Virgin Media Business is back on the reseller recruitment trail and its brazen quest to almost double current partner numbers should not be ignored.

Virgin Media Business is aiming to become a main contender in the burgeoning market for business data, and a big part of its expansion plan is a just-launched channel initiative to supply wholesale services to telecoms and data resellers. Virgin's strategy is to play to its strengths, according to Head of Wholesale Voice and Data, Jason King, and focus on the company's fibre network which represents a £13 billion investment over its lifetime and reaches 12-13 million homes and businesses.

Commenting on the new Business Partner program, King said: "It's very much a data push, and we'll be focusing on Ethernet because that's where we're strong. We will take a look at other managed products and services. And there will be white label resellers who want our end user products at a wholesale rate too. We're an alternative to BT with our own national next generation network."

The Business Partner program is based on three tiers, all designed to support existing Virgin partners and provide a structured platform for resellers looking to move into the data market. King explained that the launch will also form part of a recruitment drive in which Virgin plans to increase its customer base from 50 existing resellers to around 90 over the next few months. Access to benefits under the program will be split into gold, silver and bronze certifications, with qualification based on historical and potential contract value. King told Comms Dealer that the packages are based around three areas - sales, service and support. "On the sales side it's very much about working with partners and trying to understand their business," he said. "It's things like specialised pre-sales support, marketing and development funds to drive campaigns."

In terms of service, King says that resellers will have a unique PIN number that will be used for routing calls to the account management team. "There'll always be someone at the end of the line who's familiar with the organisation and can clearly take any potential issues that they have," he said. "It makes doing business with us that much easier."

The company has also developed an online portal for real time pricing enquiries that will generate a quote based on the bandwidth and contract terms required. The same portal will be used for provisioning installations and large volume customers will be able to integrate it into their own systems via XML. The support features of the Business Partner program will include training for new partners who need to skill-up and learn how to integrate data services into their portfolio.

Brendan Lynch, Director of Wholesale Markets, noted: "As voice margins decline resellers are looking to exploit new opportunities in the growing data market. To do that they need a partner that can offer national reach via a super-fast fibre optic network. Alongside this, a more tailored sales, service and support structure at a local level also makes a difference. We've asked the channel what it wants and the resounding response was a partner that listens and acts upon that feedback."

According to Lynch, each channel organisation will be matched with the ‘right level of support' across the three tiers. All will be given access to an online portal, featuring marketing campaign materials and information and a pricing tool. Partners in the top two tiers can also apply for marketing funds to support their activities.

A proponent of the Business Partner Programme, Tom O'Hagan, MD of Virtual1, gives the Virgin Media Business channel initiative the thumbs up: "There is nothing more frustrating than a disjointed, vendor/SI relationship. It is essential that vendors and SIs have robust communication channels so that both can ensure excellent customer service and a compelling product portfolio. The Virgin Media Business channel programme has all the right tools and support."

Launched in February 2010 Virgin Media Business is the largest B2B brand in the Virgin group. Previously known as ntl:Telewest Business, some of the companies working with the firm include South West Water, Arqiva, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership, and London City Airport.