Published at: 2026-09-17
Partner connect overview
Overview
Partner Connect extends an upstream enterprise’s CRM capabilities for sales, marketing, customer service, and other business functions to its channel partners.
How Partner Connect works
Partner Connect addresses the need to manage sales channels and distributors. Upstream companies and downstream partners can divide responsibilities and work together in the same business process, helping partners improve sales performance.
Product positioning
Partner Connect creates a business connection between vendors and their agents or distributors. A partner can retain its own CRM and business management practices and connect with multiple upstream vendors. The upstream enterprise manages partners in its CRM, while downstream partners conduct business in Partner Connect.
Partner Connect is built on the ShareCRM PaaS platform. Companies can tailor portals and business processes to different partner profiles, reducing the need for custom development. They can also use different collaboration models for different partners.
Key capabilities
Business connectivity
Partner Connect supports channel scenarios such as partner onboarding, partner tiering and segmentation, and lead acquisition. It also supports account registration, joint opportunity follow-up, and special-pricing approval. Standard business connectivity extends the sales process to channel partners, creating a collaborative lead-to-order workflow.
Communication and collaboration
Upstream and downstream users exchange business information through intercompany messaging, tasks, alerts, and announcements. The upstream enterprise processes partner requests in its CRM, and partners review tasks and business progress in Partner Connect.
Partner enablement
Partner Academy and the Partner Service Center help upstream enterprises provide product training and business enablement. Dashboards such as sales briefs and sales funnels help partners analyze their operations. Partners can also access business data and resources shared by the upstream enterprise.
Product highlights
- One-to-many connectivity: A partner can retain its own CRM and business practices while connecting with multiple upstream vendors. Each company’s system remains independent while exchanging the necessary data.
- PaaS-based customization: Companies can customize portals and business processes for different partner profiles, reducing large-scale custom development.
- End-to-end collaboration: Partner Connect covers leads, accounts, contacts, opportunities, quotes, and orders, helping partners standardize and automate their sales process.
Intended users
- Upstream channel managers: Enable Partner Connect in the CRM, establish company connections, and configure partner visibility, business rules, and portals.
- Downstream partner users: Sign in to Partner Connect and work with marketing activities, leads, accounts, opportunities, and transactions.
- Cross-company collaborators: Complete tasks across company boundaries through interconnected workflows, tasks, and messages.
Usage boundaries
The upstream enterprise configures Partner Connect in its CRM. Downstream agents and distributors are the day-to-day users. The objects, fields, and records available to a downstream user depend on the applications, external roles, and data permissions configured by the upstream enterprise.