Navigating the Channel’s Evolving Landscape: Key Strategies for Telco Resellers and MSPs in 2025

Many of the core challenges faced by resellers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) remain surprisingly familiar despite advances in telecom and cloud communications. Competition is as fierce as ever, margins continue to be squeezed, and consolidation is reshaping the playing field. Meanwhile, new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovative “Informal CX” applications are opening doors for those prepared to meet the demands of evolving customer expectations.

Drawing on insights from Ralph Mora, NUSO VP & GM EMEA Region, this blog post explores how resellers and MSPs can navigate the turbulence of 2025, retain profitability, and seize new growth opportunities.

For ease of reading and to provide more focused insights, we’ve divided this overview into two separate posts, allowing you to explore each topic in greater detail. Part 2 will follow shortly, so stay tuned and add our news section to your favorites!

1. Competitive Pressures Demand Added Value

Although the market continues to evolve, the pace of change is often incremental rather than revolutionary. Price reductions and commoditized offerings are driving margin erosion in core products like UC (Unified Communications), making it more challenging than ever to maintain profitability. At the same time, cloud-based platforms reduce operational complexity—an advantage for customers, but also a factor that makes churn easier.

2. Informal CX and the Rise of AI

One of the clearest opportunities in 2025 is the growing appetite for “Informal CX.” This refers to lighter, no-code / low-code, simpler customer experience applications that empower customer-facing employees and knowledge workers to address inquiries quickly—without the complexity and cost of a traditional contact centre solution.

Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a reality that SMBs and mid-market organizations can access today. AI-driven chatbots, voice analytics, and predictive insights offer a dual benefit: they improve the end-customer experience and streamline internal operations.

Creepy or Crappy AI Bots?

“A colleague of mine describes AI bots as coming on two flavours:  they are either Creepy or Crappy. We all have had experience of crappy bots, but it’s the creepy ones that result in the best customer outcomes that drive the real value,” said Ralph Mora in a public interview.

Conversational AI bots can, in many cases, handle a complete customer interaction without human intervention if they have access to the right information. This technology is now available to the SMB and mid-market without the need for complex contact centres.

The MSP or a reseller that can package an AI solution that delivers real and tangible value, sell it effectively, as well as price and bill it to meet the customer’s needs, will have a strong market advantage.

In the ongoing debate about AI-powered bots, trust models are changing. People are embracing a concept called “Autosapien Trust,” which fosters broader acceptance of generative AI bots in customer transactions that don’t require human intervention. By lowering friction around adoption, this new trust model also streamlines the sales process.

3. Consolidation, Regulation, and Compliance

Another factor reshaping the industry is consolidation. Mergers and acquisitions can introduce new leadership, direction, and product offerings—sometimes overnight. While that can create uncertainty, it also opens doors for resellers ready to introduce advanced solutions to a newly expanded customer base.

In parallel, compliance requirements around data protection, financial regulations, and payment card security are intensifying. Far from being a burden, these regulations can be a source of new revenue. Offering PCI-conformant call recording or GDPR-compliant cloud solutions becomes a straightforward way to stand out and justify higher-value packages.

Key Takeaways

Summarizing the key takeaways of part 1:

  • Make sure to include value-added services to your portfolio: to remain competitive, resellers and MSPs must go beyond providing a simple dial tone or basic unified communications package. Integrated applications, analytics, and compliance features are critical for differentiators and boost customer retention.
  • AI is a game-changer: the ability to sell and support AI-powered tools, from chatbots to advanced analytics, with simple billing and clear ROI is a major differentiator. Be sure to embrace it!
  • Compliance is a concern for any-sized business: MSPs that address these concerns proactively can position themselves as long-term partners rather than mere vendors. Staying on top of compliance—and demonstrating that expertise—helps build trust and often translates to higher-margin services.

What do you think of this introductory overview on the evolving landscape of MSPs and resellers? We’d love to hear from you and kick off the discussion on new challenges and aspects we haven’t covered in this first part of the article!