The goal of the IPsoft Partner Program is to deliver cognitive and automation solutions to enterprises around the world via teamwork with like-minded organizations. Read more about our partner initiatives in this Q&A with one of our program leaders.
The goal of the IPsoft Partner Program is to deliver cognitive and automation solutions to enterprises around the world via teamwork with like-minded organizations. By joining forces with our partners, we’re able to bring our collective knowledge and expertise to a larger audience. One of the leaders behind the Partnership Program is Jamey Hancock, an executive with a deep background in technology who has been with IPsoft for more than 11 years. In this Q&A, we discuss with Jamey the goal’s our partner program, how we partner, and the benefits our partnerships can deliver to enterprises.
What is your main goal for the Partnership Program?
Our main goal with the Partnership Program is to identify market-leading companies that we can work with across a variety of geographies and industries, to both accelerate the adoption of IPsoft products and technologies, and to create value for our enterprise customers. We want to work with partners and create something new in the marketplace that hasn't existed before.
Could you provide some details on the variety of partners in the program?
We've constructed and organized our program to allow us to work with different types of partners, and really adapt to the specific business needs and go-to-market conditions for each partner type. At the smaller end of the spectrum we have Alliance Partners who might be smaller firms, consultancies, and occasionally even individuals who are really specialized in generating opportunities and working with us to generate demand in particular regions or vertical markets. These folks would work with us on a referral basis and would be our ambassadors in the marketplace.
Moving up the ladder we have Advisory Partners who are more strategic in nature. Typically, these are management consulting firms, companies like McKinsey or Bain, who are going to work with enterprises to build their AI strategy. We have no financial relationship with Advisory firms but we can identify common strategic objectives and work effectively together to advance AI in the marketplace.
The foundation of our Partner Program is based around Implementation Partners, Integration Partners, and Solution Partners. These are companies that are typically larger in size. They offer more technical delivery capabilities and can provide professional services in consulting to our customers in the technology space. These partnerships are key to us because they enable IPsoft to train and enable a community of experts which broadens the reach of IPsoft technologies. Implementation partners typically generate $4 in services revenue for every $1 of IPsoft product sold.
How do customers and end users in various industries benefit from the kinds of products and offerings that are developed through partnerships?
It will vary by industry or by market segment. A great example would be in healthcare where we're working with some market-leading companies that already have strong market vertical penetration, either in a hardware or software or consulting capacity, for healthcare networks, hospitals and doctors’ offices. We're working with them to create Amelia-based offerings that can effectively combine the supplier’s skills and existing technology with Amelia as an enablement layer to create something new. For example, an offering that can make doctors’ offices more efficient, either in patient onboarding or through interaction with patients in a clinical setting.
There are huge opportunities in every segment. To provide another example: We're working with insurance companies to provide combined core competencies and technology. We’re enabling our customers to create new offerings using Amelia which streamline interactions with customers, and which can securely perform complex business transactions end to end. This may include selling an insurance policy or filing a claim. We’re helping end customers do things in a way that is both more comprehensive and capable than a traditional chatbot-based scenario, but also more accessible and seamless than waiting on a telephone queue for an offshore agent to facilitate.
If somebody reads this article and thinks to themselves, "Our company would be great for an IPsoft partnership," what should they consider? How can they reach out?
We are looking for partners regardless of their overall size. We're looking for partners that access and influence the right markets. We're looking for partners that have a firm idea of their own identity in the marketplace and the application of Artificial Intelligence technologies. We're looking for partners that have some flexibility and a willingness to adapt to new processes and new technologies and, hopefully, we're looking for long-term partnerships that are both strategic and tactical in nature, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. IPsoft doesn't want all partners. We want the right partners.
So, if you are a potential partner, you should ask yourself: Is there something specific to my business or vertical? Am I an expert in retail and have some technical skills and capabilities that would enhance an offering based on AI? Does my company really specialize in a particular geography, are we well-established in that market, and could we leverage an AI platform such as Amelia to bring an offering specifically to the that market in one or more industry verticals? Those are questions that I would ask. In terms of how to contact IPsoft, the simplest way to do it is to send an email, to [email protected].
Could you discuss your background and what you've been doing at IPsoft to advance the Partner Program?
My background is unique. My first job in IT was working telephone support for a dial-up internet access provider. I later got into building websites, then software development, and eventually ended up running the IT support group for Google’s Eastern regional offices out of New York. I had a 10-year career on the technical side, but when I saw an opportunity to join IPsoft 11 ½ years ago I jumped at it. I’ve been working here on various partnership engagements since then. Most recently I've taken a senior leadership position in our global partnership organization, applying those lessons to a new standardized go-to-market partner offering that we're launching in 2019, so there’s some exciting partner news to come next year.