Overview
Partner Tiers allow you to create thresholds that recognize partners' engagement and automatically progress them to the relevant tier based on their activities in the portal. Tiering is an important tool in incentivizing and managing partner engagement with your program.
In most situations, you can use Tiers and Partner Groups interchangeably to manage access to your program features:
- Goals and Tiers - Explicitly recognize when partners have completed specific action sets in your portal
- Partner Groups - Associate Tiers with Partner Groups to implement complex Tier progression logic
Tiering is most effective if you clearly communicate to your partners what they must do to progress and what the benefits of progression are. If your partners do not have this information, they are less likely to perform the desired tasks.
Unifyr provides the option to translate your Tier Programs into multiple languages. For more information, see Translate a Tier Program.
A Tier Program can be as simple or complex as you need. Here are some examples:
Basic Example: Graduating Partners through On-Boarding Program
At its most basic, tiering can consist of a single threshold. You could, for example, create a portal site that covers the basic policies and requirements of your program. When a partner completes all the required steps (reading program terms and conditions, watching a video introduction, etc.), they automatically progress to the Full Partner Tier. You can use partner group rules to grant access to the full program for members of Full Partner.
Advanced Example: Performance-Driven Access to Opportunities
You could opt to give high-performing partners first chance at new leads. You could define high-performance in different ways: either as a partner who closes the most deals or the partner who generates the most leads even if these are ultimately closed by other partners. The requirements of progression are entirely up to you.
Advanced Example: Multiple Tier Programs
Unifyr supports the creation of multiple Tier Programs and each program can be restricted to one or more partner groups. This means that it is trivial to create different Tier Programs for partners that serve different markets.
Note: As best practice when implementing segmented Tier Programs, ensure that each partner can only access one Tier Program at a time.
As with all aspects of your strategy, you should consider your channel objectives and align the partner Tiers to support it and drive partner engagement. There is no value in creating a multi-tiered program if all, or none, of your partners, will be able to achieve differentiation. If the threshold is too low for each Tier, your partners won't need to work hard to progress. If it's too high, Tiers may be seen as unattainable. Iterative reviews and calibration are important contributors to Tier Program results.
Note
Goals, Tiers, and Tier Programs can also be created for your Providers.
Intended Audience
Channel Sales Director
Contents
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How to Create a Partner Tier Program
Partner Tier Programs are sequences of incremental achievement-driven Tiers. This procedure explains how to create the basic framework for a Tier program. Later sections tell you how to manage the Tiers in the program, the Goals (achievements) in each Tier for the user to complete, the Partner Groups that have access to the program, and the processing of Tier membership.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click Create Tier Program.
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In the Create New Tier Program screen, provide the following information:
Parameter Type Description Name Text Provide a unique name for the Tier Program. Display Name Text Provide the name of the Tier Program as it will appear to partners in the portal.
Must be unique.
Description Text Provide overview information about the objectives and strategy of this Tier Program. Partner Groups Dropdown Select the Partner Groups that are eligible for this program. Tiers n/a Default Tiers named Silver, Gold, and Platinum are provided. To change the name of a Tier, click on the name and enter the new name in the text box.
Click Add to add new Tiers.
To delete a Tier from the program, click its name then the red X next to it.
You can change the list of Tiers and add images to them at a later stage - see How to Manage the Tiers in the Program below.
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Click Save. The Tier Program edit screen opens, where you can:
- Configure the program’s Tiers in Configure > Tiers
- Manage the Goals for each Tier of the program in Configure > Goals
- Set up the processing of Tier information in Configure > Details
Example of a Tier Program
- Bronze Tier
- (No prerequisite tier) Member of partner group AND achievement criteria At least 5 users have logged into the portal for the first time
- Achievement Badge = Image of a Bronze medal
- Silver Tier
- Completed Tier 1 AND Member of partner group AND achievement criteria Has updated their company profile once or more AND Has activated the campaign named Campaign with Agency Offering
- Achievement Badge = Image of a Silver medal
- Gold Tier
- Member of Tiers 1, 2 AND Member of partner group AND achievement criteria Has registered 100 leads
- Achievement Badge = Image of a Gold medal
- Platinum Tier
- Member of Tiers 1, 2, 3 AND Member of partner group AND achievement criteria Has closed deals to the value of $200,000
- Achievement Badge = Image of a Platinum medal
How to Manage the Tiers in a Program
A Tier represents a set of activities (Goals) that a user must complete to progress to the next Tier.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Tiers.
- In the Tiers screen, select Create Tier.
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In the Create Tier window, add this information:
Parameter Description Name Provide the name of the Tier as it will appear to the partners in the portal. Description [Optional] Provide a description of the Tier. Image [Optional] Upload an image to be used as the achievement badge for the Tier - Click Create.
- In the Tiers screen, go to the Tier you want to rename, and click on it to open it for edit.
- Add the new name in the Name field.
- Click Save.
A tier doesn't have to have an image, but it does help recognition and differentiation in the portal.
- In the Tiers screen, go to the Tier that needs an image, and click on it to open it for edit.
- In the Image field, click Browse.
- Find the image you want to add and upload it to the field. Accepted file types are JPEG, GIF, PNG.
- Click Save.
In the Tiers screen, drag and drop the Tiers into the order you want them presented - from the lowest level down.
- In the Tiers screen, click the trashcan icon next to the Tier you want to delete.
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A pop-up asks you to confirm that you want to delete the tier. Click Delete.
Note
Any Goals that are only included in this Tier will also be deleted. Your partner may be working on this Tier or its Goals. We suggest communicating changes to Tiers/Goals in the program to your partners before making them.
How to Manage the Goals in a Tier
A Goal is an activity that a user must complete, usually as part of a set of achievements in their current Tier. You can have an unlimited number of Goals in a Tier Program.
Goals can be single use or configured for reuse across the Tiers in the program - set up the Goal configuration and choose the Tiers in the program it applies to. Note that reuse is not permitted for Goals of type Event. For some types of Goal, you can set a different achievement level for the Goal in each Tier. This prevents you from having to repeat the set up for every Tier in which the Goal is used.
Note
We recommend having the Tiers of the program set up before adding Goals.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Goals.
- In the Goals screen, click Create Goal (or Add Goal if your program already has some Goals configured).
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In the Create New Goal window, enter this information:
Parameter Type Description Name Text Enter a partner-facing name for the Goal. Partner CTA Text Enter a short description of the activity represented by the Goal.
This field may not be available in your implementation.
Tiers Multi-select Select the Tier(s) to which the Goal applies.
If you select multiple Tiers, you will have the opportunity to set different achievement levels for the Goal in each Tier, if required. This applies to Goals based on Training, Leads, and Deals objectives.
Requirements Specify the requirements for completing the Goal, using rules Object Type Dropdown Select the object type that will be examined for this rule:
- Partner Fields
- Selected Partners
- Partner Groups
- Marketing Activities
- Partner Profile
- Training
- Deals
- Leads
- Events
Object Dropdown Select which object will be evaluated for the rule.
If you’re configuring a rule based on the Events object, you can choose activities from various areas of the portal as the subject, such as Certification Completed, Deal Distributed, Partner User First Login, etc.
Operator Dropdown Select the operator for the rule. Value Dropdown Specify the value that must be currently applied to the object/aspect for the rule to be evaluated as TRUE.
If you’re configuring a rule based on Marketing Campaigns the user has activated, all active campaigns from Partner Marketing > Campaigns that have valid effectivity are listed for selection.
If you’re configuring a rule based on Deals, you can specify the Type, Stage, Currency, Status and Close Date of Deals to take into account.
Note: When using the Deal object, Status defaults to Approved. Remember to adjust the status if necessary.
If you’re configuring a rule based on Leads, you can specify the Registration Date of Leads to take into account.
If you’re configuring a rule based on the Training, Leads, or Deals objects, you are presented with a field for each Tier to which the Goal applies. Add the Tier-specific values in the fields.
Example 1:
Configuration: Events / Partner User First Login / At Least / 5
Description: At least 5 users have logged into the partner portal for the first time
Example 2:
Configuration: Events / Company Profile Updated / At Least / 1
Description: The partner has updated their company profile once or more
Example 3:
Configuration: Marketing Actions / Campaign / Activated / Campaign with Agency Offering
Description: The partner has activated the campaign named Campaign with Agency Offering
Example 4:
Configuration: Leads / Registered / At Least / 10 (Silver), 50 (Gold), 100 (Platinum) / Registration Date = All Time
Description: Partner has generated at least 10 leads (Silver Tier), 50 leads (Gold Tier), 100 leads (Platinum Tier)
Example 5:
Configuration: Deals / Total Value / Is / 2000 (Silver), 10000 (Gold), 20000 (Platinum) / Stage = Closed Won / Currency = USD
Description: Partner has closed deals to the value of $2000 (Silver Tier), $10000 (Gold Tier), $200000 (Platinum Tier)
- Click Save.
- Click Add Goal to repeat this process and add more Goals to your program, as required.
When you’ve finished, the Goals are listed in Configure > Goals with their Tiers assigned.
- In the Goals screen, click on the Goal you want to edit.
- Make the required changes to the Goal.
- Click Save.
- In the Goals screen, click on the Goal you want to delete to open it for edit.
- Click Delete Goal.
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A pop-up asks you to confirm that you want to delete the Goal. Click Delete.
Note
Your partners may be working on this Goal. We suggest communicating changes to Tiers/Goals in the program to your partners before making them.
How to Assign a Tier Program to Partners
You can assign your Tier Program to specific Partner Groups, to ensure that the activities are targeted to the correct partners.
Note
If you don’t assign Partner Groups to your Tier Program, it will be available to all partners once activated.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Details.
- In Partner Groups, select the Partner Group(s) that will have access to the program.
- Click Save.
How to Activate a Tier Program
A Tier Program must be activated before it will appear to the partners in the partner portal.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Details.
- Toggle the Active/Inactive setting to Active.
- Click Save.
How to Add a Tier Programs Page to the Portal
You have two options for displaying a Tier Program Summary page in your portal, to display your partners' current status in the tier program for which they are eligible:
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Use the Tier Program Summary feature page
You can rename the page to something more suitable, if required.
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Add the dynamic content widget Tier Program Summary to a Custom Page.
For information on adding dynamic content widgets to Custom Pages, see Custom Page: Create or Edit.
Add the feature page or your custom page to your portal's site navigation. For more information, see Manage Site Configuration and Navigation.
Partners can view their current Tier status, and are able to view their progress against the Tier’s requirements.
View Current Tier Membership
The Membership page of a Tier Program shows the partners who have achieved each Tier, and their progress against the Goals in their Tier. You can see at a glance if partners are maintaining their required Tier targets.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to view.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Partners > Membership.
There is a tab for each Tier in the program, with a badge indicating the number of partners that are currently at the Tier. Click through the tabs to get a summary of each one. This page also includes a No Tier tab, showing which of your partners are not yet members of any of the Tiers.
View Partner's Progress in Achieving the Next Tier
The Progress page of a Tier Program shows the partners who are currently working towards a Tier, and their progress against the Goals they need to complete to move to that Tier.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to view.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Partners > Progress.
There is a tab for each Tier in the program, with a badge indicating the number of partners that are working towards the Tier. Click through the tabs to get a summary of each one.
For example - Alderwood Corporation have already achieved Silver Tier status, so they're currently working towards moving to the Gold Tier. In Membership, they're listed in the Silver Tier. In Progress, they show in Gold.
Tier Membership Processing
There are two ways that partners progress or move between Tiers:
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When they complete (or don’t complete) the activities of a Tier they are currently assigned.
If the processing option Promotions and Demotions is active, a user can be demoted to a lower Tier if they don't complete the current one.
- When their Partner Group membership changes, and the new Partner Group has a different Tier Program assigned.
Tiers can be processed automatically. You also have the option of manually placing partners into specific Tiers. Partners can be promoted or demoted between Tiers.
You can restrict the types of movement that will be made when Tiers are processed. The options are Promotions Only or Promotions and Demotions. With the default setting Promotions Only, you can prevent partners from automatically being moved to a lower Tier when Tier membership is updated. We recommend this setting.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Details.
- In Membership Processing > Tier Movement, select the type of movement you will permit.
- Click Save.
You can set a Tier Program to be updated automatically, or require that you always update it manually.
During an automatic update, partners are moved into the highest Tier that they have qualified for. During any update, partners can be moved up, or down, multiple steps at a time.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Configure > Details.
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Toggle Membership Processing > Process Tiers Automatically option to On or Off as required
- On - The program will be updated automatically, at 12AM GMT daily.
- Off - You have responsibility for updating Tier membership
- Click Save.
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The Details page also includes an option for you to invoke a one-off processing of Tier membership.
Click Reprocess Membership.
You can place partners into their initial Tiers then move them between Tiers later, as required.
- Navigate to Partner Management > Partners > Tier Programs.
- Click on the Tier Program you want to edit.
- In the left hand navigation bar, go to Partners > Membership. The page shows a tab for each Tier, with a list of partners that are currently on that Tier. You can see their progress against the Goals of the Tier.
- Go to the tab for the Tier whose membership you want to update.
- Check the box next to the partner(s) you want to move.
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Click Move Partners to, then select the new Tier from the dropdown menu.
How to Translate a Tier Program
Unifyr provides the option to translate your Tier Programs into multiple languages. For more information, see Translate a Tier Program.
With the Tier Program you want to translate open, click on the Translations link in the left sidebar. This will take you to the Partner Portal > Translations > Tier Programs page, where you can configure translations.
Training
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