Everyone is talking about AI.
But according to the audience at our recent webinar, Deal Registration, Trust, and the Future of AI-Driven Partner Operations, most organizations are still figuring out what that actually means in practice.
When we asked attendees whether they were currently using AI within their deal registration process, nearly 80% said no. Only 3% reported actively using AI today.
That single poll result told us a lot about where the market stands. There’s plenty of interest. There’s growing curiosity. But there’s still uncertainty about where AI delivers the most value and how organizations should approach adoption.
As the discussion unfolded, one thing became clear: the biggest challenges in deal registration aren’t really technology problems. They are experience problems.
The Friction Everyone Recognizes
When attendees were asked about the biggest sources of friction in their current deal registration processes, the answers came quickly:
- Approval delays
- Lack of visibility
- Workflow complexity
- Integration challenges
If you’ve spent time running a partner program, none of those issues are particularly surprising.
What was interesting was how consistently the panel connected those frustrations back to the partner experience. Partners don’t care how many systems sit behind the scenes. They care how easy it is to register a deal.
As Kevin Morata, Global Channel Director at Itron, put it: “Partners want almost real-time approvals”.
That expectation is becoming increasingly common. The challenge for vendors is balancing speed with governance, while still collecting the information they need to make fair and informed decisions.
The discussion highlighted a revealing statistic from deal registration programs analyzed by Channelscaler. The average deal registration form contains 23 fields. Some contain more than 60. That’s a lot to ask of a partner before they’ve even started selling.
Complexity Isn’t the Enemy. Visible Complexity Is.
One of the most insightful moments came from Sue Baker, Manager of Global Channel Enablement Programs at NinjaOne.
Discussing the tension between collecting more information and creating a better partner experience, she observed: “Complexity on the back end can lead to simplicity on the front end”.
That statement resonated because it reframes the challenge entirely. The goal isn’t necessarily to remove complexity. Modern partner ecosystems are complex. The goal is to ensure partners don’t have to manage that complexity themselves.
The best partner experiences often feel simple precisely because significant work is happening behind the scenes. That’s where automation and AI have the potential to create meaningful value.
Every Conversation Came Back to Trust
While AI dominated the webinar title, trust dominated the discussion.
Again and again, panelists returned to the idea that deal registration is often the first real test of a partner relationship.
Tim Brunn, Vice President of Global Distribution at Vation Ventures, explained it perfectly: “The first time they interact with a vendor is generally when they submit a deal reg.”
For many partners, the deal registration process becomes their first impression of how a vendor operates. The portal becomes the experience. The approval process becomes the relationship. The rules become the trust model. When that experience is inconsistent, slow, or unclear, confidence starts to fade.
As Kevin Morata noted: “Trust doesn’t just disappear, it erodes.”
And once trust is lost, rebuilding it is rarely easy.
There Is No Perfect Deal Registration Model
One of the most fascinating parts of the discussion was how differently each panelist approached deal attribution and deal protection.
Some prioritized speed and simplicity. Others focused on objective scoring models. Others aligned attribution decisions to broader business goals.
The lesson wasn’t that one approach is right and another is wrong. It was that every successful program creates clarity. Because when rules are transparent, disagreements become manageable. When rules are unclear, everything becomes emotional.
Transparency reduces conflict. Ambiguity creates it.
AI Is Creating a Chance to Rethink Everything
Toward the end of the webinar, the conversation shifted from today’s challenges to tomorrow’s opportunities.
The panel discussed how AI could accelerate approvals, improve visibility, reduce manual administration, reinforce governance, and deliver more intelligent partner experiences.
But perhaps the most important takeaway wasn’t about technology at all. It was about mindset.
Many organizations have spent years layering additional processes, approvals, and workarounds onto existing systems. AI presents an opportunity to do something different. Not simply automate old processes. Rethink them.
As Kevin Morata challenged attendees: “Take the risk. Do your research, take the risk.”
That advice felt particularly relevant given the poll results. If nearly 80% of organizations haven’t started using AI in deal registration yet, the market is still in the early stages of change. Which means there is still time to get ahead.
What Happens Next?
If there was one message that connected every poll result, every audience question, and every panel discussion, it was this:
The future of partner ecosystems won’t be built by the organizations with the most automation. It will be built by the organizations that use technology to create better partner experiences.
Faster approvals matter. Visibility matters. AI matters. But only when they help partners feel confident, informed, and valued.
The technology will continue to evolve. Partner expectations will continue to rise. And if the webinar audience is any indication, the next few years are going to be some of the most transformative the channel has seen in a long time.
Ready to see what trusted, AI-powered deal registration looks like?
Deal Reg AI helps channel teams accelerate approvals, eliminate manual bottlenecks, and deliver the transparency partners expect, without sacrificing control or program integrity.
See how leading channel organizations are transforming deal registration from an administrative process into a competitive advantage.
