A VARs Perspective: Response Point as a Business Driver

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A VARs PerspectiveResponse Point as a
Business Driver

• Dave Bainum, PMP
• Principal Consultant, RiteTech LLC
• www.ritetech.net

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Welcome!

• Introductions
• Why RP Telecommunications? WIFM?
• RP Overview / Whats unique
• RP Telephony Make it your gold mine!
• Game-Changing Possibilities
• Helpful Niches, Tips N Tricks
• Customer Experiences
• Futures More
• QA, Resources, Glossary

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Introductions

• 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 apps)
• Multiple IT roles in past

• now Principal IT Consultant by day
• Wartime HOA President by night

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Why RP Tele-communications? WIFM?

• Communications is the key part of Tele-_
• GOAL Efficiently, reliably enable comms to
  their optimal destination or outcome. Usually
  thats 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 System
• Variety of hardware available
• VoIP, Analog/POTS, Cordless
• Gateways, Expansion Modules
• Rich software experience

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Whats 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

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RP Telephony can be a pot of gold!

• Assessment, Architecture, Planning
• Network Wiring Health Checks
• Partnering opportunity
• Coordinating move-in to new space
• ISP, cabling, coordination of utilities, service
  ports
• Infrastructure
• PoE Switches, Backup Power Units (UPSs)
• Firewalls, Paging / Paging Speakers, MOH
• Accessories
• Headsets (are great add-ons), cordless, Zune

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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

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Game-Changing Possibilities

• Voicemail-to-Email with VM Transcription
• Inherent limitation of VM sequential access
• VM transcripts can be e-mailed or SMSed
• Triage incoming transcribed VMs 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

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Helpful Niches, Trends, Triggers

• Temporary / Portable Applications
• Disaster Recovery / Mobile staging areas
• Political campaigns? Polling, Census

• Sublet Space
• Moves, office-space changes, new offices
• Staffing size changes
• Existing systems coming off of lease

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Tips n Tricks / Dave-isms

• Assessing site conditions, understanding
  requirements/existing services, are critical
• Old Habits die hard be prepared (BLF, KSE)
• Beware the Dark Side of VoIP
• Daves VoIP-o-Cratic Oath
• Dont assume VoIPstability ASK, TEST
• Set expectations then Patience isBillable

Free the Packets!
QoS-Less VoIP
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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 aint 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/ RiteTechs 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 VMs helped)
• Entire on-site work, cut-over/training 2 days

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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

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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 Ill still have to pay 300 every time
  I want our PBXs 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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QA, Resources

• www.ritetech.net
• www.aastralinkrp.com
• www.microsoft.com/responsepoint
• www.telephonation.com

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Glossary

• WIFM Whats In it For Me?
• TEM Telecommunications Expense Mgmt.
• CRM Customer Relationship Mgmt. (software)
• MOH Music On Hold BLF BusyLampField
• KSE KeySystemEmulation VoIPVoiceOverIP
• 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.)