According to Qwest's new MRA, all business partners will operate under MIS requirements that have been expanded by a third.  While most Premier partners like Telephony Partners tend to maintain enough volume to exceed those requirements, standard partners who are on the fringe may feel some pressure under these expanded performance requirements.  Since failure to perform to the MIS requirements will result in a decrease in commissions, this understandably has several partners concerned about their ability to avoid commission hits.

Standard partners who are worried about this should consider rolling up under a Premier.  With the proper agreement performance requirements can actually be decreased, allowing some breathing room.  Telephony Partners can usually pay agents via ACH within 48 hours of Qwest's payment to us, so standard partners rolling up under us can still continue their sub-agent programs without introducing additional payment delays typical of other agent programs.

An added benefit of such an arrangement is the option of outsourcing agent management.  Telephony Partners can avail online access to account and commission reports for agents, can pay sub-agents directly, and can allow online access for our agents' subs.  For agents with existing sub-agent management systems in place, our reporting is comparable to Qwest's native reports.

There are some intricacies associated with executing the roll-up.  Standard partners looking to create such an arrangement must currently be MIS-compliant, and some paperwork must be completed to enable the transfer of existing business.  Overall, though, it's not tough.  Standard Qwest business partners interested in participating in this type of program with Telephony Partners should submit an application and indicate in the comments that you're interested in a master agent roll-up.