Are Channel Managers Struggling to Maximize Partner Revenue? -

Most channel managers don't track revenue and partner activities, according to a new survey sponsored by partner relationship management (PRM) software provider Relayware. The survey of 319 channel managers indicated respondents were "generally unsatisfied with their current resources to manage partner relationships," Relayware noted. In addition, the survey showed measurement is "a major blind spot" for channel managers.

The Relayware survey results included:

69 percent of channel managers said they do not track both revenue and partner activities.

Nearly half of respondents said they believe they spend a lot of time on tasks that may not make their channel partner(s) more productive.

On average, it takes most channel managers at least 20 minutes to calculate the revenue of their largest partner from the past six months.

Moreover, the survey provided insights into how channel managers leverage PRM systems.

Partner Relationship Management: A Closer Look

One-third of channel managers do not use PRM systems to collaborate with channel partners, according to the survey. Meanwhile, among channel managers who do not use PRM systems, the survey showed none were "very satisfied" with their training resources.

Conversely, channel managers who used PRM systems were nearly 10 times more likely to be satisfied with the resources to maintain and grow partner relationships than those who did not, the survey revealed. Channel managers who used PRM systems also were over four times more likely to be "very satisfied with their resources to measure channel partner engagement, productivity, revenue and more."