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A VAR’s Perspective: Response Point as a Business Driver

Discover the game-changing possibilities of Response Point Telephony. Learn about helpful niches, tips, and customer experiences. Find resources and engage in Q&A.

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A VAR’s Perspective: Response Point as a Business Driver

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  1. A VAR’s Perspective:Response Point as a Business Driver Dave Bainum, PMP Principal Consultant, RiteTech LLC www.ritetech.net

  2. Welcome! Introductions “Why RP Telecommunications? WIFM?” RP Overview / What’s unique RP Telephony: Make it your gold mine! Game-Changing Possibilities Helpful Niches, Tips N’ Tricks Customer Experiences Futures & More Q&A, Resources, Glossary

  3. Introductions …now … Principal IT Consultant by day … … “Wartime HOA President” by night… • RiteTech = IT Consultancy; Herndon, VA • IT Consulting; SMB IT Infrastructure • Web / SQL development; IT Project Mgmt. • Two telephone companies in my “past lives” (cellular, wireline, voice response app’s) • Multiple IT roles in past

  4. “Why RP Tele-communications? WIFM?” Communicationsis the key part of “Tele-_” GOAL: Efficiently, reliably enable comm’s to their optimal destination or outcome. Usually that’s more important than the underlying technology used (e.g. cellular, POTS, VoIP) A reliable, well-planned, properly-customized phone system is critical to business Productivity, Reliability, Satisfaction, & client/ partner revenues are greatly enhanced when a full RP solution is properly delivered

  5. RP Overview • On-Site IP PBX System • Variety of hardware available • VoIP, Analog/POTS, Cordless • Gateways, Expansion Modules • Rich software experience

  6. What’s Unique about Response Point • Shows extremely well “live” • Outstanding value, many aspects “P-n-P” • System is owned/on-site; not leased/off-site • Rich software experience; easy to use • Independent, yet works well w/ others • Multiple hardware and service providers • Uses POTS, VoIP, or a mixture of the two • Can be largely pre-configured/tested off-site • Very simple “bare-metal-recovery” process

  7. RP Telephony can be a pot of gold! • Assessment, Architecture, Planning • Network & Wiring “Health Check”’s • Partnering opportunity • Coordinating move-in to new space • ISP, cabling, coordination of utilities, service ports • Infrastructure • PoE Switches, Backup Power Units (UPS’s) • Firewalls, Paging / Paging Speakers, MOH* • Accessories • Headsets (are great add-on’s), cordless, Zune*

  8. RP Telephony can be a pot of gold! • Services • VoIP, T1, Bundled Services • Residuals & Commissions (!) • Conferencing, FAX, eFAX • MOH recording, greeting scripting • Training, Customization, Consulting • Custom Applications and Reporting • CRM, Call Analytics, TEM • Productivity Enhancements • VM Transcription, “Prescriptions/Cust.Serv.Line” …

  9. “Game-Changing” Possibilities • Voicemail-to-Email with VM Transcription • Inherent limitation of VM – sequential access • VM transcripts can be e-mailed or SMS’ed • “Triage” incoming transcribed VM’s visually, even on a Windows Mobile or Blackberry (eg. during meetings, at a stop light, …) • Also means VM content can now be “searched”, indexed, archived (e.g. in Outlook) • Other applications possible: e.g. Dr.’s Office “Prescriptions Line”,“Customer Service” box • Another: Caller-ID based “v-SPAM filtering”

  10. Helpful Niches, Trends, & Triggers Sublet Space Moves, office-space changes, new offices Staffing size changes Existing systems coming off of lease • Temporary / Portable Applications • Disaster Recovery / Mobile staging areas • Political campaigns? Polling, Census…

  11. Tips n’ Tricks / “Dave-ism’s” Free the Packets! QoS-Less VoIP • Assessing site conditions, understanding requirements/existing services, are critical • Old Habits die hard; be prepared (BLF, KSE) • Beware the “Dark Side of VoIP” • Dave’s “VoIP-o-Cratic Oath” • Don’t assume VoIPstability; ASK, TEST • Set expectations… then “Patience isBillable”

  12. Customer Experience: Ameriprise Ameriprise Franchise / Northern Virginia Financial Advisors Most IT handled by corporate Phone details left to local offices 5-6 separate Vonage boxes deployed Tied these easily into RP (VoIP-o-Cratic Oath applies; why fix what “ain’t broken”?) Wiring health-check; PoE switch; UPS Install performed during ext. pwr. outage

  13. Customer Experience: Interfolio Downtown Washington, DC High Cust. Service Call Volume Young, busy, tech-saavy Mac Shop Main focus: Web ASP; provide a critical service for Universities Wanted reliable, simple, “set-it and-forget-it” phone solution w/ ability for VoIP in the future Started w/ RiteTech’s RP demonstration; (RP exhibited at the DC Convention Center)

  14. Interfolio: How we Sold & Installed RP… Compared RP head-to-head with Asterisk / Linux-based system – RP Won! Primarily for ease-of-use, client software Did wiring “health check”; UPS, PoE switch; client requested extra wiring Pre-configured, tested, labeled most of the RP system off-site in advance Assisted w/ Mac Virtualization strategy (our prior experience with VM’s helped) Entire on-site work, cut-over/training: 2 days

  15. Interfolio: What it grew into… • Additions of more expensive RP phones, cordless, and Plantronics headsets • VM transcription service • Considering tie-in to their ticketing system • Quintum for legacy FAX, postage machine • Trying out VoIP on a pilot basis (carefully) • RiteTech positioned as “trusted advisor” for infrastructure , VoIP/ISP, IT project mgmt. • Company certain to grow in the future

  16. Customer Experience: E.T.C. • Driven by office move; loved the RP system • Heartbroken to learn: “locked in” to lease… • Ironically, probably paid as much to move the old PBX as buying RP would have cost • … “I guess I’ll still have to pay $300 every time I want our PBX’s clock reset correctly” • Lessons Learned: • RP can be a great introduction & first impression to a new client, even if the RP sale fails to close • Ask about existing equip. lease details early on

  17. Futures & More CRM integration and customization Call Analytics TEM / Telecomm. Expense Optimization “All things are possible in software”

  18. Q&A, Resources www.ritetech.net www.aastralinkrp.com www.microsoft.com/responsepoint www.telephonation.com

  19. Glossary WIFM = “What’s In it For Me?” TEM = Telecommunications Expense Mgmt. CRM = Customer Relationship Mgmt. (software) MOH = Music On Hold; BLF = BusyLampField KSE = KeySystemEmulation; VoIP=VoiceOverIP QoS = Quality of Service; VM = Voice Mail POTS = PlainOldTelephoneService (analog line) P-n-P = “Plug n’ Play”; SMS = ShortMsg.Service ASP = Application Service Provider (hosted app.)

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