What Happens When. Building Business Continuity through ShoreTel Distributed Contact Center Technology
|
|
- Audra Henry
- 8 years ago
- Views:
Transcription
1 WHITE PAPER What Happens When The Lights Go Out? Building Business Continuity through ShoreTel Distributed Contact Technology
2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction About The Issue Two-Point Solution Redundant Two-Point Solution Non-Real-Time Communications Three-Point Solution Conclusion...12 Figure Figure 2. Two-Point Solution Figure 3. Planned Emergency Evacuation Drill... 7 Figure 4. Redundant Two-Point Solution Figure 5. Fiber Optics Cable Cut Figure 6. Three-Point Solution Figure 7. Extended Closure of Headquarters... 12
3 1. Introduction Businesses today face a number of challenges aside from increased competition. Many need to focus much of their energies on dealing with ordinary market and competitive challenges, leaving them poorly equipped to deal with emergencies. This is especially significant in the contact center because of it s customer-facing nature, and the increased demands from customers. Downtime in the contact center may result in extensive loss of revenue and potentially more damaging, the loss of customers to rivals. In this paper, we examine the impact of contact center downtime. We look at how, a fictious specialty retailer of fruit-based gifts, such as fruit baskets, mixed fruit boxes, honeys, butters, etc., is affected by contact center downtime, and how it can mitigate risks using the ShoreTel distributed architecture. Specifically, we discuss the advantages of a remote contact center, with and without redundant technology, as well as the advantages of supporting remote agents. To get the full benefits of UC, businesses need to build an infrastructure that can integrate the best applications into a seamless UC environment. After all, UC is really about eliminating islands of communication. A communications system that integrates completely and easily into your desktop environment and your business processes can help transform the way you work and communicate. Page 3
4 2. About Based in Sacramento, California,, Inc., sells custom-made fruit-based gifts online and via its catalog. It manages a single contact center of 25 agents, three supervisors, and a manager. The contact center is located in its headquarters building in downtown Sacramento, and uses the ShoreTel Contact Enterprise solution. volume of sales increases significantly during the holiday season and again two weeks prior to Mother s Day. During these peak seasons, the contact center receives in excess of 120 calls per hour, with an average of 24 agents answering calls during peak hours. About 75 percent of all calls are for catalog sales. The remaining 25 percent are customer service-type calls (tracking packages, questions on credit card charges, business account invoice questions, etc.) with 25 percent of these calls resulting in up-sales. The average catalog sale is $70 and the average up-sale is $25. hires college graduates and agents with more than five years of sales experience. To help keep turnover low, pays its agents above market average compensation. During seasonal peaks, each agent is required to work ten hours per week in overtime. As a result, pays on average $33.00 per hour per agent (including benefits) during the peak season, and $30.00 during the rest of the year. operates a distribution center near the Sacramento Airport. Headquarters Data ShoreTel Enterprise Contact ShoreTel Voice Switch Corporate WAN HQ Contact 25 Agents 3 Supervisors Manager Distribution Sacramento Airport Figure 1: Page 4
5 3. The Issue On a Tuesday afternoon during a peak calling season, and during the peak calling hour, the grill hood in the restaurant kitchen (not affiliated with fruity Gifts) on the first floor of the building malfunctioned. As a result, the fire alarm sounded and the building was evacuated, including the contact center. By the time the fire department cleared the building and let people back in, an hour of peak revenue was lost. The estimated cost of that one hour to is described below: Total down time (peak time)... 1 Hour Agents affected Estimated missed sales opportunities... $6,500 Unutilized labor... $792 If this emergency had been a real fire and had shut down the contact center for a day or more, the result would have been a significant loss of revenue and worse, the potential loss of a large number of customers to rivals. Many other organizational and corporate processes can survive downtime while they recover from a disaster. However, in many contact centers, disaster recovery is not an option and business continuity is mission critical. The customer-facing nature of contact centers means they must be able to operate even when the rest of the organization is offline. Fortunately for, ShoreTel Contact offers several ways to help ensure business continuity and mitigate and manage risks. Page 5
6 4. Two-Point Solution As the old saying goes, don t put all your eggs in one basket. Similarly contact centers that need to stay in operations during emergencies should not place all their agents in one location. By establishing a two-center solution, contact centers managers significantly decrease the risk of a complete blackout. After the fire alarm incident, the management at investigated contact center solutions to help decrease the company s risk. The solution the management developed was to open a remote contact center in its distribution center at the Sacramento Airport. Contact center management placed ten agents at the remote center, matching schedules and skills as best as possible. Furthermore, each center acts as the emergency location in case the other center needs to be evacuated for an extended length of time. The company uses its current ShoreTel UC system to distribute calls over its WAN. Using the distributed ShoreTel UC architecture, supervisors monitor agents from either location as if all agents were located in a single contact center. This allows the supervisors to back each other up, and monitor agents if one supervisor has a meeting or is out of the office. Agents also can use ShoreTel to contact supervisors or agents in the other center if they need help. ShoreTel Voice Switches Headquarters Data ShoreTel Enteprise Contact Distribution Sacramento Airport Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Back-up, 911, and local telephone lines Corporate WAN HQ Contact 15 Agents 10 Empty Cubes 2 Supervisors Manager ShoreTel Voice Swiches Remote Contact 10 Agents 15 Empty Cubes Supervisor Figure 2: Two-Point Solution Page 6
7 This two-point solution, illustrated in Figure 2 above, not only provides a way to mitigate risk, but it also offers the ten agents and one supervisor reduced commuting times. It also proved its value when the headquarters was evacuated due to a scheduled emergency evacuation drill. Since the drill was scheduled, contact center management shifted 12 agents to the remote site, ensuring that the center was running at 90 percent capacity and still participating on the drill (see Figure 3 below). The ShoreTel Contact and ShoreTel IP telephone system is location independent, no configuration changes were needed. ShoreTel Contact simply sent the calls to the distribution center as the HQ agents logged on. Headquarters ShoreTel Voice Switches X HQ Contact 15 Agents 10 Empty Cubes 2 Supervisors Manager Planned Emergency Evacuation Drill In Headquarters Closes Contact Data ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Corporate WAN 12 Agents Moved to Dist. For One Day Remote Contact 10 Agents Supervisor Distribution Sacramento Airport Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Back-up and local telephone lines ShoreTel Voice Swiches Figure 3: Planned Emergency Evacuation Drill With A Single Point Solution Total down time (non-peak time) Hour Agents affected Potential missed sales opportunities... $6,500 Unutilized labor (non-peak times)... $720 Page 7
8 Two-Point Solution At 90 Percent Capacity Total down time (non-peak time) Hour Agents affected Potential missed sales opportunities Unutilized labor (non-peak times)... $90 The distributed capability of the ShoreTel UC system and its ShoreTel Contact Enterprise solution enabled contact center management to maintain normal operations. The solutions provide the contact center managers with dashboards and graphical alerts that explain how the drill affects the contact center. Also, managers can monitor calls and participate when needed. ShoreTel Call Manager provides instant messaging (IM) and conferencing capabilities to agents enabling them to contact experts or supervisors in headquarters. The solutions also provide a simple way of moving agents. When agents arrive at the distribution center, they simply log in with a new extension and ShoreTel Contact registers their new location and starts passing traffic to the new extension. If needed, the remote center can be used by all agents in case of an extended closure of the main contact center and stay operational regardless of other events. 5. Redundant Two-Point Solution In designing a business continuity solution for contact centers, all weak points must be identified and evaluated. Natural and man-made disasters show that technology can fail. A business continuity plan must take that into consideration and offer alternatives. While the solution described above served its purpose during the emergency drill, management determined that the contact center was still at risk by relying on a single data center. needed a fully redundant solution and the company invested in a redundant data center in the distribution center. There, it installed a hot-swappable telephone solution and contact center solution. Each center has drops and while the HQ drop is the primary, has calls routed to the distribution center in case of an emergency. The redundant two-point solution, illustrated in Figure 3 below, proved its value when communications between the two centers was disrupted due to an unfortunate construction event. While repairing a water main in downtown Sacramento, the fiberoptic cable used to deliver data and voice between the two centers was cut, severing communications. Page 8
9 ShoreTel Voice Switches Headquarters Data ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Distribution Sacramento Airport Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Back-up and local telephone lines HQ Contact 15 Agents 2 Supervisors Manager Corporate WAN VoIP Traffic ShoreTel Voice Swiches Remote Contact 10 Agents Supervisor Figure 4: Redundant Two-Point Solution After consulting with the network provider and determining that the repairs would take at least six hours, IT department worked with its telephone carrier to route calls to both centers (the customer service calls going to the remote site and the catalog calls routed to the HQ) while the fiber was being repaired. Within 15 minutes of the breakage the contact center was working at 100 percent, including all management monitoring and coaching tools. Because the systems were fully redundant, all dashboards and reports were displayed with current information. Without a redundant data and contact center, the 10 agents in the remote site would have had to drive or be transported to headquarters, a travel time of at least an hour. The fiber was reconnected eight hours later. The following charts compare the costs of the nonredundant solution with the redundant solution. Without Redundant Solution Total down time (non-peak time) Hour (transfer time) Agents affected Lost revenue... $2,900 Unutilized labor... $300 Page 9
10 With Redundant Solutions Total down time (non-peak time) Minutes Agents affected Lost revenue... $200 Unutilized labor... $75 The redundancy of ShoreTel s solutions enables the two Fruity Gift contact centers to continue to operate independently during the cable cut. The redundancy of the solutions removed the dependence on a single point of failure (the WAN). By maintaining a hot-standby ShoreTel Contact solution, Fruity Gift quickly can bring the second center up and operating, taking calls and making sales. The hot-standby server is current on skills and routing rules, as well as IVR messages and call flows. Management staff also sees the same dashboards and alerts provided while the solution operates under the main server. All-in-all, by creating redundant infrastructure, can weather the loss of its WAN and continue to operate. Headquarters Data ShoreTel Enterprise Contact ShoreTel Voice Switches Distribution Sacramento Airport Catalog Sales Calls HQ Contact 15 Agents 2 Supervisor Manager XFiber Optics Cut No Communication between HQ and Distribution Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact VPN Concentrator B Back-up and local telephone lines ShoreTel Voice Swiches Remote Contact 10 Agents Supervisor Customer Service Calls Figure 5: Fiber Optics Cable Cut Page 10
11 6. Three-Point Solution Inc. has always been an environmentally conscious company. When one of the agents approached the contact center manager with a teleworking solution, the manager jumped at the idea. At the same time, the company was in the process of developing a disaster recovery procedure and facing significant cost cuts. The contact center, with its redundant two-point solution, had proven the value of proper business continuity to executive management, but the empty cubicles at each center were high on the corporation s list of cost cutting measures. So when the agent brought the teleworking idea to management, they saw a way to increase center readiness, free up the cube space for corporate use, and take the lead in a green initiative. Under the existing business continuity policy, each agent already uses a laptop. The contact center management, in cooperation with upper management and the senior agents, established a comprehensive telecommuting policy. Agents were divided into two teams consisting of approximately half the agents from each center and one supervisor. One team works from home Mondays and Tuesdays and the other team works from home Thursdays and Fridays. All agents are in their assigned contact center on Wednesdays for team and department meetings. Agents have a broadband Internet connection and a dedicated analog telephone line in their home (no cell phones are permitted). Also, agents need a quiet space to work, for instance a home office or basement. The company reimburses each agent $20 a month for the telecommunications requirements. Head Quarters Data ShoreTel Enterprise Contact VPN Concentrator A Distribution Sacramento Airport ShoreTel Voice Switches Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact VPN Concentrator B Back-up and local telephone lines Corporate WAN HQ Contact 7/8 In-House Agents 2 Supervisors Manager ShoreTel Voice Swiches Internet Corporate Firewall Analog Phone VPN At-Home Agents 12 or 13 agents each day Remote Contact 5 In-House Agents Supervisor Figure 6: Three-Point Solution Page 11
12 The contact center returned the extra cube space to the corporation, which paid for the reimbursements. The cost of reimbursing each agent was estimated at $540 per month while the cost saving of returning the cube space was estimated at $945 per month. Over a year saves approximately $4,800. In addition to savings in overhead, management noticed a drop in absenteeism and tardiness, which resulted in shorter wait times. The contact center management also noticed an increase in customer satisfaction surveys scores, which they equate to the shorter wait times. Six months after the telecommuting plan was implemented and shortly before the peak calling season, the first-floor kitchen caught fire. When the fire was extinguished there was extensive smoke and water damage. The entire building had to be closed for three months for repairs. That meant that the main data center had to be shutdown because there was no water for the data center air conditioning. All headquarter agents were sent home to work and the backup data center was brought online. While the redundant two-point solution let remain operational while the headquarters was closed, the three-point solution provided the same capabilities at lower costs. The three-point solution enabled to manage the risk of natural and manmade disasters as well as manage weak points in technology by providing three channels of communications with agents. ShoreTel Gateway Head Quarters Data Voice Mail ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Headquarters, VPN Concentrator A XFire in the Building Closed Data Shutdown * WAN disabled while HQ closed * All calls routed to Distribution * Backup servers brought on-line * At-home agents target VPN Concentrator B * At-home agents receive voice from Distribution drop Back-Up Data Hot Stand-By ShoreTel Enterprise Contact VPN Concentrator B Back-up and local telephone lines HQ Contact CLOSED ShoreTel Voice Swiches Internet Analog Phone VPN Corporate Firewall At-Home Agents 12 or 13 agents each day 1 Super and manager or 2 supers at home each day Remote Contact 5 In-House Agents Supervisor Figure 7: Extended Closure of HQ Page 12
13 By deploying ShoreTel Call Manager on their laptops, the contact center agents working from home enjoy a sophisticated telephone solution. A simple analog telephone is sufficient and the call manager offers agents complete call control. Furthermore, ShoreTel Call Manager provides an extension and all other information required to properly route calls. Management uses the same dashboards as if the agents were in house. Finally, the at-home agents has the same access to experts and supervisors through ShoreTel s unified desktop as in-house agents. ShoreTel s remote agent capability and its distributed nature, means the contact center was affected very little during the three months the main data center was closed. 7. Conclusion Every business must assess its vulnerability and deploy an effective business continuity solution. While three-point solution provided adequate risk management, the company could have increased protection by placing the remote contact center in another city or state. Placing a great deal of distance between the headquarters and the remote contact centers, helps ensure that events such as adverse weather or geological events, do not shut down operations. Organizations that continue to service customers in the face of adversity possess a significant competitive advantage. Every organization must have a disaster recovery plan, but contact centers also must develop a business continuity plan because in today s global environment customers are not necessarily affected by the same adverse events that are affecting the contact center. ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a leading provider of brilliantly simple IP phone systems and unified communications solutions powering today s always-on workforce. Its flexible communications solutions for on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments eliminate complexity, reduce costs and improve productivity. World Headquarters 960 Stewart Drive Sunnyvale, CA USA shoretel.com +1 (800) Toll Free +1 (408) Tel +1 (408) Fax EMEA Inspired Easthampstead Road Bracknell, RG12 1YQ +44 (0) Tel APAC 8 Temasek Boulevard#41-03 Suntec Tower 3 Singapore Tel Copyright 2012 ShoreTel. All rights reserved. The ShoreTel logo and ShoreTel are registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other copyrights and trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
How Virtualization Complements ShoreTel s Highly Reliable Distributed
WHITE PAPER How Virtualization Complements s Highly Reliable Distributed Architecture How Virtualization Complements s Highly Reliable Distributed Architecture Table of Contents 1. Executive summary...3
More informationMonitoring An Enterprise UC Environment
WHITE PAPER Monitoring An Enterprise UC Environment Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 1.1 Definitions....3 2. Why monitor your UC system?...4 3. What can and should be monitored?...6 4. Tool sets available....8
More informationBuilding a Multi-Channel Contact Center
WHITE PAPER Building a Multi-Channel Contact Center Table of Contents Traditional Call Centers Evolve.... 3 The Multi-Channel Contact Center... 4 More Focus on the Consumer and Customer Experience... 5
More informationFour Ways IT Can Control Contact Center Costs
WHITE PAPER Four Ways IT Can Control Contact Center Costs Lower the time your IT group spends managing contact center technology Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Minimizing hardware requirements...3
More informationSix Myths of Switching
WHITE PAPER Six Myths of Switching Business Phone Systems Here are six myths preventing businesses from switching phone systems and the realities of moving to a brilliantly simple ShoreTel business phone
More informationwhite paper How SHoreTel Unified CommUniCaTionS CompareS To avaya
WHITE PAPER How ShoreTel Unified Communications Compares to Avaya Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Platform comparison...3 3. Deployment comparison....4 4. Management and administration comparison...5
More informationTop Reasons Unified Communications: Benefits to Users, Business Decision Makers and IT Pros
WHITE PAPER Top Reasons for CEOs to Choose Unified Communications: Benefits to Users, Business Decision Makers and IT Pros Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Users...3 3. Business Executives...6
More informationThe Changing Face of Unified Communications
WHITE PAPER The Changing Face of Unified Communications Table of Contents What exactly is UC?... 3 Benefits of UC... 4 Who benefits the most from UC?... 5 Why don t more companies adopt UC?... 6 What does
More informationMobile Communications: An Odds-on Favorite for Business
WHITE PAPER Mobile Communications: An Odds-on Favorite for Business Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Distributor drives productivity with mobile engine...3 3. Belgian agency embraces freedom to
More informationSALES ACADEMY CATALOG
SHORETEL UNIVERSITY SALES ACADEMY CATALOG A Guide to ShoreTel Connect Certifications BENEFITS Complete at your own pace Reduce time away from home Reduce time out of the field Single enrollment for each
More informationwhite paper How EmErging TrEnds are affecting contact center operations
WHITE PAPER How Emerging Trends are Affecting Contact Center Operations Table of Contents History of Contact Centers... 3 Unified Communications Lead the Change... 3 The Importance and Prevalence of the
More informationHow to Avoid Abandoned Calls in Contact Center. How High Call Volume and High Abandon Rates Affect Contact Centers
WHITE PAPER How to Avoid Abandoned Calls in Contact Center How High Call Volume and High Abandon Rates Affect Contact Centers Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. High volumes and abandon rate...4
More informationWhat is the Difference Between Unified Messaging
WHITE PAPER What is the Difference Between Unified Messaging and Unified Communications? Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. What Are the Main Differences Between UM and UC?...3 3. Where Did the Misconceptions
More information3 Hot Buttons for Hosted UC. June 25, 2015 - Produced by: J Arnold & Associates
ISSUE PAPER 3 Hot Buttons for Hosted UC June 25, 2015 - Produced by: J Arnold & Associates Table of Contents Introduction.... 3 Hot Button #1 Scalability... 4 5 Requirements for Scaling with Hosted VoIP/UC...
More informationAddressing the Five. for Mobile Unified Communications
WHITE PAPER Addressing the Five Requirements of BYOD for Mobile Unified Communications Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary...3 2. Mobile Unified Communications in a BYOD environment...4 3. ShoreTel
More informationHow Unified Communications Pays For Itself
WHITE PAPER How Unified Communications Pays For Itself Best Practice Tips on Building a Comprehensive Business Case for Unified Communications By Don Van Doren Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2.
More informationEND-TO-END UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CLOUD
Service Overview ShoreTel Connect CLOUD SOLUTION BRIEF END-TO-END UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CLOUD ShoreTel Connect CLOUD is more than just a phone system it unifies team communication for improved
More informationWHITE PAPER. Unified Communications: Comparing Avaya and ShoreTel Solutions
WHITE PAPER Unified Communications: Comparing Avaya and ShoreTel Solutions Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Platform comparison...3 3. Deployment comparison...4 4. Management and administration
More informationSIMPLIFYING CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS WITH AN END-TO-END SOLUTION
Product Specifications ShoreTel IP Phones for CLOUD SOLUTION BRIEF SIMPLIFYING CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS WITH AN END-TO-END SOLUTION ShoreTel designs and builds our own desk and portable IP phones to ensure
More informationUnified Communications: Total Cost Of Ownership
WHITE PAPER Unified Communications: Total Cost Of Ownership vs. Return On Investment Table of Contents What exactly is UC?...3 How ROI Relates To TCO...4 ROI: Hosted vs. On-Site... 5 Mobility A Source
More informationUntangle communication complexity with ShoreTel s brilliantly simple solution
Untangle communication complexity with s brilliantly simple solution 2 UNTANGLING COMPLEXITY Untangle complexity Change is a constant today. The Internet has transformed business into an always-on world
More informationHow UC can give businesses the benefits of a mobile workplace
WHITE PAPER How UC can give businesses the benefits of a mobile workplace Table of Contents The changing nature of the workplace... 3 How the deployment of UC spurs mobility... 4 Changes your business
More informationIP Telephony: Reliability You Can Count On
WHITE PAPER IP Telephony: Reliability You Can Count On Architecture Matters Table of Contents 1. IP Delivers a Foundation for Reliability.................................. 3 2. Compare Three Different
More informationBuilding a Multi-Channel Contact Center
WHITE PAPER Building a Multi-Channel Contact Center Building a Multi-Channel Contact Center PAGE 1 Table of Contents Traditional Call Centers Evolve... The Multi-Channel Contact Center... More Focus on
More information5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System
WHITE PAPER 5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System www.vology.com (888) 808-2199 sales@vology.com 5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System PAGE 1 Table of Contents The Importance
More informationWHITE PAPER. Unified Communications: Comparing Cisco and ShoreTel Solutions
WHITE PAPER Unified Communications: Comparing Cisco and ShoreTel Solutions Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. Platform comparison...3 3. Deployment comparison...5 4. Management and administration
More informationMaximumOnTM. Bringing High Availability to a New Level. Introducing the Comm100 Live Chat Patent Pending MaximumOn TM Technology
MaximumOnTM Bringing High Availability to a New Level Introducing the Comm100 Live Chat Patent Pending MaximumOn TM Technology Introduction While businesses have become increasingly dependent on computer-based
More informationSix Myths of Switching Business Phone Systems
WHITE PAPER Six Myths of Switching Business Phone Systems Here are six myths preventing businesses from switching phone systems and the realities of moving to a brilliantly simple ShoreTel business phone
More informationDisaster Recovery in the Contact Center
Disaster Recovery in the Contact Center Ensuring Business Continuity and Minimizing Impact from Disasters and Emergencies Table of Contents Introduction Impact on Contact Centers a. Operational b. Financial
More informationMitel MiCloud Office Solution Overview
Mitel MiCloud Office Solution Overview Have you ever stood in line for hours anxiously awaiting the latest new mobile phone technology? Today s powerful devices are so much more than just simple voice
More informationThe Power of Integrated Collaboration
ShoreTel Inc. White Paper The Power of Integrated Collaboration New, Practical Unified Communication Applications Marty Parker, Principal Consultant, UniComm Consulting LLC Table of Contents What s happening
More informationWHITE PAPER. Reliability The ShoreTel Way
WHITE PAPER Reliability The Way Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. s Distributed Architecture... 4 2.1 N+1 Redundancy...5 2.2 Highly Reliable Components...6 2.3 Remote Survivability...6 2.4 Reliable
More informationIP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small and Medium Size Businesses
IP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small and Medium Size Businesses Successful companies are always looking for new ways to do more with less keeping their business flexible, innovative and
More informationUnderstanding Lync 911 for Enterprises
Understanding Lync 911 for Enterprises Introduction Microsoft Lync delivers a complete Enterprise Voice solution through an easy-to-use interface. Enhanced 911 (E911) support is a critical component of
More informationHow To Handle A Call Center Spike
WHITE PAPER Abandoned Calls Hurt How high call volume and high abandon rates affect contact centers Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. High volumes and abandon rate...4 3. Cost of abandoned calls...6
More informationMicrosoft Lync and. A Competitive Analysis
WHITE PAPER Microsoft Lync and ShoreTel UC: A Competitive Analysis Table of Contents 1. Introduction...3 2. What is Unified Communications...3 3. A brief history of Microsoft s Unified Communications strategy...4
More informationIP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small Business
IP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small Business Successful companies are always looking for new ways to do more with less keeping their business flexible, innovative and competitive without
More informationCisco Virtual Office Unified Contact Center Architecture
Guide Cisco Virtual Office Unified Contact Center Architecture Contents Scope of Document... 1 Introduction... 1 Platforms and Images... 2 Deployment Options for Cisco Unified Contact Center with Cisco
More informationThe Buyer s Guide to Unified Communications Security & Business Continuity BUYER S GUIDE
The Buyer s Guide to Unified Communications Security & Business Continuity BUYER S GUIDE The decision to invest in new technology should never be taken lightly. From calculating ROI to anticipating and
More informationIP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small Business
avaya.com IP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small Business Successful companies are always looking for new ways to do more with less keeping their business flexible, innovative and competitive
More informationThe Financial Benefits of Using LiveAction Software for Network QoS
White Paper The Financial Benefits of Using LiveAction Software for Network QoS How implementing network quality of service management can provide quantifiable cost savings, improved profitability and
More informationTop Reasons for CEOs to Choose Unified Communications: Bringing Benefits to Users, Business Decision Makers and IT Pros
WHITE PAPER Top Reasons for CEOs to Choose Unified Communications: Bringing Benefits to Users, Business Decision Makers and IT Pros Top Reasons for CEOs to Choose Unified Communications PAGE 1 Table of
More informationMITEL BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS
BROCHURE MITEL BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS YOUR WAY, WITH COMPREHENSIVE AND FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS ON PREMISE OR IN THE CLOUD Whether it s retaining productive employees, providing
More informationUnified Communications: Comparing Cisco and ShoreTel Solutions
WHITE PAPER Unified Communications: Comparing Cisco and Solutions Side-by-side comparison is conclusive: unlike Cisco, s all-in-one UC solution is designed to deliver lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
More informationVirtual Servers VIRTUAL DATA CENTER OVERVIEW VIRTUAL DATA CENTER BENEFITS
Virtual Servers VIRTUAL DATA CENTER OVERVIEW The SOFTeR Virtual Data Center is a Virtual Private Cloud Computing Service that enables customers to leverage guaranteed resource reservation pools (processor,
More information5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System
WHITE PAPER 5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System 5 Tips to Choosing the Right Business Phone System PAGE 1 Table of Contents The Importance of Communicators... Planned Obsolescence... Five
More informationFive Steps to Ensuring a Successful VoIP Migration. By Mike Perry, incontact Vice President, Network Operations
Five Steps to Ensuring a Successful VoIP Migration By Mike Perry, incontact Vice President, Network Operations Voice over IP (VoIP) has arrived and is here to stay. Many contact centers are realizing the
More informationBenefits of Avaya IPOffice
IP Office: Simple, Powerful Communications for Small and Medium Size Businesses Successful companies are always looking for new ways to do more with less keeping their business flexible, innovative and
More informationEverything You Need to Know About Network Failover
Everything You Need to Know About Network Failover Worry-Proof Internet 2800 Campus Drive Suite 140 Plymouth, MN 55441 Phone (763) 694-9949 Toll Free (800) 669-6242 Overview Everything You Need to Know
More informationQualifying ShoreTel Sky Prospects ShoreTel Sky Positioning Guide Supplement
SHORETEL CHAMPION PARTNER PROGRAM CLOUD RESOURCE Qualifying ShoreTel Sky Prospects ShoreTel Sky Positioning Guide Supplement When approaching a potential customer, it is important to create a foundation
More informationContact Center Solutions
OVERVIEW MITEL Contact Center Solutions Strengthen Customer Relationships While Protecting the Bottom Line Your contact center is the primary interface to your organization for your most valuable asset
More informationA New Approach to Cloud Communications
Interactive Intelligence, Inc. A New Approach to Cloud Communications Communications as a Service (CaaS) with Local Control Dr. Don Brown, CEO Table of Contents Overview... 3 CaaS... 3 CaaS with Local
More informationHow To Make A Phone System Work For You
CLOUD BASED VOIP BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM Introduction has been providing customers with reliable cloud- based communication service, since 2006 to help business grow with utmost speed and agility. has designed
More informationIs your small business ready for non-stop operations?
Is your small business ready for non-stop operations? Solutions for small and midsize enterprises Table of Contents Introduction: The need for uninterrupted accessibility... 1 Section 1: Business continuity
More informationWhite Paper UC for Business - Networked Queuing
UC for Business - Networked Queuing NEC Australia nec.com.au Table of Contents Introduction...3 Overview...3 Why Have Networked Call Centers?...3 What Technology Best Provides for Multiple Sites?...3 How
More informationDisaster Recovery Plan Checklist
Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist Your guide for setting up or updating a Disaster Recovery Plan for your business. ArcSource Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist 1. Compile Your Internal Contacts Information
More informationWHITE PAPER. www.fusionstorm.com. The Business Benefits of Upgrading Legacy IP Communications Systems. www.fusionstorm.com
WHITE PaPEr: Easing the Way to the Cloud: 1 WHITE PAPER The Business Benefits of Upgrading Legacy IP Communications Systems 2 WHITE PAPER: The Business Benefits of Upgrading Legacy IP Communications Systems
More informationA UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTION THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT CAN LOVE
Product Overview ShoreTel Connect ONSITE SOLUTION BRIEF A UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTION THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT CAN LOVE ShoreTel Connect ONSITE is easy on IT, delivers great financial returns, and unifies
More informationThe Advantages of a Integrated Communication System
WHITE PAPER The Changing Face of Unified Communications The Changing Face of Unified Communications PAGE 1 CONTENTS What exactly is UC?... Benefits of UC... Who benefits the most from UC?... Why don t
More informationWhite Paper. 7 Business Benefits of Moving From an On-Premise PBX to a Cloud Phone System
White Paper 7 Business Benefits of Moving From an On-Premise PBX to a Cloud Phone System 7 Business Benefits of Moving From an On-Premise PBX to a Cloud Phone System Tipping Points: Factors typically driving
More informationBuilding for the Future Flexibility and cost savings without sacrificing service quality
Applications Brief Remote Agents: Building for the Future Flexibility and cost savings without sacrificing service quality Competing successfully and profitably both now and in the future demands you use
More informationBackup and Redundancy
Backup and Redundancy White Paper NEC s UC for Business Backup and Redundancy allow businesses to operate with confidence, providing security for themselves and their customers. When a server goes down
More informationWhitepaper. A Practical Guide to ISP Redundancy and Uninterrupted Internet Connectivity
Whitepaper A Practical Guide to ISP Redundancy and Uninterrupted Internet Connectivity Table of Content Executive Overview 1 The Challenge 1 The Solution: Multi-Link Technology 3 Making Your VPNs Reliable
More informationHow SIP for Enterprise Powers Unified Communications
How SIP for Enterprise Powers Unified Communications Written by Steven Shepard, President, Shepard Communications Group, LLC xo.com How SIP for Enterprise Powers Unified Communications AUTHORED BY: Steve
More informationBusiness Continuity & Recovery Plan Summary
Introduction An organization s ability to survive a significant business interruption is determined by the company s ability to develop, implement, and maintain viable recovery and business continuity
More informationTelework and Continuity of Operations
Telework and Continuity of Operations John Leonard IT Service Continuity Management, Cisco Systems Telework Exchange Town Hall April 22, 2008 1 Telework: ideal for COOP resilience Connects remote workers
More informationBACKUP ESSENTIALS FOR PROTECTING YOUR DATA AND YOUR BUSINESS. Disasters happen. Don t wait until it s too late.
BACKUP ESSENTIALS FOR PROTECTING YOUR DATA AND YOUR BUSINESS Disasters happen. Don t wait until it s too late. OVERVIEW It s inevitable. At some point, your business will experience data loss. It could
More informationCity of Sacramento VoIP Deployment Project. Presentation to State of California IP Telephony Working Group
City of Sacramento VoIP Deployment Project Presentation to State of California IP Telephony Working Group Project Scope To Convert 4000+ SBC Centrex analog lines to City owned and operated VoIP Phone System
More informationOpenScape Session Border Controller Delivering security, interoperability and cost savings to the enterprise network border
Siemens Enterprise Communications Session Border Controller Delivering security, interoperability and cost savings to the enterprise network border April 2011 Agenda 1 Industry Trends 2 Customer Initiatives
More informationVoIP Survivor s s Guide
VoIP Survivor s s Guide Can you really save $, improve operations, AND achieve greater security and availability? Presented by Peggy Gritt, Founder and CEO of the VoIP A non-biased organization for the
More informationHosted Unified Communications: What You Need to Know to Determine if it is Right for Your Organization. An Industry White Paper from Votacall
Hosted Unified Communications: What You Need to Know to Determine if it is Right for Your Organization. An Industry White Paper from Votacall Summary Think for a moment about inter-office communications.
More informationCrash Phone Solution. Communications. Command. Control
Communications Command Control Crash Phone Solution On September 11, 2001 the plane crash at the Pentagon required an immediate public safety response from over 10 different agencies, some with overlapping
More informationConditions for ICT Partner Solutions Service Schedule for BT Cloud Unified Communications
Conditions for ICT Partner Solutions Service Schedule for BT Cloud 1. Provision of Service The Service will be provided by BT to the Customer using BT s Supplier. For the avoidance of doubt no contractual
More informationHow to Determine TCO for IP Telephone Systems
How to Determine TCO for IP Telephone Systems HOW TO DETERMINE TCO FOR IP TELEPHONE SYSTEMS 2 INSIDE: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Getting Started What is TCO for UC? Count up Operational Costs Consider the
More informationBusiness Continuity & Recovery Plan Summary
Introduction An organization s ability to survive a significant business interruption is determined by the company s ability to develop, implement, and maintain viable recovery and business continuity
More informationUnified Communications: The Layman s Guide
White Paper Unified Communications: The Layman s Guide Contents Introduction....2 What can you expect in return?....2 How Unified Communications Works....2 Challenges Ahead....2 Are you ready?....3 About
More informationContact Center Solutions
OVERVIEW MITEL Contact Center Solutions Strengthen Customer Relationships While Protecting the Bottom Line Your contact center is the primary interface to your organization, for your most valuable asset
More informationPower Outages and the Hosted VOIP Option
Power Outages and the Hosted VOIP Option What happens to your business when the POWER is OUT? Office 1: On-Premise VOIP Voice applications are lost when grid and UPS backup fail. Without power to your
More informationM2S I n t e g r a t i o n
M2S Integration Who is M2S Integration? Dating back to the early 2000s, M2S has been an Avaya business partner; a partnership that has allowed us to provide the highest level of solutions. As well as giving
More informationWhite Paper. McAfee Multi-Link. Always-on connectivity with significant savings
McAfee Multi-Link Always-on connectivity with significant savings Table of Contents Executive Summary...3 How McAfee Multi-Link Works...4 Outbound traffic...4 Load balancing...4 Standby links for high
More informationTHE TOP SECURITY QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK A CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER
THE TOP SECURITY QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK A CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER How to ensure a cloud-based phone system is secure. BEFORE SELECTING A CLOUD PHONE SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER: DATA PROTECTION.
More informationBlackBerry Mobile Voice System
BlackBerry Mobile Voice System Mobile Unified Communications BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) brings desk phone features to BlackBerry smartphones. Work with one business number at the office
More informationHosted Unified Communications: What You Need to Know to Determine if it is Right for Your Organization. An Industry White Paper from New Horizon
Hosted Unified Communications: What You Need to Know to Determine if it is Right for Your Organization. An Industry White Paper from New Horizon Summary Think for a moment about how many times each day
More informationLeveraging Virtualization for Disaster Recovery in Your Growing Business
Leveraging Virtualization for Disaster Recovery in Your Growing Business Contents What is Disaster Recovery?..................................... 2 Leveraging Virtualization to Significantly Improve Disaster
More informationWHITE PAPER. Reduce Cellular Spend With ShoreTel Mobility
WHITE PAPER Reduce Cellular Spend With ShoreTel Mobility Table of Contents 1. Executive summary...3 2. Objective...3 3. Situation...3 International cellular direct dial and roaming...3 Domestic cellular
More informationCloud-based Office 365 provides substantial cost, flexibility benefits over server-based system
Cloud-based Office 365 provides substantial cost, flexibility benefits over server-based system Prepared by: Ron Beck, Director, McGladrey LLP ron.beck@mcgladrey.com August 2013 In the modern workplace,
More informationAvoid Network Outages Within SaaS and Cloud Computing Environments
Avoid Network Outages Within SaaS and Cloud Computing Environments Worry-Proof Internet 2800 Campus Drive Suite 140 Plymouth, MN 55441 Phone (763) 694-9949 Toll Free (800) 669-6242 Avoid Network Outages
More informationWhitepaper: Virtualized fax servers why they re better than an appliance
Whitepaper: Virtualized fax servers why they re better than an appliance Organizations can achieve numerous benefits as they move from traditional manual faxing to a network fax server solution. Here are
More informationThe Aspect Unified IP Five 9s Environment
Technical Overview The Aspect Unified IP Five 9s Environment Technical Overview Aspect Unified IP 7 is a next-generation customer contact solution that enables companies to interact with consumers through
More informationFrom Voice Over IP To Unified Communications Simplify System Management
WHITE PAPER From Voice Over IP To Unified Communications Simplify System Management Architecture Matters Table of Contents 1. Compare the Various Approaches to Communications Management......... 3 2. The
More informationCLOUD BASED VOIP BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM
CLOUD BASED VOIP BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEM Introduction has been providing customers with reliable cloud- based communication service, since 2006 to help business grow with utmost speed and agility. has designed
More informationUC FOR THE CLOUD ERA HOSTED, VIRTUAL & MANAGED
UC FOR THE CLOUD ERA HOSTED, VIRTUAL & MANAGED WHITE PAPER WHITE PAPER UC FOR THE CLOUD ERA 2 COMMUNICATION: THE FOUNDATION OF BUSINESS In the past, the private branch exchange (PBX) likely saved your
More informationUnified Communications, Diverse Benefits
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS Unified Communications, Diverse Benefits Adopting a unified communications platform increases productivity, reduces costs and improves end-user service. Your staff may sit in cubicles
More informationTOP 10 WAYS TO ADDRESS PCI DSS COMPLIANCE. ebook Series
TOP 10 WAYS TO ADDRESS PCI DSS COMPLIANCE ebook Series 2 Headlines have been written, fines have been issued and companies around the world have been challenged to find the resources, time and capital
More informationTotal Business Continuity with Cyberoam High Availability
White paper Cyberoam UTM Total Business Continuity with Cyberoam High Availability Companies, big and small, must ensure constant availability of their company's network and data and prepare themselves
More informationHOW TO GAIN COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF 100 LOCATIONS AND A MULTI-CARRIER NETWORK
HOW TO GAIN COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF 100 LOCATIONS AND A MULTI-CARRIER NETWORK The Story of an agnostic Partner designing a Carrier network that Provided the Best Solution and Value to a Rapidly Growing
More informationA Hybrid Approach to Cloud Communications
A Hybrid Approach to Cloud Communications Combining the best of cloud services and on-premises infrastructure Don Brown Chief Executive Officer, Interactive Intelligence, Inc. Contents Overview... 3 Cloud
More informationAvaya IP Office. Simple yet robust collaboration solution for SMBs. 0800 019 0194 info@chesstelecom.com
Avaya IP Office Simple yet robust collaboration solution for SMBs Benefits Serve customers effectively Give your business a competitive edge by keeping your communications at peak performance. Easy to
More informationThe Key Components of a Cloud-Based UC Offering
The Key Components of a Cloud-Based UC Offering Organizations must enhance their communications and collaboration capabilities to remain competitive. Get up to speed with this tech primer and find new
More information