A chat with Craig Fulton about the ConnectWise rebrand
It’s been a week since IT Nation and the big announcement about our unification into one brand. We have a new website and new product names that reflect our mission to simplify everything. We’ve also updated the user interface (UI) across our core products to continue the trend of updates, improvements, and simplification.
In short, a lot of exciting things are happening at ConnectWise headquarters!
And who better to talk about these big changes than Chief Product Officer, Craig Fulton? We sat down with him to get his thoughts on ConnectWise’s evolution and what’s still to come.
Why did ConnectWise decide to rebrand and what does it mean for each product?
It’s always been about our partners. More than anything else, our goal in rebranding was to simplify things and improve overall user experience. Before, it still looked like we were multiple companies. Each product had a different look and feel. Now, our new website houses information about all of our products in one centralized place with a cohesive look.
We changed our product names themselves to reflect two things: (1) who we are as a company, and (2) what our platforms do to help our partners achieve success:
- ConnectWise Manage® streamlines business processes, boosting efficiency and productivity
- ConnectWise Automate® (formerly LabTech) offers award-winning remote monitoring and management
- ConnectWise Sell® (formerly Quosal) provides superior quote and proposal automation
- ConnectWise Control® (formerly ScreenConnect) equips support teams with lightning-fast remote control technology
Does this mean that each product will be on the same release cycle and share the same roadmap?
We are in the process of streamlining our UI to help provide a seamless user experience across the entire platform. But it’s a work in progress. The four products in our suite will not be on the same release cycles, but we will be sure to coordinate the release of enhancements so that they work together to solve problems most effectively.
Can you tell us about the new UI design and why it’s more user friendly?
Our UI/UX team set out to improve user experience by gathering feedback directly from our partner groups (Visioneers and Partner Innovation Network (PIN) Program) and putting it into action with our intuitively designed UI that meets demands for fewer clicks, consistency between platforms, simplified navigation, and enhanced functionality across all products.
Will ConnectWise still integrate with other vendors?
Absolutely! Our Invent program is strong and growing. We currently offer 300+ integrations with solutions like ESET, WhiteLabel Communications, TrendMicro, and more! We see strategic partnership with our vendors as more important than ever. We provide a platform for them to strengthen our suite and provide a complete solution to technology solution providers.
How does your new role as Chief Product Officer impact partner experience?
Chief Product Officer is a new role that coordinates across all of our Business Units that are developing products that solve problems across the entire suite, and not just a single solution. Now that we are one company, it also made sense to unify our roadmap, product messaging, and content.
I’m excited to take this on because of my long history at ConnectWise and involvement in every step of the way as we’ve expanded our suite.
Can you share with us some goals you are working towards in 2017?
We have many goals for 2017, but our primary focus is continuing to improve partner experience, starting with a completed unified UI by mid-year under our new brand. We’re also going to strengthen ConnectWise CloudConsole™ to give our partners more control over the systems they manage in the cloud. Plus, we’ll be bringing more information together and presenting it in an easy-to-use format through business intelligence enhancements.
Many great things are on the way!
These big changes are just the first steps on our journey. Stay in the loop as we evolve by visiting our new website: www.ConnectWise.com.