‘You’re only really as good as the partners that you’re working with’
In the telephony industry, those words ring true. Resellers must find a way to differentiate their services in a competitive, constantly evolving market. They need to work alongside a partner that not only guarantees growth, but builds a relationship built on trust and resilience.
For Liam Parnell, Managing Director of Wayv, their journey with Pragma, and more recently Gamma has done just that. From their early days as U-Telecom, through to COVID and Gamma’s acquisition of Pragma, Wayv has gone ‘from strength to strength.’ Early experiences and insights have shaped Wayv into ‘a very different company’ that’s much ‘less naïve.’
Liam spoke with Matt Barnett, Channel Director at Gamma, with their conversation covering:
- The early days with Pragma.
- Navigating a pandemic, rebranding and acquisition.
- How iPECS has been a reliable solution throughout these challenges.
- The importance of a customer-centric culture.
The Wayv story is one of growth and resilience, fuelled by consistently delivering tangible benefits for customers. All underpinned by strong partnerships.
‘We needed a partner that we could really trust’
The journey with Pragma began right at the start of Wayv’s history. Originally incorporated as U-Telecom in 2017, they entered an ‘unbelievably competitive marketplace’ where service differentiation was a must. Pragma, as Liam says, ‘delivered on everything that we needed at that point.’
Consistency made a real difference, and ‘loyalty was a mutual thing both ways.’ When trying to build a business, the levels of support need to match the ambition. Matt highlights how Pragma’s support wrap and deep understanding of the channel ‘really separated them’ from the rest of the market.
The support element is vital, and it stretches beyond just providing a solution. It comes down to elements like provisioning and marketing which, in the early stages, establishes a strong foundation. Support in those initial stages translated to ‘a really positive first few years’ for Wayv.
‘We learned the hard way’
After starting life as U-Telecom, the decision was made to ‘reset and fully rebrand.’ Liam mentions how, in this initial phase, the business learned what customers were looking for, as well as the ‘weaknesses [and] the threats.’ The business, the marketing and the name itself had to be ‘tailored and targeted towards a specific market.’
The ideal business within this market would be one that ‘[valued] a high level of service and support.’ The time came to have the ‘courage to pause everything’ and assess the situation. A total rebranding is one thing, but when you push the button on the brink of a COVID lockdown, that’s an entirely different story.
Liam explains that ‘it comes down to not being… afraid’ to refine the customer offering and the target market. It was a decision that yielded results; consecutive years of over 180% growth in new customer acquisition and award wins followed. Matt applauds the course taken and how Wayv took the first period of COVID ‘as an opportunity to breathe.’
Then came Gamma’s acquisition of EnableX. Pragma’s partners transferred to Gamma, and Liam had every right to be ‘a little bit worried and concerned.’
Prior to 2025, Wayv had opted purely for Pragma solutions as they ‘worked well with [their] ability to differentiate from the market.’ Suddenly, Liam faced the potential situation of being ‘a very small fish in a big sea’, but thankfully found that it ‘couldn’t have been further from the truth.’ Gamma was able to provide:
- The ability for Wayv to maintain their points of differentiation in terms of messaging and customer approach.
- The ‘reliability piece’ to support offerings and the ‘incredibly brave promises’ made by Wayv to customers.
- A dedicated fund to support marketing efforts via their status as a Gold Partner.
A rebranding, a pandemic and an acquisition: three separate seismic efforts that only strengthened Wayv’s position in the market. The partnership with Gamma has been a positive step forward, and as Liam commented, ‘long may that continue.’
‘A great benefit for our internal team’
The iPECS solution has been a critical part of Wayv’s product portfolio since its inception. Working with solutions provided by the likes of Ericsson-LG provides a ‘level of stability and … comfort’ with a long-term roadmap and top-quality tech stack.
Such strengths and benefits have been felt by numerous Wayv customers, particularly Counter Context. When moving to a new office in 2024, a new set up was needed. Through Wayv’s efforts, iPECS was utilised to help employees communicate with stakeholders ‘easily and effectively’ when collaborating on projects.
Jess Jenkins, Director of Operations at Counter Context, notes how, prior to iPECS, there was no structure in place to transfer calls or transfer employees working on different projects. As Counter Context grew, employees needed to have greater capabilities to be allocated to other departments and projects. With an iPECS system in place, that became a reality.
Counter Context is a perfect example of Wayv’s target market. They place a high value to service levels and are keen to take on solutions that scale with their own growth.
Dedicated support through a WayvCare engineer helps to build a more personal partnership with customers. For Liam, these engineers gain an understanding of the business and identify any recurring issues. The onboarding team must ‘make it as easy as possible for the customer’ without any service disruption.
Going the extra mile in terms of engineer support adds extra value to the products and services Wayv provide as their core offering. A digitalised system, rather than an analogue one, has been ‘a great benefit for [Counter Context’s] internal team.’ It leaves Jess ‘reassured’ that they can continue to be productive and benefit from features that adds value to the way their business operates.
‘An abundance of factors that have got us into that position’
Customer reviews matter. When researching businesses, 71% of consumers consult online reviews before deciding. Having a strong score on platforms like Trustpilot can make all the difference.
Wayv sit joint-top among a bracket of 1500 similar telecoms providers. Liam cites the conscious efforts to take ‘full responsibility’ when it comes to technical difficulties. Considering it ‘never is all plain sailing and smooth’, Wayv try to actively manage customer expectations.
It’s never a blame game, and customers respect Wayv’s mindset to take full ownership. Telecommunications is a market where things go wrong, and smaller businesses feel the effects harder than others. That’s why, over the years, Wayv have developed an internal culture which ‘breeds excellence… [and] is incredibly customer focused.’
There’s a good reason why the top score on Trustpilot is, for Liam and the team, ‘a flag that we wave quite a bit.’
Sharing a ‘partnership ethos’
Both Gamma and Wayv share an ethos where, through a combination of the right products and services, growth is a mutual benefit. The ‘end to end portfolio’ Gamma provides is one that builds long-term stability and fuels further growth.
Wayv’s own deployment of iPECS to Counter Context is clear evidence of that. Their experience underlines how this partnership translates into real-world value. Faster onboarding and seamless communications are all backed up by consistent reassurance from a dedicated, reliable partner.
Matt, having been with Gamma for 13 years, sees partner growth as a factor that ‘makes [his] job interesting.’ As they become more self-sufficient and sizable, it again demonstrates the value behind the relationships Gamma cultivates. What matters, as Liam says, is that core values around service delivery are maintained as businesses grow.
It’s challenging, but ‘it keeps you on your toes.’