Are You Still On TDM? You Could Be On Death Row

A CASE STUDY

We have a client who just went through a transition to VOIP based on the manufacturer discontinuance of the TDM system in place and near-term non-support manufacturer issues. The client provides benefits to several million members – benefits include insurance in the form of life, automobile, homeowners, health and disability, financial services including investment plans, loans and mortgages, discounts on various member-related products, and educational forums for its membership.

We worked with an internal team/committee identifying the needs (required) and wants (optional) of the organization. We then asked what technologies can be employed that could make a marked difference improving on organizational processes and facilitating overall organizational effectiveness. Some of those areas included:

Call Center – IVR for self-service, Routing, Reporting, Chat, CTI Screen Pops, Call Recording, Call Monitoring, Broadcast Dialing, Speech recognition

E911 capability for access to the organization at large and key personnel,

Remote Workers, VPN access, softphones for all users

Unified Messaging and Fax Server migration

Unified Communications

Network Management System

Centralized Move and Change tools, reducing move and change costs

Wireless – data and voice

Upgraded UPSs

LDAP integration with all IP phones

Call Accounting

Touch color screen desktop telephones for executive and key IT management

MS Exchange integration for specialized applications

Once the system was implemented, it was quite apparent that the technology now available facilitated the client’s executive management and company business processes. Technology was now viewed as strategic (and not just tactical), differentiating the company from its competition, and better serving its members. This provided management the ability to look to tie the new technology to their vision and five year strategic plan. For example:

Users could now instant-message one another, from a desktop or phone, providing instant communications. This technology is especially effective in the call center, where supervisors can now provide direct assistance and approval without any disruption of the call in progress, thus reducing call time,

Presence functionality allows teams to be organized virtually, and be available to help clients or assist with issues as they arise in a real-time environment,

Hardphones and softphones now mobilize key employees to work remotely, providing a level of flexibility for employee availability and increase employee longevity with the company,

Unified Messaging provides faxes and voice mail in e-mail Inboxes, with voice mail forwarding and notification on their Blackberry wireless handheld devices.

The VOIP/UC system implemented was not only good for the organization as a whole, but strategic for streamlining IT management and organization operations, which included softphones for all employees in the event of a pandemic. We are currently working on steps to showcase this client to other affiliates, to demonstrate what can be done and executed strategically with VOIP.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

VOIP is now mainstream and no longer a “leading edge” technology. Now that all of the manufacturers’ R&D is being invested in IP-based systems, time is of the essence, and the dreaded warning--that systems in place are manufacturer discontinued or at capacity--is here (or will be here shortly). It is critical that we begin to plan and take the necessary steps to assess the current environment, consider the technologies that can make fundamental changes in our organizations and help differentiate us from the competition, and create value for the organizations we serve.

Stephen Leaden is President of Leaden Associates, Inc., an independent, objective IT consulting firm specializing in VOIP and UC design and deployment and leveraging financial value derived from newer technologies available. Stephen has been in the IT/Telecommunications field 25 years, and is Past President and member of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants, an ethics based association of independent Telecommunications and IT consultants. He can be reached at (845) 496-6677.