A VAR’s Perspective:
Response Point as a Business Driver
Dave Bainum, PMP
Principal Consultant, RiteTech LLC
www.ritetech.net
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, Glossary2
Introductions
RiteTech = IT Consultancy; Herndon, VAIT 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
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…now … Principal IT Consultant by day …
… “Wartime HOA President” by night…
“Why RP Tele-communications? WIFM?”
Communications is 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
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RP Overview
On-Site IP PBX SystemVariety of hardware available
VoIP, Analog/POTS, Cordless
Gateways, Expansion Modules
Rich software experience
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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/ othersMultiple 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
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RP Telephony can be a pot of gold!
Assessment, Architecture, PlanningNetwork & Wiring “Health Check”’s
Partnering opportunity
Coordinating move-in to new spaceISP, cabling, coordination of utilities, service ports
InfrastructurePoE Switches, Backup Power Units (UPS’s)
Firewalls, Paging / Paging Speakers, MOH*
AccessoriesHeadsets (are great add-on’s), cordless, Zune*
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RP Telephony can be a pot of gold!
ServicesVoIP, T1, Bundled Services
Residuals & Commissions (!)
Conferencing, FAX, eFAX
MOH recording, greeting scripting
Training, Customization, Consulting
Custom Applications and ReportingCRM, Call Analytics, TEM
Productivity EnhancementsVM Transcription, “Prescriptions/Cust.Serv.Line” …
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“Game-Changing” Possibilities
Voicemail-to-Email with VM TranscriptionInherent 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”9
Helpful Niches, Trends, & Triggers
Temporary / Portable ApplicationsDisaster Recovery / Mobile staging areas
Political campaigns? Polling, Census…
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Sublet Space
Moves, office-space changes, new offices
Staffing size changes
Existing systems coming off of lease
Tips n’ Tricks / “Dave-ism’s”
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”
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QoS-LessVoIP
Free thePackets!
Free thePackets!
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
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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)
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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 days14
Interfolio: What it grew into…
Additions of more expensive RP phones, cordless, and Plantronics headsets
VM transcription serviceConsidering 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
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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
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Futures & More
CRM integration and customization
Call Analytics
TEM / Telecomm. Expense Optimization
“All things are possible in software”
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Q&A, Resources
www.ritetech.net
www.aastralinkrp.com
www.microsoft.com/responsepoint
www.telephonation.com
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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.) 19