This article first appeared in Print in the Channel magazine issue#29
In the channel today, collaboration between vendors and partners is often the key to success, with partnerships that evolve over time crucial to this, as David Malan from DocuWare explains.
The UK channel is evolving rapidly, and in this landscape, successful partnerships are forged through strategic alignment, comprehensive enablement and the agility to embrace emerging technologies, not just strong products.
In this Q&A, David Malan, DocuWare’s sales director for UK and Ireland, discusses effective collaboration between vendors and partners. He shares his insights on driving mutual growth, delivering enhanced end user value and embracing innovations such as Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), which are revolutionising business operations, as well as the key trends shaping the channel and the characteristics of high-performing partner ecosystems.
Print in the Channel: What are you seeing as the most effective ways vendors are attracting and supporting new partners today?
David Malan: We’re seeing a much more strategic approach. Successful vendors go beyond recruitment, they’re focused on building thriving partner ecosystems rooted in enablement, responsiveness and mutual growth.
I believe events remain a cornerstone. The likes of dedicated partner conferences create opportunities for deep engagement and shared learning, while presence at key trade shows helps vendors stay connected to market needs and attract high-calibre partners.
But what truly makes the difference is the level of investment in partner success. When partners have access to knowledgeable support teams, updated training content for sales and technical roles and strong onboarding processes, they’re far more likely to succeed. And when marketing teams work side-by-side with partners to co-create campaigns that deliver measurable results, that’s when real momentum builds.
Q: How are these partnerships evolving once a partner comes on board?
DM: When a partner joins a well-structured programme, it’s not just about having the right to resell, it’s the beginning of a collaborative relationship. From day one, partners benefit from hands-on engagement, go-to-market planning and direct access to regional experts. The best programmes offer tailored support throughout the entire journey, from onboarding and training, through to co-branded campaigns and field sales collaboration.
That kind of support accelerates the partner’s ability to deliver value through software and services that help their customers modernise operations. We’ve seen cases where partners that focused primarily on hardware sales have made a full transition into software-led solutions, all thanks to strong enablement and consistent support.
Software vendors like ERP providers and implementers could add a valuable recurring income stream to their business while becoming more of a trusted advisor to their customers.
Q: What role does IDP play in helping channel partners drive customer value?
DM: Tools like IDP are reshaping how businesses manage and process information and partners are in a prime position to lead that transformation. For end users, the biggest benefit is efficiency. Capturing and classifying documents, extracting data and routing them into the right workflows are all tasks that typically consume time and resources. With IDP, much of that work can be automated.
The technology has become advanced enough to accurately extract data from a wide variety of document types, including handwritten forms or poorly scanned images. It can also intelligently sort and prepare documents, reducing manual errors and speeding up processes. This gives channel partners a clear value proposition when speaking to customers about time savings, compliance and operational agility.
IDP can in most cases be integrated with current solutions and offerings in the business that significantly increases the value in a partners current offering.
Q: Digital transformation often requires partners to shift how they sell. What tools or approaches are resonating most in today’s buyer-led journey?
DM: Today’s buyers do far more research before ever engaging with sales, so it’s critical for partners to have tools that enable that discovery process. One highly effective approach is interactive, guided product tours that offer prospects a chance to experience key workflows in a hands-on way. For example, walking through an invoice approval process or a contract routing scenario allows the end user to see the value immediately.
These types of tools are being very well received by partners because they help qualify leads and shorten sales cycles. More importantly, they align with how modern buyers want to engage with transparency, control and a clear sense of how the solution fits into their environment.
This increases trust and collaboration between vendors and partners, giving partners access to tools that help them with opportunity creation and social outreach.
Q: Heading into the second half of 2025, what trends and opportunities do you see emerging for UK and Irish partners?
DM: The channel is leaning into innovation, especially around AI and automation. There’s strong momentum behind tools that reduce complexity and improve business outcomes, and partners that can frame these tools in terms of practical benefit will stand out.
We’re also seeing increased interest in value-added services. As organisations adopt more advanced tools, they’re relying on partners for everything from change management to integration support. That creates an opportunity for partners to deepen relationships and expand recurring revenue.
Finally, there’s a real appetite for partner programmes that go beyond enablement. Programmes that foster community, provide continuous training and make it easy for partners to evolve alongside customer needs. The vendors who succeed will be those that empower their partners to grow with confidence in a fast-changing market.
