Channel Partner Success Story Forerunner Technologies

"We take customer service very seriously. We have built the business around our reliability and providing a white glove experience to customers."

Channel Partner Success Story Forerunner Technologies

Company Overview

Founded in 1989, Forerunner Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services to business of all sizes and industries. Forerunner CEO, Paul Diesu and VP of Sales and Marketing, Rick Taylor have extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and helped build Forerunner’s reputation of providing tier-one customer service through personalized services and flexible solutions. “We take customer service very seriously. We have built the business around our reliability and providing a white glove experience to customers,” Paul explains.

After years of selling on-premises PBX systems, Forerunner realized that many of their customers were shifting to cloud-based Unified Communications (UCaaS) solutions.

The Challenge

Paul Diesu and Rick Taylor knew they needed to provide customers with a reliable, cloud-based UC offering, but feared that reselling another company’s cloud portfolio wouldn’t allow them to offer the white-glove, top-tier service customers had become accustomed to. Forerunner decided to white label another vendor’s cloud portfolio as their own, but quickly realized it was going to be difficult to compete. “There were so many larger cloud companies that already had so much of the market share; it was hard to come in as a traditional on-premises telecommunications provider and make a name for ourselves as a cloud provider,” says Rick.  

Forerunner had a few disappointing experiences reselling other cloud vendor’s, whose solutions proved ineffective at meeting customers’ needs, and Forerunner’s needs. Rick explains, “Our operating costs were too high, and maintenance became very complicated and time consuming.” Paul adds, “Our customers needed more versatility in how, when, and where employees could communicate - our past offering could not meet their expectations.”

Forerunner continued to search for a cloud provider that could deliver a full suite of reliable, fully integrated, easy-to-use, and well-supported communications solutions, with a partner model more favorable to their business.


The Solution

 “The Partner Model and the robust features offered with UNIVERGE BLUE® were ultimately why we decided to expand our relationship with NEC to sell [UNIVERGE BLUE] CLOUD SERVICES.”

UNIVERGE BLUE’S local support, easy administration, and robust features combined with the ability to maintain the customer relationship through the Customer Ownership Model has solved many challenges Forerunner previously faced.

NEC allows partners to sell under their own brand. The Customer Ownership model is unique in comparison to other UCaaS offerings and allows businesses to better control the end user experience while keeping costs in line.

Paul Diesu,
CEO Forerunner

The Results

The tradition of providing clients with reliable and flexible solutions continue as Forerunner transitions into a cloud service technology partner. Since becoming a UNIVERGE BLUE Partner, Forerunner has seen an increase in their efficiency, customer satisfaction, and cost savings that they have been able to pass on to their customers.

Products Forerunner offers:

STRESS-FREECLOUD EXPERIENCE

Security

Advanced protection against malware, viruses, phishing, and hackers

Support

24/7 support from live experts EVERY time you call

Compliance

Built to help healthcare, legal services and financial firms stay compliant

Reliability

Ready when you are, whether you’re in the office or working remotely

Scalability

30+ integrated apps that are easy to add as your business grows