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Evolve IP combines tech and sales support function
Comms player makes move to streamline assistance it can provide to its reseller base
Evolve IP has made a “game-changing” appointment, establishing its first technical account manager role to combine tech and sales support in the form of one individual.
Paul Fletcher, who was previously a solutions consultant at the unified comms specialist and has been with the company for a year, will be stepping into the newly created role with the aim of proving the approach can improve life for its reseller partners.
His career spans more than a decade and a half, and includes time in both reseller and retail roles, including a head of unified comms and connectivity position.
“My solutions consultant job involved helping bring new products and new providers into our ecosystem, such as AI [artificial intelligence], as well as providing day-to-day support to our account and partner managers,” said Fletcher. “My new role brings both elements together; account relationships, and crucially the technical knowledge that ties the two departments together.”
His appointment is part of a wider vision that Evolve IP believes will streamline processes for reselling partners and provide it with a differentiator in the market.
“We have a very efficient sales and solutions team,” said Fletcher. “The company vision is to provide account management that brings those two teams together, someone who is commercially savvy and can lead technical conversations.
“Many of our partners don’t always need support with selling; they require a solutions sales approach from someone who can build and understand the technology that we are providing them,” he added. “The idea is to give partners a single point of contact to help connect our full range of products. Allowing us to offer better, more seamless support and service by taking a more complete view of their needs. My role is to bring everything together.”
Game changer
Jamie Hughes, UK sales director at Evolve IP, said the move to combine two functions into a single person was a “game changer”.
“Evolve IP continues to innovate internally and externally in a fast-paced technology world,” he said. “Paul possesses the pedigree, personality and passion to combine technical acumen with sales support in a best-of-both-worlds scenario.”
Speaking at the start of the year, Hughes identified channel growth as a key ambition for the firm in 2025, and it pledged to “empower” its ecosystem.
Fletcher said he wanted to provide resellers with the support that could help them unlock additional revenue streams.
“I want partners to view me as a technical resource and extension of their business,” he said. “They know how to sell and find their own prospects. I will be assisting them to create more ‘sticky’ and compelling customer relationships. We live in an omnichannel world where technology and communication, rather than cash flow, is the bloodstream of a business, be that email, live chat or voice. If a business can’t communicate and interact with their customers, they are not going to make money and grow their business.
“I want to be a knowledge bank and understand all the different aspects of a partner’s business – not just sales, but technical implementation, too,” said Fletcher
The channel has traditionally separated sales and technical functions, although there are anecdotal reports that engineers often help encourage users to upgrade or invest in compatible solutions by sharing advice on call-outs.
