This page is intended for Sales and Channel team members to review quick links and common questions that come to the Partner Operations team.
All team members work all regions, according to the timezone they work within. For fastest answers see How to contact us, please do not contact individual Partner Operations team members via DM or chatter.
@Partner Operations on the record
@Partner Operations is responsible for distributor quoting currently. The sales team is responsible for reseller-direct quoting. It is not the Channel Manager's responsibility to quote channel opportunities.@Partner Operations@Partner Operations on the record@Billing Ops see Creating a Partner BIlling Account for instructions.The #partner-programs-ops Slack should be the first mode of contact for GitLab team members for all urgent and/or non-SFDC-record-related. If the request is related to an SFDC partner account record, please chatter @Partner Operations on the record.
Slack Best Practices
Please do not contact the Partner Operations team members directly via Slack. Utlizing the #partner-programs-ops Slack channel is best to ensure timely coverage, allows multiple people to chime in to assist, helps others who may have similar questions, and aligns with our Transparency value.
Partners can contact the Partner Support team at partnersupport@gitlab.com.
These links are useful to share with authorized reseller partners who already have access to the partner portal.
For a detailed explanation of the Quote to Cash process, visit the Channel Operations Handbook page. Basic details can be found below.
Post-sales support, license resends, email changes, and other subscription assistance is the responsibility of the partner named on the opportunity.
We do not create entire new accounts for separate partner entities with the same parent company name in SFDC. Instead, you should:
The Partner Operations team provides "Partner Insights" slide decks to Channel Managers for help with preparing for QBRs and other partner executive meetings. These insights are intended to help Channel Managers have productive conversations with partners to identify what is going well so it can be replicated, as well as address opportunities for improvement to develop stronger and more valuable partnerships.
Only Channel Managers and their directors can request Partner Insights. If you are not a Channel Manager but have an executive partner meeting and want to request Partner Insights for a specific partner, please work with that partner's Channel Manager to determine if your request is needed (i.e. whether or not a deck already exists or if the information you're looking for can be obtained from the Channel Manager) or to have the Channel Manager make the request.
Completed Partner Insights slide decks are attached to the Partner Account in Google Docs, Notes and Attachments in SFDC.
To request a Partner Insights slide deck, Channel Managers should chatter @Partner Operations on the partner account record and provide:
Requests are limited to three (3) Partner Insights Requests at once per Channel Manager. This will open a case for the Partner Operations to review and it will be assigned to a member of the team. Please be sure to provide at least 5 working days for the team to complete the deck.
Once the deck is completed, we will attach the Google slide deck to the partner account and then chatter the Channel Manager with the Partner Insights link. The deck is complete, but the Channel Managers are able to edit the deck if they wish.
For a list of basic training requirements for NFRs, Deal Registration, and Transacting, visit the Channel Partners: Working with GitLab Handbook Page
For detailed information and requirements, visit the Partner Training, Certifications, and Enablement Handbook Page
Please review the NFR policy to see details about what partners can be eligible to receive. If a Partner would like to request or renew a NFR license they can review how to in the Partner Handbook on the Working with GitLab page under "Requesting a GitLab NFR License". They should be directed to log into the Partner Portal, click on the Support or Services tab, and choose the "NFR" icon. They'll be directed to a Google form that sends their request to the Partner Operations team. Partners should review the NFR Policy link in the form prior to submitting it to understand the requirements.
When Partner Operations receives the request, they will review the partner account to verify the partner meets NFR eligibility requirements. If they do, Partner Operations will submit the NFR request to GitLab's license support team to be fulfilled. If the partner does not meet the eligibility requirements, they will email the submitter and explain the missing requirements and how to fulfill them.
If a partner needs additional NFR users or licenses OR wants to use a license outside of the parameters set by the NFR policy, CAMs and SAs should consult to determine if the partner should be paying for a license to invest in their GitLab practice and work with Sales to help the partner purchase license(s) for their own internal use.
Any requests outside of the normal NFR policy must be approved by the Sr. Director of Programs (Ed Cepulis) and the Channel Manager's manager, usually a Channel Director. If it is determined that the partner should not pay for additional users or licenses above what the NFR program offers, the CAM must submit an exception request:
The Channel Manager should email partnersupport@gitlab.com with subject line "NFR Exception for (Partner Name)" and copy Ed Cepulis and their manager / the Channel Director for their region. Include the business justification for the exception and the amount of users requested.
Once both directors have approved the request, the Partner Operations team will proceed to fulfill the request.
Other items to note about exception requests:
When customers purchase through a partner, it is the partner's responsibility to ensure a ticket is submitted for any changes or support needs.
If a partner is working with a customer and they need help with a technical issue for a GitLab product, they can submit a support ticket on behalf of the customer by clicking on Submit a Technical Support Ticket on behalf of your customer on the Support tab.
To update an email address on a customer’s subscription, as well as request a license resend, the partner must submit a support request as mentioned above. Any subscription changes, even in addition to support requests, need to be done through the ticket submission process.
Channel Managers or Sales can escalate a partner or customers ticket to a Support Manager after the partner or customer has submitted a ticket by following the Support team's STAR process.
More information can be found in the Partner Guide.
This information can also be found in the Partner Guide (internal-only link).
If a partner organization already exists in our system (Impartner/SFDC), but a new rep needs a login, the instructions are fairly simple. That person should visit our partner portal, and scroll down to the login section. On the left side of the page, there's an option to "Request Portal Access."
The partner will be directed to a page that asks them to confirm the company they work for. After they confirm, they should click next, and fill in their information. After submitting the information, they'll receive login credentials.
GitLab Channel Team members who wish to have logins to the Partner Portal for partner demo purposes may create a login according to the instructions above. When asked to confirm/choose which company you work for, choose "GitLab PS." This will provide you the same view as our partners.
Partner accounts should always be created by the partner visiting partners.gitlab.com and signing up to become a partner.
Once in the system via the partner portal, the system will sync with SFDC and create the partner account.
If an exception must be made, please contact Partner Operations via SFDC chatter (@ Partner Operations) to make the request for manual account creation and state reasons why.
More Information to Come!