What are the tiers of Zoho partners?
Zoho's Consulting Partner programme has three tiers: Authorized, Advanced and Premium. A partner's tier comes from an annual value score of up to 1,000 points across revenue, customer success, market readiness and Zoho engagement. Advanced needs more than 400 points and Premium more than 600, according to Zoho's partner tiers page at the time of writing.
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Zoho publishes its tier rules on its partner tiers page, which is mainly written for partners. At the time of writing it lists three tiers for consulting partners: Authorized, Advanced and Premium. New firms start as new partners. To be formally enrolled as an Authorized partner, a firm has to pass a minimum revenue threshold, gain the required Zoho certifications and show implementation successes within six months of onboarding.
Higher tiers come from a points system. Zoho scores each partner every year out of 1,000 points. Revenue growth carries the most weight. Customer acquisition, customer retention, customer satisfaction ratings, certifications, documented projects, approved case studies, the number of staff dedicated to Zoho and branding work also add points. Validated customer escalations take points away. Advanced needs more than 400 points and Premium more than 600.
The evaluation repeats every year, and Zoho says tier status is updated by January of the following year. So a tier can go up or down. Higher tiers get more benefits, such as priority listing in the partner directory and, in some regions, a dedicated partner account manager. Zoho may change these rules, so check its partner pages for the current version.
For a buyer, the tier tells you something but not everything. Because revenue growth carries so much weight, a tier partly reflects how much Zoho licensing a firm sells. A smaller Authorized partner may suit a focused project better than a large Premium one. Use the tier as one signal, then judge the people, their certifications and their past work.
Key points
- Zoho's Consulting Partner programme has three tiers: Authorized, Advanced and Premium.
- Tiers come from an annual value score out of 1,000 points.
- Advanced needs more than 400 points; Premium needs more than 600.
- Revenue growth is the biggest single scoring factor, alongside customer success, certifications and engagement.
- Tiers are re-evaluated every year and shown on Zoho's Find a Partner directory.
Common questions
How do I check a partner's tier?
Look the firm up on Zoho's Find a Partner directory, which shows tier badges. Zoho says partners can only be listed there once they reach the Authorized tier.
Is a Premium partner always better than an Authorized one?
Not always. Revenue growth carries the most points, so tier partly reflects sales volume. Judge the team's certifications, relevant projects and references as well.
Does Zoho have other partner types besides consulting tiers?
Yes. Zoho also runs reseller, value added distributor, global system integrator, affiliate and Marketplace programmes. The three tiers described here apply to the Consulting Partner programme.
Can a partner lose its tier?
Yes. Zoho re-scores partners every year, so a tier can rise or fall. Zoho also says firms that do not meet the Authorized criteria may be re-evaluated or removed.
Sources and further reading
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Written by Flowpeak, a Zoho implementation partner. Zoho pricing and features change, so confirm current details on the official Zoho site. Free checklists | Ask us a question