Channel Survey
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1. Default Section

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1. We are now at the tail end of a really bad recession. At the same time, the enterprise communications market is experiencing a major paradigm shift due to a number of factors, including: network convergence and migration to IP telephony, application integration and adoption of UC technologies, virtualization, and the need for tighter coordination of IT and telecom investments within customer organizations. Which of the following best describe your KEY CHALLENGES as a VAR/SI/distributor/service provider:

Other (please specify)

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2. What are your KEY OBJECTIVES over the next 12 to 18 months? Please rate each on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

	Most Important Objective	Somewhat Important Objective	Least Important Objective	N/A
Expand product portfolio	*What are your KEY OBJECTIVES over the next 12 to 18 months? Please rate each on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important. Expand product portfolio Most Important Objective	Expand product portfolio Somewhat Important Objective	Expand product portfolio Least Important Objective	Expand product portfolio N/A
Diversify vendor mix	Diversify vendor mix Most Important Objective	Diversify vendor mix Somewhat Important Objective	Diversify vendor mix Least Important Objective	Diversify vendor mix N/A
Ramp up services skills through hiring and/or training	Ramp up services skills through hiring and/or training Most Important Objective	Ramp up services skills through hiring and/or training Somewhat Important Objective	Ramp up services skills through hiring and/or training Least Important Objective	Ramp up services skills through hiring and/or training N/A
Become a managed services provider or enhance existing managed services capabilities	Become a managed services provider or enhance existing managed services capabilities Most Important Objective	Become a managed services provider or enhance existing managed services capabilities Somewhat Important Objective	Become a managed services provider or enhance existing managed services capabilities Least Important Objective	Become a managed services provider or enhance existing managed services capabilities N/A
Become a hosted services provider or enhance existing hosted services capabilities	Become a hosted services provider or enhance existing hosted services capabilities Most Important Objective	Become a hosted services provider or enhance existing hosted services capabilities Somewhat Important Objective	Become a hosted services provider or enhance existing hosted services capabilities Least Important Objective	Become a hosted services provider or enhance existing hosted services capabilities N/A
Secure additional financing	Secure additional financing Most Important Objective	Secure additional financing Somewhat Important Objective	Secure additional financing Least Important Objective	Secure additional financing N/A
Align strategies and resources more closely with vendors' strategies and resources	Align strategies and resources more closely with vendors' strategies and resources Most Important Objective	Align strategies and resources more closely with vendors' strategies and resources Somewhat Important Objective	Align strategies and resources more closely with vendors' strategies and resources Least Important Objective	Align strategies and resources more closely with vendors' strategies and resources N/A
Seek mergers or acquisitions to improve competitive positioning	Seek mergers or acquisitions to improve competitive positioning Most Important Objective	Seek mergers or acquisitions to improve competitive positioning Somewhat Important Objective	Seek mergers or acquisitions to improve competitive positioning Least Important Objective	Seek mergers or acquisitions to improve competitive positioning N/A
Work more closely (in a more consultative fashion) with customers to better understand their needs and design/deliver the most beneficial solutions for their needs	Work more closely (in a more consultative fashion) with customers to better understand their needs and design/deliver the most beneficial solutions for their needs Most Important Objective	Work more closely (in a more consultative fashion) with customers to better understand their needs and design/deliver the most beneficial solutions for their needs Somewhat Important Objective	Work more closely (in a more consultative fashion) with customers to better understand their needs and design/deliver the most beneficial solutions for their needs Least Important Objective	Work more closely (in a more consultative fashion) with customers to better understand their needs and design/deliver the most beneficial solutions for their needs N/A
Stimulate demand through creative packaging/bundling and/or leasing/financing programs	Stimulate demand through creative packaging/bundling and/or leasing/financing programs Most Important Objective	Stimulate demand through creative packaging/bundling and/or leasing/financing programs Somewhat Important Objective	Stimulate demand through creative packaging/bundling and/or leasing/financing programs Least Important Objective	Stimulate demand through creative packaging/bundling and/or leasing/financing programs N/A

Other (please specify)

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3. Which technology trends do you expect to have the greatest impact on your business over the next 12 to 18 months? Rate the options below on a scale of: Large Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact.

	Large Impact	Medium Impact	Small Impact	N/A
Network convergence and migration to IP telephony	*Which technology trends do you expect to have the greatest impact on your business over the next 12 to 18 months? Rate the options below on a scale of: Large Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact. Network convergence and migration to IP telephony Large Impact	Network convergence and migration to IP telephony Medium Impact	Network convergence and migration to IP telephony Small Impact	Network convergence and migration to IP telephony N/A
Application integration and Unified Communications (UC) adoption	Application integration and Unified Communications (UC) adoption Large Impact	Application integration and Unified Communications (UC) adoption Medium Impact	Application integration and Unified Communications (UC) adoption Small Impact	Application integration and Unified Communications (UC) adoption N/A
Server virtualization	Server virtualization Large Impact	Server virtualization Medium Impact	Server virtualization Small Impact	Server virtualization N/A
Application virtialization	Application virtialization Large Impact	Application virtialization Medium Impact	Application virtialization Small Impact	Application virtialization N/A
Cloud computing, SaaS and hosted communications	Cloud computing, SaaS and hosted communications Large Impact	Cloud computing, SaaS and hosted communications Medium Impact	Cloud computing, SaaS and hosted communications Small Impact	Cloud computing, SaaS and hosted communications N/A
Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP)	Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP) Large Impact	Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP) Medium Impact	Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP) Small Impact	Communications-enabled Business Processes (CEBP) N/A
Social networking	Social networking Large Impact	Social networking Medium Impact	Social networking Small Impact	Social networking N/A

Other (please specify)

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4. In view of the trends and challenges identified in question (1.), do you believe you receive a sufficient amount of support and guidance from the vendors/service providers, whose products/services you are reselling?

In view of the trends and challenges identified in question (1.), do you believe you receive a sufficient amount of support and guidance from the vendors/service providers, whose products/services you are reselling? a) Yes, vendors and service providers have been most supportive

b) Yes, we receive some support and guidance, but we need more

c) Some vendors and service providers have been supportive, others - not

d) No, not at all

Other (please specify)

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5. Please identify the following:

Please identify the following: a) Name the vendor/s and/or service providers that are being MOST supportive
b) Name the vendor/s and/or service providers that are being LEAST supportive

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6. What do you believe your SMB customers value the most and require in order to spend more on IT and communications products? Please rank the options below from one to seven, where one is the most valued item and 7 is the least valued (please make sure that your answers show 1 to 7 without repetitions e.g.: do not use rank #4 twice)

	Ranking
Lower prices	What do you believe your SMB customers value the most and require in order to spend more on IT and communications products? Please rank the options below from one to seven, where one is the most valued item and 7 is the least valued (please make sure that your answers show 1 to 7 without repetitions e.g.: do not use rank #4 twice) Lower prices Ranking
Plug-and-play solutions that are easy to set up and manage	Plug-and-play solutions that are easy to set up and manage Ranking
More extensive services and support from vendors and channel partners	More extensive services and support from vendors and channel partners Ranking
Leasing programs that replace upfront costs with recurring monthly expenses	Leasing programs that replace upfront costs with recurring monthly expenses Ranking
Managed and/or hosted services that partially or completely eliminate the need for in-house IT/communications expertise	Managed and/or hosted services that partially or completely eliminate the need for in-house IT/communications expertise Ranking
Clear and economical migration paths to new products and upgrades	Clear and economical migration paths to new products and upgrades Ranking
Better features than those presently available on SMB solutions	Better features than those presently available on SMB solutions Ranking

Other (please specify)

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7. How can your vendor/service provider partner support you better going forward? Please rate the options below using the following scale: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important

	Most Important	Somewhat Important	Least Important
Through additional marketing collateral	*How can your vendor/service provider partner support you better going forward? Please rate the options below using the following scale: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important Through additional marketing collateral Most Important	Through additional marketing collateral Somewhat Important	Through additional marketing collateral Least Important
Through more efficient inventory management	Through more efficient inventory management Most Important	Through more efficient inventory management Somewhat Important	Through more efficient inventory management Least Important
Through greater discounts	Through greater discounts Most Important	Through greater discounts Somewhat Important	Through greater discounts Least Important
Though more creative leasing programs	Though more creative leasing programs Most Important	Though more creative leasing programs Somewhat Important	Though more creative leasing programs Least Important
Through better and/or more extensive training	Through better and/or more extensive training Most Important	Through better and/or more extensive training Somewhat Important	Through better and/or more extensive training Least Important
By enabling you to provide managed services	By enabling you to provide managed services Most Important	By enabling you to provide managed services Somewhat Important	By enabling you to provide managed services Least Important
Through lead sharing	Through lead sharing Most Important	Through lead sharing Somewhat Important	Through lead sharing Least Important
Through better differentiation and clear delineation of accounts targeted directly and those handled by the channel	Through better differentiation and clear delineation of accounts targeted directly and those handled by the channel Most Important	Through better differentiation and clear delineation of accounts targeted directly and those handled by the channel Somewhat Important	Through better differentiation and clear delineation of accounts targeted directly and those handled by the channel Least Important
By sharing a clearer vision and product roadmaps	By sharing a clearer vision and product roadmaps Most Important	By sharing a clearer vision and product roadmaps Somewhat Important	By sharing a clearer vision and product roadmaps Least Important
Through more extensive product portfolios	Through more extensive product portfolios Most Important	Through more extensive product portfolios Somewhat Important	Through more extensive product portfolios Least Important
By offering products that are specifically targeted at the SMB market, rather than downsized products originally developed for larger businesses	By offering products that are specifically targeted at the SMB market, rather than downsized products originally developed for larger businesses Most Important	By offering products that are specifically targeted at the SMB market, rather than downsized products originally developed for larger businesses Somewhat Important	By offering products that are specifically targeted at the SMB market, rather than downsized products originally developed for larger businesses Least Important
By developing vertical-specific products	By developing vertical-specific products Most Important	By developing vertical-specific products Somewhat Important	By developing vertical-specific products Least Important
By developing vertical-specific sales and marketing strategies	By developing vertical-specific sales and marketing strategies Most Important	By developing vertical-specific sales and marketing strategies Somewhat Important	By developing vertical-specific sales and marketing strategies Least Important

Other (please specify)

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8. Do you believe businesses now understand the concept of Unified Communications (UC)?

Do you believe businesses now understand the concept of Unified Communications (UC)? a) Yes

b) No

c) Somewhat, but are still confused

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9. Based on your experience, what are the key pain points businesses are looking to address with advanced communications applications and UC solutions. Please rate the options below based on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

	Most Important	Somewhat Important	Least Important
a) Challenges of multitasking	*Based on your experience, what are the key pain points businesses are looking to address with advanced communications applications and UC solutions. Please rate the options below based on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important. a) Challenges of multitasking Most Important	a) Challenges of multitasking Somewhat Important	a) Challenges of multitasking Least Important
b) Improve internal collaboration and project management efficiency	b) Improve internal collaboration and project management efficiency Most Important	b) Improve internal collaboration and project management efficiency Somewhat Important	b) Improve internal collaboration and project management efficiency Least Important
c) Improve efficiency of external communications and collaboration (with customers, partners, suppliers, etc.)	c) Improve efficiency of external communications and collaboration (with customers, partners, suppliers, etc.) Most Important	c) Improve efficiency of external communications and collaboration (with customers, partners, suppliers, etc.) Somewhat Important	c) Improve efficiency of external communications and collaboration (with customers, partners, suppliers, etc.) Least Important
d) Improve customer service	d) Improve customer service Most Important	d) Improve customer service Somewhat Important	d) Improve customer service Least Important
e) Facilitate and accelerate key business processes by integrating communications into business process applications	e) Facilitate and accelerate key business processes by integrating communications into business process applications Most Important	e) Facilitate and accelerate key business processes by integrating communications into business process applications Somewhat Important	e) Facilitate and accelerate key business processes by integrating communications into business process applications Least Important
f) Deliver more cost-effective communication and collaboration tools to remote workers	f) Deliver more cost-effective communication and collaboration tools to remote workers Most Important	f) Deliver more cost-effective communication and collaboration tools to remote workers Somewhat Important	f) Deliver more cost-effective communication and collaboration tools to remote workers Least Important
g) Reduce mobile communication costs	g) Reduce mobile communication costs Most Important	g) Reduce mobile communication costs Somewhat Important	g) Reduce mobile communication costs Least Important
h) Reduce travel costs (e.g. through advanced conferencing applications)	h) Reduce travel costs (e.g. through advanced conferencing applications) Most Important	h) Reduce travel costs (e.g. through advanced conferencing applications) Somewhat Important	h) Reduce travel costs (e.g. through advanced conferencing applications) Least Important

Other (please specify)

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10. Which vertical industries are, in your opinion, most interested in deploying advanced communications applications and UC (please choose only the TOP THREE verticals from below).

Which vertical industries are, in your opinion, most interested in deploying advanced communications applications and UC (please choose only the TOP THREE verticals from below). a) Healthcare

b) Financial services

c) Education

d) Government

e) Manufacturing

f) Retail

g) Professional services (legal, real estate, consulting, accounting, HR, etc.)

h) IT/telcom vendors and svc providers

i) Constructions

Other (please specify)

	Most Critical Challenge	Important Challenge	Marginally Relevant Challenge	N/A
Financial constraints	*We are now at the tail end of a really bad recession. At the same time, the enterprise communications market is experiencing a major paradigm shift due to a number of factors, including: network convergence and migration to IP telephony, application integration and adoption of UC technologies, virtualization, and the need for tighter coordination of IT and telecom investments within customer organizations. Which of the following best describe your KEY CHALLENGES as a VAR/SI/distributor/service provider: Financial constraints Most Critical Challenge	Financial constraints Important Challenge	Financial constraints Marginally Relevant Challenge	Financial constraints N/A
Uncertainty about vendor viability and product roadmaps	Uncertainty about vendor viability and product roadmaps Most Critical Challenge	Uncertainty about vendor viability and product roadmaps Important Challenge	Uncertainty about vendor viability and product roadmaps Marginally Relevant Challenge	Uncertainty about vendor viability and product roadmaps N/A
Price pressures and declining margins	Price pressures and declining margins Most Critical Challenge	Price pressures and declining margins Important Challenge	Price pressures and declining margins Marginally Relevant Challenge	Price pressures and declining margins N/A
High customer churn	High customer churn Most Critical Challenge	High customer churn Important Challenge	High customer churn Marginally Relevant Challenge	High customer churn N/A
Customer insolvency	Customer insolvency Most Critical Challenge	Customer insolvency Important Challenge	Customer insolvency Marginally Relevant Challenge	Customer insolvency N/A
Growing competition	Growing competition Most Critical Challenge	Growing competition Important Challenge	Growing competition Marginally Relevant Challenge	Growing competition N/A
Small target market(constrained by geographic reach or product mix)	Small target market(constrained by geographic reach or product mix) Most Critical Challenge	Small target market(constrained by geographic reach or product mix) Important Challenge	Small target market(constrained by geographic reach or product mix) Marginally Relevant Challenge	Small target market(constrained by geographic reach or product mix) N/A
Customer limited awareness and confusion about certain advanced technologies and their specific benefits	Customer limited awareness and confusion about certain advanced technologies and their specific benefits Most Critical Challenge	Customer limited awareness and confusion about certain advanced technologies and their specific benefits Important Challenge	Customer limited awareness and confusion about certain advanced technologies and their specific benefits Marginally Relevant Challenge	Customer limited awareness and confusion about certain advanced technologies and their specific benefits N/A
Limited product mix/diversity	Limited product mix/diversity Most Critical Challenge	Limited product mix/diversity Important Challenge	Limited product mix/diversity Marginally Relevant Challenge	Limited product mix/diversity N/A
Available skills and expertise not up-to-date to support evolving technologies and customer needs	Available skills and expertise not up-to-date to support evolving technologies and customer needs Most Critical Challenge	Available skills and expertise not up-to-date to support evolving technologies and customer needs Important Challenge	Available skills and expertise not up-to-date to support evolving technologies and customer needs Marginally Relevant Challenge	Available skills and expertise not up-to-date to support evolving technologies and customer needs N/A
Resource constraints and inability to deliver services and technical assistance on a large scale	Resource constraints and inability to deliver services and technical assistance on a large scale Most Critical Challenge	Resource constraints and inability to deliver services and technical assistance on a large scale Important Challenge	Resource constraints and inability to deliver services and technical assistance on a large scale Marginally Relevant Challenge	Resource constraints and inability to deliver services and technical assistance on a large scale N/A
Limited ability to generate recurring revenues	Limited ability to generate recurring revenues Most Critical Challenge	Limited ability to generate recurring revenues Important Challenge	Limited ability to generate recurring revenues Marginally Relevant Challenge	Limited ability to generate recurring revenues N/A
Existing marketing and sales approach does not match evolving decision-making processes within customer organizations	Existing marketing and sales approach does not match evolving decision-making processes within customer organizations Most Critical Challenge	Existing marketing and sales approach does not match evolving decision-making processes within customer organizations Important Challenge	Existing marketing and sales approach does not match evolving decision-making processes within customer organizations Marginally Relevant Challenge	Existing marketing and sales approach does not match evolving decision-making processes within customer organizations N/A
Insufficient/ineffective product marketing and sales collateral from vendors	Insufficient/ineffective product marketing and sales collateral from vendors Most Critical Challenge	Insufficient/ineffective product marketing and sales collateral from vendors Important Challenge	Insufficient/ineffective product marketing and sales collateral from vendors Marginally Relevant Challenge	Insufficient/ineffective product marketing and sales collateral from vendors N/A
Outdated vendor incentive and certification programs	Outdated vendor incentive and certification programs Most Critical Challenge	Outdated vendor incentive and certification programs Important Challenge	Outdated vendor incentive and certification programs Marginally Relevant Challenge	Outdated vendor incentive and certification programs N/A
Inefficient inventory management systems	Inefficient inventory management systems Most Critical Challenge	Inefficient inventory management systems Important Challenge	Inefficient inventory management systems Marginally Relevant Challenge	Inefficient inventory management systems N/A
Competition from vendor direct sales	Competition from vendor direct sales Most Critical Challenge	Competition from vendor direct sales Important Challenge	Competition from vendor direct sales Marginally Relevant Challenge	Competition from vendor direct sales N/A
Hosted/cloud services	Hosted/cloud services Most Critical Challenge	Hosted/cloud services Important Challenge	Hosted/cloud services Marginally Relevant Challenge	Hosted/cloud services N/A
Conflicts across channels and channel tiers created by vendors looking to foster competition and expand customer reach	Conflicts across channels and channel tiers created by vendors looking to foster competition and expand customer reach Most Critical Challenge	Conflicts across channels and channel tiers created by vendors looking to foster competition and expand customer reach Important Challenge	Conflicts across channels and channel tiers created by vendors looking to foster competition and expand customer reach Marginally Relevant Challenge	Conflicts across channels and channel tiers created by vendors looking to foster competition and expand customer reach N/A

Channel Survey Exit this survey

1. Default Section

*2. What are your KEY OBJECTIVES over the next 12 to 18 months? Please rate each on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

*3. Which technology trends do you expect to have the greatest impact on your business over the next 12 to 18 months? Rate the options below on a scale of: Large Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact.

*4. In view of the trends and challenges identified in question (1.), do you believe you receive a sufficient amount of support and guidance from the vendors/service providers, whose products/services you are reselling?

*5. Please identify the following:

*7. How can your vendor/service provider partner support you better going forward? Please rate the options below using the following scale: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important

*8. Do you believe businesses now understand the concept of Unified Communications (UC)?

*9. Based on your experience, what are the key pain points businesses are looking to address with advanced communications applications and UC solutions. Please rate the options below based on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

*10. Which vertical industries are, in your opinion, most interested in deploying advanced communications applications and UC (please choose only the TOP THREE verticals from below).

Channel Survey
Exit this survey

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2. What are your KEY OBJECTIVES over the next 12 to 18 months? Please rate each on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

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3. Which technology trends do you expect to have the greatest impact on your business over the next 12 to 18 months? Rate the options below on a scale of: Large Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact.

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4. In view of the trends and challenges identified in question (1.), do you believe you receive a sufficient amount of support and guidance from the vendors/service providers, whose products/services you are reselling?

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5. Please identify the following:

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7. How can your vendor/service provider partner support you better going forward? Please rate the options below using the following scale: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important

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8. Do you believe businesses now understand the concept of Unified Communications (UC)?

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9. Based on your experience, what are the key pain points businesses are looking to address with advanced communications applications and UC solutions. Please rate the options below based on a scale of: Most Important, Somewhat Important and Least Important.

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10. Which vertical industries are, in your opinion, most interested in deploying advanced communications applications and UC (please choose only the TOP THREE verticals from below).