or raising their rates.
'We still find that enterprise and midsized business still want those [plain old telephone service] POTS lines,' Thomas said.
The company also offers cloud-based services, including a PBX product hosted on its cloud platform. The mix of cloud and traditional voice solutions are great for partners helping customers make the transition, she said.
About 50 percent of traffic traverses the provider's network and the other half is resold from other providers, which allows TNCI to loop in many providers to give customers a unified services for their voice and cloud applications, Thomas said.
In an effort to reinvigorate its channel strategy, Thomas talked to agent partners.
'I wanted to get a sense of what it would take to show partners that we were really serious about growing this business. We worked with specific agents and said, 'Help us find a channel manager that you're comfortable with that we can hire that can help leverage your business,' ' she said.
Accordingly, TNCI brought on industry veteran Michael Masini, former Windstream vice president of channel sales, appointing him vice president of channel sales for TNCI Operating Co. four months ago.
With the help of Masini, the provider has revamped its commission rates and partnership terms so its agent contracts can be more competitive. TNCI also eliminated growth requirements. 'We believe that growth will come based on the investments we made,' Thomas said.
'We wanted to make sure we had a channel-friendly agent agreement, and I will say that since its release, it really accelerated time spend on agents' negotiations, which have been almost nothing,' Masini added.
TNCI is now giving agents more control and flexibility of pricing for its products and services, Masini said. To help get partners up to speed, the provider has created updated marketing and educational material for partners, including a new library with short videos. 'We think this is a more compelling way to introduce content than standard brochures,' he said.
TNCI also recently developed a Connections Portal for agents, subagents and even end customers. The portal will provide access to quoting tools and commission reports for partners, Masini said.
Since coming on board, Masini has helped to quadruple the number of internal channel managers because success will start with them, he said.
'We are building a roster of the highest-caliber channel managers. The ones who have come on board since July are all experienced, and all recommended to us by our partners. With TNCI being a little smaller, channel manager input really matters,' Masini said.
The channel matters in the telecommunications industry because products in this space are much more complex compared with legacy voice products and services. Customers are relying on agents as tech advisers, Thomas said, noting TNCI's sharpened focus on partner education. The provider also recently rolled out a Cloud certification program for partners.
'The channel is really the most efficient and quickest way for me to grow my sales,' Thomas said. 'There is also a better retention rate on customers sold through the channel because these [solution providers] have had these relationships with customers for years.'
TNCI believes its hybrid strategy will be a benefit to partners and their end customers because partners will be able to offer competitive voice products, and then as their customers are ready, cloud services.
'We are getting a lot of positive feedback, we are turning on new agents and the existing agents are starting to come back,' Thomas said. 'Certainly we hope over the course of the next year people start sitting up and taking a look at us.'
PUBLISHED OCT. 29, 2015
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You’re probably thinking, happiness?! What’s that? Come on Michelle, who really gets to be happy in life?
Work is often a frustration, then there’s rush hour traffic, there’s not enough hours in a day to get everything done, and, when the poop really hits the fan, your idea of productivity is more often than not binge-watching something on Netflix (Outlander? GOT?) while eating an entire bag of chips. #amiright?
That’s not happy, that’s called existing. And we don’t do just ‘existing’ here. Life is to be enjoyed not simply endured.
Do you remember the last time you were happy? Do you remember what it felt like?
I’ve searched for happiness for the past 40 years. I searched for it in success, in busyness, in people pleasing, in lots (and lots) of clothes, in shopping for stuff I didn’t need, and guess what? The happiness I found was fleeting, temporary. It never stuck.
So I’d buy more, chase more success, and it still didn’t stick. My brain hadn’t quite yet gotten the memo that chasing more and buying more was not the key to happiness or fulfillment.
Then one fine day a little voice inside started telling me to simplify.
‘Hey lady, we need to make things simpler. Life shouldn’t be this complicated.’
I quite literally had this revelation. It was during one of my two-hour commutes in rush hour traffic a few years ago. I realized I wasn’t happy and asked myself (out loud), ‘why am I doing this? There has to be more to life than this. How do I change this?’
And so, the journey began to getting my happy back. It’s been full of ups and downs of course. The ups being the high of discovering gratitude and the low being losing a job, divorce, etc., but that’s life. You adapt to the curveballs and keep focusing on getting your happiness back.
How to get your happy back without stressing yourself out – 7 tips to get happy
Focus on the little things.
We often overlook the little things in life and these, not surprisingly, are the good things that make us happiest. Mini marshmallows in hot chocolate? Check. Dark chocolate sprinkles on your hot chocolate? Check. Your cat chasing her own tail or pouncing on a dry leaf like a maniac? Check and check. These are all little type things we often neglect in our day-to-day but make us the happiest. Don’t forget to laugh too! My cat is sooo zany, I’m laughing on the regular.
Related: Finding Happiness “For One”
Try a bit of gratitude.
Gratitude removes the stress of more. When you’re grateful for what you already have, you forget about keeping up with the Joneses, you slip into and are more comfortable with who you are, and yay, happiness sneaks up on you. I’ll put it this way, when you’re grateful for who you are and that you have all you need, you don’t give two shits what anyone else thinks. And as we all know, comparison kills not only creativity but happiness.
Since I started my own gratitude practice, I have been happier than I’ve ever been in life. I appreciate every opportunity and sunshine filled day that I’m given. Simple as that.
Related: Finding Gratitude and How to Build Your Own Gratitude Practice
Related: How Gratitude Led Me To A Simpler Life
Love you. Be you. Understand you.
You knew this was going to be on the list right? When you take care of yourself instead of treating your body like an amusement park, you’ll feel a lot better. You’ll have more energy, more positive thoughts, and as they say, a body in motion stays in motion. Taking care of yourself is key to getting your happy back. For me, simple things like quitting coffee, sugar, and gluten make me feel great inside. Food allergies suck but the adverse reactions they have are far worse. An example? Me + coffee + gluten = raging Michelle. I can go from zero to cranky in a matter of moments. In fact, when my cousin was 4 years old, he used to scream for hours after a meal until my aunt realized he had a gluten allergy. Get rid of the allergy-causing foods and hey, happy kid again.
Now, taking care of you and understanding who you are don’t end with food and allergies; self-awareness and self-knowledge will also take you a long way. When you also understand who you are, you can take much better care of your mind, body, and soul.
Related: Books: Healthy Eating
Related: Books: Self-Help + Personal Growth
Get moving!
Of course, the previous point leads us to exercise. When you exercise, your body is better equipped to process stress and anxiety. And we can’t forget about all those happiness producing endorphins we get from exercise. Even if I can’t get a full workout or walk in, my quick pick me up is putting on T. Swift’s Shake it Off and shaking a tail feather. Truthfully? I dance around like a maniac for the entire song and when I’m done, I feel so much better.
Make peace with your fears.
Fear holds us back in so many ways. It’s limiting. It stops us from truly embracing life and yep, happiness. Who wants to be a fear-ridden stress ball when you can be a chill happiness embracer? Take time to uncover what you’re afraid of, tell your fears that they’re not serving you or your happiness, and find ways to overcome them.
Carve out time for thinking.
Sometimes you have to ponder life. You need to take time to daydream, to understand yourself and to think about what really makes you happy. This is not meant to be stressful! It’s meant to get your creative juices flowing so that you can really figure out what genuinely makes you enthusiastically happy in life. Dream a little dream. Imagine what could be. Change your thinking, change your happiness level.
Laugh even when it’s hard to.
Have you ever just laughed at rush hour traffic and the antics other drivers can get up to? Try it sometime. You’d be amazed at how happy it can make you. When you start laughing off the things that would normally stress you out, happiness starts to find its way back to you. You’ll begin to realize there’s no point in getting upset at something that’s out of your control.
Relish relationships.
We all need bonds with others, to feel like we belong. It’s in our nature to want to give and get support from others. According to a Gallup survey, people who spend six to seven hours a day socializing with family and friends are 12 times as likely to report feeling happy and joyful rather than feeling stressed or anxious. How’s that for getting your happy back?
In all honesty, happiness depends on you. It’s easy to fall into thinking that there’s some magic pill or ‘best’ way to be happy, but truthfully? There is no right way. It’s all you and a choice. Do you want to be happy?
We're Back And Growing Strong Teach To Be Happy Quotes
So tell me, how do you get your happiness back? If someone asked you, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about happiness, what would you tell them?