Tony Poer - The Evolution of Partnerships in CX

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we sit down with Tony Poer, Director of Channel CX Programs at 8x8, to dig into a problem most channel teams recognize but rarely fix: partners are overloaded with information, yet still underprepared to sell. Drawing from his shift out of sales engineering and into the channel, Tony explains why the real unlock is better translation, not better content. Turning recurring customer challenges into simple, repeatable ways for partners to engage is where scale actually happens.

The conversation quickly shifts from theory into what actually works in practice. Tony explains why traditional enablement formats like feature walkthroughs, product-heavy webinars, and static portals rarely land, and what works better instead: customer-led conversations, strong discovery, and guidance that reflects how people really sell. We also get into the reality of current partner ecosystems. Not all partners are equal, and treating them as such slows everything down. Segmenting by capability and intent, then adjusting how you support each group, is what separates programs that grow from those that stall.

AI enters the conversation not as a buzzword, but as a tool to sharpen thinking. Tony shares how 8x8 uses AI internally to build “value maps” that evolve with every interaction, bringing together customer context, past deals, and live signals to guide better decisions. But the strongest point lands elsewhere: partners who win are the ones willing to push back. Customers often ask for solutions shaped by outdated systems. The job is to challenge that, uncover the real issue, and solve the problem that actually matters.

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