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SPECIAL FOCUS: From the March 2006 issue of Communications News |
Reduce risk and complexity by Denzil Samuels In recent years, there has been a growing trend for companies to outsource contact center operations to drive down costs and deliver improved customer service in a 24/7 world. While there has been much less attention paid to outsourcing basic telephony services, the same advantages apply. By engaging the support of a vendor skilled at planning, implementing and managing a converged network, moving to IP telephony can be considerably simplified. Here are five potential outsourcing models that can help reduce costs and extend the reach and effectiveness of a company’s operations. On-demand or “hosted” telephony services. In this model, the precise telephony services needed are purchased from a service provider or telephony vendor on a pay-as-you-go basis. Telephony capabilities are accessed over a broadband connection on a per-seat, per-month basis. The same, state-of-the-art communications are delivered to each employee–wherever they are based–without a significant capital investment. A company can quickly ramp up or scale down operations to meet seasonal needs and growth requirements. Managed IP telephony services. With a managed services approach to outsourcing, a company retains its investment in equipment and applications but turns over the management of ongoing operations to a best-in-class vendor with the appropriate skills. Predictable costs associated with this model will help improve the bottom line. In this model, the vendor assumes management of all telephony assets and manages upgrades, additions and decommissions. A company can offload fault- and performance-management chores, system backup, helpline support, inventory management, and moving or adding new users. Outsourcing for IP telephony migration. Because of the complexities involved in adding telephony applications to an IP network, many businesses choose outsourced services to help with the migration process itself. Doing so allows them to leverage the operational scale and technology expertise of a trusted vendor, and reduce their implementation and operational risks. Migration services should be tailored to an organization’s specific needs, taking a holistic approach that includes strategic planning, a communications road map, budget and support requirements, facilities planning, evaluation of business process impact, performance and security, and planning for business continuity. This provides a single point of accountability for the move to IP telephony and helps avoid the pitfalls involved in a first-time implementation. The end result is that new capabilities can be introduced more quickly and reliably. Outsourced IP support services. The ongoing management of IP telephony presents unique challenges, since voice is transported over a data network shared with many other applications. Many different components must work together in this dynamic environment for optimal performance. The unique challenges involved in hosting voice on a data network lead many businesses to outsource IP support services. A skilled vendor will be able to remotely monitor the interrelationship among the components of the data network to detect and address potential problems before they affect operations. As a result, businesses can optimize IP telephony and data platforms for greater reliability, stability and availability–and greater peace of mind. Managed applications. Cost and operational efficiencies can be gained by outsourcing the management of communications applications, even if a company has the resources to manage its own infrastructure. Doing so can reduce or eliminate the need to develop internal expertise and keep up with fast-moving changes in the field. Instead, the company can turn to a vendor with unique skills in telephony software, contact center applications, voice mail or even multimedia conferencing. One or more of these five outsourcing models can complement operations of any size company. Working with a trusted partner will allow a business to do more with less, and mitigate the daunting risks associated with deploying new technology. Outsourcing can help a company transform its business and allow the internal IT team to turn attentions to using the technology to build its competitive advantage in the marketplace. Denzil Samuels is vice president and general manager
of Avaya Global Managed Services, Basking Ridge, N.J. |