ACN Taps Panasonic's SIP Phones to Extend its Competitive Offering

For almost two decades, ACN has charged the SMB to do one thing – put your small business into overdrive.

And thanks to a little help from ACN, a direct selling telecommunications and essential services company for residential and business customers, that request is possible. Founded in 1993, ACN empowers individuals to become their own bosses by creating home-based business and deploying ACN’s products and services.

“Our product portfolio is comprised of the essential services that people need and use every day,” Michael Whitt, vice president of business development N.A. for ACN, told TMCnet. “ACN makes these services available to all potential customers through our global network of over 200,000 independent business owners.  ACN believes in the strength of our product portfolio and that the best way of customer distribution is via the power of relationship selling and direct marketing.”

“ACN is a sales and marketing customer acquisition channel focused on telecommunications and other essential home services that is committed to making the ACN home-based business the best direct selling opportunity in the world,” he added.

From offering digital phone services to Local/LD to television to home security to SMB products and services, there is little that ACN does not offer. That extensive suite of services has resulted in the company finding success in 23 countries and approaching $1 billion in annual revenues.

ACN has achieved this success in large part thanks to its direct sales vertical that provides a “fascinating, robust, and essentially limitless pool” of new and charged independent business owner talent that serves as its distribution channel, according to Whitt.

“Through wholesale and agency relationships with the major carriers, plus ACN-developed and owned network services, ACN has assembled a comprehensive portfolio of telecommunications and essential services for residential and business customers,” Whitt said.

When it came to making its offerings even more competitive and comprehensive, however, ACN found itself casting its sights on Panasonic (News - Alert), a leading provider of SIP phones and SIP end points solutions.

ACN choose to supply Panasonic’s TGP550, a SIP Expandable Cordless Phone (News - Alert) System with Corded Handset Base Station and 1 Cordless Handset.

“Panasonic is a recognized and consistent market leader in CPE,” Whitt said. “The SMB devices ACN has launched in our channel have provided a superb end user experience from their plug-and-play easy install to the intuitive design all while interfacing seamlessly with our VoIP network.”

“In addition to the quality of the devices, our account team has provided superior focus, support and technical and strategic assistance,” he added.

It seems ACN had the right idea when it tapped Panasonic’s services as the SIP phones company recently made the news when it was named a 2012 Today's Facility Magazine (TFM) Readers' Choice Award winner in the office technology/equipment category. Panasonic is committed to providing facility managers with robust, highly reliable communications solutions that are stylish and cost effective for the modern facility.

So what’s next for ACN and its industry as we look ahead to the rest of 2012?

“ACN will continue to aggressively and strategically expand our residential and business footprints and portfolio,” Whitt said. “As services and products continue rapid convergence, we’ll continue to partner with companies like Panasonic who focus on the immediate needs of today’s market realities while recognizing the long-term value proposition of strategic distribution partnerships.”

For more about ACN click here and to visit its product storefront, click here.