Enterprise software vendor Unit4, has announced a new Global Partner Programme to provide training, resources and support to its global ecosystem of partners to help their clients deliver an exceptional people experience to their customers.
The ERP software vendor, said the programme is designed to enable partners to accelerate the development and implementation of Unit4 solutions which transform how people-centric organisations deliver a better place and a better way for people to do work.
According to Unit4, by establishing a global partner community, it can offer its best-in-class cloud ERP, FP&A, HCM, and student management solutions and services to more organisations around the world. Unit4’s People Platform provides a foundation for partner innovation through a micro-services-based SaaS architecture. As well as a natural language digital assistant and machine learning services to help people work smarter and faster, its low-code/no-code tools support the simple connection and creation of value-add extensions for customers.
Beata Wright, global head, Partner Ecosystems at Unit4, said: “As customer expectations continue to rise, our Global Partner Programme is tailored to help us meet those expectations and to continue to scale our business, to meet market demand.”
Wright said through this new Unit4 partner experience, it will allow the company to solve customers’ complex business requirements with an enhanced portfolio of solutions and services. “Having partners that can enhance the capabilities of our People Experience suite by building extensions and plugging into our solutions is core to our strategy and critical to meet the needs of our global customer base,” she said.
Unit4 said it takes a strategic approach to building its partner ecosystem, carefully selecting partners with specialties to service their respective markets. In addition, the company pointed out that it is adopting a multi-faceted approach to the partner ecosystem, which capitalises on a variety of partnership models. These include: go-to-market partners, such as resellers, value-added resellers (VARs) and OEMs, who are an extension of the Unit4 team and are responsible for selling, implementing and supporting Unit4 solutions.
Other initiatives include roduct and innovation partners, including independent software vendors (ISVs) and OEM partners, with the key skills to optimise the functionality and performance of Unit4 solutions and service and delivery partners, who are systems integrators and implementation partners, with deep knowledge of the company’s solutions enabling them to deliver fast implementation, integrated solutions, and support services.
Supported by a dedicated global partner team that is aligned by region and vertical, new partners will undergo a newly-designed on-boarding programme which includes sales, pre-sales, implementation, and support for all Unit4 products and industries. In addition, the partner community will receive access to specialty-focused partner forums in Unit4 Community4U, and events to build knowledge and expertise, as well as marketing support and a certification programme that benefits partners at all levels.
Unit4 explained that the global partner programme operates across three levels focused on capabilities, contributions and customer satisfaction. According to the company, these include: Select partners, who are specialists in their respective markets and are new to the Unit4 partner ecosystem. Under this teir, partners have to commit to developing and supporting a long-term relationship with Unit4 while Premier partners are those organisations that demonstrate a high level of skill and market success and who can actively collaborate with Unit4 to deliver significant customer value through innovative solutions.
The Elite partner bracket comprises partners that achieve the highest level within the Unit4 partner programme and consistently demonstrate the ability to meet the highest level of success with Unit4 and customers.
Emma O’Brien, CEO, Embridge Consulting, said:“Unit4 is focused on empowering its partners to drive transformation for customers and we are honoured to be part of the Unit4 Partner Ecosystem. We are already embracing some of the latest innovations such as the extension toolkit and looking at differentiating apps we can build as a valuable add on for the customers we serve. Together we can deliver more innovation and more value to our customers.”
O’Brien added that a strong partner ecosystem delivers interoperable specialist solutions that deliver value at the heart of customer pain points.
Holger Mueller vice president and principle analyst, Constellation Research, said the pace of digital disruption is unrelenting, even more so in services industries where people need to feel empowered to work effectively. “Modern applications and digital platforms are critical to successful transformation programs; for driving innovation and new service models. A strong partner ecosystem delivers interoperable specialist solutions that deliver value at the heart of customer pain points,” Mueller added.
