How to choose a Zoho partner, and when you need one

What Zoho's partner program is

Zoho's partner page lists six programs: Consulting, Global System Integrators, Value Added Distributor, Value Added Reseller, Affiliates and Marketplace. The Consulting program helps businesses get more from Zoho through strategy, implementation, integration, training and support. Zoho cites over 2,000 partners in more than 100 countries.

Source: Zoho partners

What a consulting partner does, per Zoho

Zoho says consulting partners provide presales, consulting, product implementation, user training and post-sales support, and that this sets them apart from resellers, who may lack implementation or consulting capability. Partners help you pick the right Zoho products, configure and implement them, then customise, integrate and scale.

Source: Zoho consulting partnership, How to work with a Zoho partner (PDF)

Partner tiers

Zoho's directory shows three tiers: Authorized, Advanced and Premium. Per Zoho, Authorized partners must cross a revenue threshold, gain required certifications and show implementation successes within six months of onboarding. Advanced and Premium are set by an annual Value Scoring of up to 1,000 points: above 400 for Advanced and above 600 for Premium.

Value Scoring covers revenue, customer success (retention and satisfaction, with deductions for validated escalations), market readiness (certifications, projects, case studies) and engagement with Zoho.

Source: Zoho partner tiers, Find a Zoho partner

How to verify a partner

• Search Zoho's Partner Directory, which lists accredited partners and can be filtered by country, industry, products and certifications.
• Check the partner's tier and certifications there.
• Read the case studies and testimonials on their profile or website.
• Zoho notes that not being listed does not always mean a partner is unofficial, since they may not yet meet listing criteria. Ask the partner for their Zoho partner code or association link and check it with Zoho.

Source: Find a Zoho partner, Find a partner: points to note

Questions to ask before you hire (practical advice)

• Which Zoho products have you implemented, and are your certifications current?
• Have you worked with businesses like mine in size and industry, and can I speak to one?
• Who will actually do the work, and what is the plan for after go-live?
• How do you handle data migration and testing?
• What exactly is in scope, what is not, and how are changes priced?
• If we want to take things in-house later, will we get documentation and training?
• What are the timelines, deliverables and risks? Zoho itself recommends agreeing an SLA that sets these out at the start.

Source: Find a partner: points to note

Red flags (practical advice)

• A partner who claims official status but cannot be confirmed with Zoho.
• Vague scope, price or deliverables, or no written agreement. Zoho says it is not a party to your agreement with a partner.
• No relevant case studies or testimonials.
• Pressure to buy licences or services you cannot explain a need for.
• No plan for training or support after launch.

Source: Find a partner: points to note

About Skyfall Labs

Skyfall Labs is an official Zoho Partner (partner code SKYFALLLABS). You can read our Zoho case studies and use the questions above on us too.