Claro Embratel Credits AWS Training and Certification as Key Driver in Fourfold Growth of Sales Opportunities

Since 1965, Claro Embratel has kept pace with technological innovations and invests in its infrastructure and its people to meet new marketplace requirements. The company has been an AWS Partner since 2017 and has engaged in over 300 customer launches on AWS. It holds 261 AWS Certifications, demonstrating knowledge and skills in AWS technology across a wide range of AWS services. “Selling in the cloud requires a deeper understanding of the customer’s business challenges,” says Fabiana Couto Falcone de Melo, cloud business lead at Claro Embratel. “It is difficult to find skilled cloud-certified workers. By training our sales teams, we can build trust between our sales teams and potential customers.”

To build its AWS practice, Claro Embratel established a Cloud Center of Excellence to train its employees on the latest cloud technologies and promote cloud adoption among its clients. The company engaged AWS Training and Certification, which equips organizations with the practical skills and industry-recognized credentials necessary to succeed in the cloud, to support this initiative.

Claro Embratel began its collaboration with AWS Training and Certification by helping its sales teams learn more about cloud economics and migration. First, the employees participated in AWS Partner: Sales Accreditation (Business), which teaches basic cloud concepts and communication skills to effectively articulate the value of AWS and engage in successful sales conversations with customers. Then, they took the AWS Partner: Cloud Economics Accreditation course, which teaches the benefits of migrating customers to AWS, including cost savings, better performance, and improved agility.

“The sales accreditation course in particular had a great deal of engagement and impact on a daily basis,” says Fátima A. de Sousa, human resources specialist for corporate education at Claro Embratel. “This is due to the knowledge acquired, the opportunity for personal and professional development, and the digital badges that can be shared with colleagues and social networks.”

Through AWS Partner Training, Claro Embratel mobilized its sales representatives to earn as many industry-recognized credentials as possible. Within 4 months, these representatives achieved 456 Sales Accreditations. They also earned 293 Cloud Economics Accreditations in 6 months. These experts were noticeably more proficient at identifying sales prospects within 1 month after the training. “With the support of AWS Training and Certification, our sales professionals are better able to articulate the connection between AWS capabilities and our customers’ business needs,” says José Eduardo Aires Carneiro Braga, alliance lead at Claro Embratel. “Through AWS Training and Certification, we were able to transform our culture and market discourse to position the AWS Cloud.”

Claro Embratel also wanted its presales and technical teams to earn AWS Certification(s). By earning these industry-recognized credentials, the company could demonstrate its AWS expertise further and build trust with clients. From 2022 to April 2023, presales and technical team members earned a total of 54 AWS Certification(s), including AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, which demonstrates a foundational understanding of AWS Cloud concepts, services, and terminology; AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate, which showcases knowledge and skills in AWS technology; and AWS Certified Security - Specialty, which validates expertise in the creation and implementation of security solutions in the AWS Cloud.

By equipping its employees with cloud knowledge, Claro Embratel has experienced significant business growth. “Within 5 months, we have quadrupled the number of sales opportunities generated by our sales professionals year over year,” says de Melo.

The company also achieved its 4-year target for the number of professionals with AWS expertise in a matter of months. “Our sales professionals and business developers have a broader repertoire about the cloud and its benefits and challenges,” says de Melo. “They can apply this knowledge in more productive conversations with customers, better qualify business opportunities, and drive new products and services to the market.”

In 2023, Claro Embratel will build on the success of its initial AWS Training and Certification program. It plans to expand course offerings to support sales and technical teams working on AWS migration and data analytics solutions. The company projects that it will have more than 600 accredited professionals through this engagement.

“Our strategic alliance with the AWS team is a key pillar in building capabilities that contribute to our relevance in the IT solutions market,” says de Sousa.