Download - Unify and Simplify Better Collaboration for
Unify and Simplify
Better Collaboration for
Improved Productivity
Alicia Heaton
Agenda
• Meridian and UCC
• Our Network of Skills and Partners
• The Value of UCC
• ROI and Getting Started
• Meridian IT Practice Areas and Services Offerings
• Questions
Meridian and UCC
Goals• Provide easy user access to a comprehensive, integrated solution for voice,
video, and data• Build upon and extend messaging architecture • Deliver an ecosystem of solutions• Utilize a full range of Software and Meridian IT services to provide the best
solution for our customers• Increase customer value by creating synergy between your IP Telephony or
PBX and IBM solutions• Establish an open platform for business communications and collaboration
Meridian IT : Collaboration, Network and Telephony
• Meridian is uniquely position to help customers across multiple telephony providers
• Sametime integrates with telephony as a technology, not just a specific implementation
• Meridian can help customers determine the best fit for them
Companies are looking at unified communications NOW!
rich presence
web, audio, video conferencing
unified messaging
of companies using VoIP say they want unified communications
instant messaging
IP telephony capabilitiesWhich advanced VoIP features does your company plan to pursue in the next 12 months ?
57%
54%
37%
32%
6%
Unified communications
Integrated voicemail and e-mail
Presence information
Integration into business and productivitysoftware
Other
Source: InformationWeek Research VoIP studyhttp://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189800103&pgno=1&queryText=
$ 3.08bn Market$ 3.08bn Market
57%57%
The virtual workplace is here
© Copyright Nemertes Research Inc., 2006. All rights reserved
58% of IT executives consider their company to be a virtual workplace
90% of employees work in locations other than headquarters
Between 60% and 70% of employees work in different locations than their bosses
The number of virtual workers has increased by 800% over the past five years
Communication IS the critical-path to successful business processes
Industry App.
Embed UC tools into process to
Increase contextual collaboration
Reduce decision latency
Speed up teaming
Improve expertise contact
Improve customer service
Unified communications streamlines business processes
Current reality
CRM ERP Back OfficeSTOP
CRM ERP Industry App. Back Office
Communication/collaboration required
Exception: Who should I call?
Approval: Who is available and where?
Teaming: Who do we get together?
Expertise: Who and how do I reach them?
Location: How do I reach the sales rep?
STOP
Communication/collaboration required Communication/collaboration required
Use innovative technology to:
Expedite customer interactions
Anticipate customer needs
Achieve resolution on the first call
Facilitate structured interaction among individuals, teams, and organizations to:
Streamline business processes
Anticipate problems before they occur
Improve teaming
Eliminate people delay
Change the way employees interact to:
Increase individual productivity
Allow teams to collaborate across different locations
Provide access anytime, anywhere
Maintain Customer Loyalty
Improve Business Effectiveness
Increase Employee Productivity
The benefits of a UCC strategyStrengthen Business Partner Relationships
Work more closely with your partners to:
Optimize your supply chain and in turn satisfy customer needs
Ensure that they are knowledgeable about the offerings they sell on your behalf
Increase employee productivity
• Easily find and collaborate with coworkers?
• Find and connect coworkers with the click of a button?
• Reach any employee or supplier in real time, no matter where they are located?
What if you could…
Display employee availability presence awareness Quickly reach each other to collaborate with Click-to-
Call Locate an employee anytime, anywhere with intelligent
call routing Give employees access to voicemail, e-mail, and fax
messages on a laptop, PDA, or phone with unified messaging
You can…
For enterprises of all sizes, loss of productivity can be the enemy.
Improve business effectiveness
Employees are mobile—they are on the road, at customer sites, and on the move—yet they still need to communicate and collaborate effectively.
• Streamline business processes and workflow?
• Quickly identify and resolve issues through collaboration?
• Improve teaming to support smart and quick decision making?
What if you could…
Proactively identify and detect potential issues by integrating UC capabilities with core business applications
Quickly solve problems by alerting employees to customer, supply chain, or internal issues
Identify problems and brainstorm alternatives by using rich media conferencing and collaboration capabilities
You can…
Maintain customer loyaltyCustomers want service that is proactive, personal, and fast. If you can’t give them what they want, when they want it, a competitor will.
• Anticipate a customer’s needs?
• Notify customers the moment a product is delivered or a service completed?
• Let a customer examine a product, even though it is at a different store?
• Have customers participate in a focus group without leaving their home or office?
What if you could…
View a customer’s history before speaking to them with customer contact center solutions
Integrate communications systems with service applications to notify a customer when a transaction is complete
Integrate UC solutions with inventory databases, so a customer can check availability of an out-of-stock item at another store and view the desired product via video conferencing
Bring the focus group to your customer with rich media conferencing solutions
You can…
Optimizing your supply chain can increase your customer reach and improve relationships with your business partners who are critical to your success.
Strengthen business partner relationships
• Ensure that business partners are up to date on your product and service offerings?
• Identify supply chain issues and quickly address them?
What if you could… You can…
Conduct training classes with video and Web conferencing, allowing business partners to participate from their own office
Use collaboration applications to work closely with your supply chain partners to resolve issues as they arise
Where to start? Where UCC is getting traction
• Professional Services– Mobile high value workers accessible remotely for professional advice
• Insurance– Claims Agents have improved response times and process streamlining
• Healthcare– Improve patient satisfaction AND raise productivity/utilization of specialists
• International Bank– Leveraging ad hoc video conferencing – cultural requirement
UCC Solutions
Collaboration Acceleration
Seamless Information
Contact Management
Resource ID & Problem Resolution
Info Portal w/Communications
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Source: Business Communications Review/ June 2007By Permission of Marty Parker, Principal© Communication Perspectives 2007Link to report
ROI: Why the Status Quo Must Go: The True Cost of Doing Nothing
• Key Findings: Enterprises of 1,000 people could lose $13M year in lost productivity and avoidable expense
• Latency/“waiting for information” a delay of 5.3 hours per week, average annual cost of over $9000 per user.
• Business travellers estimated 11 days per year on unnecessary or avoidable business travel or annual waste of at least $3400 per person to “synchronize teams”– 75% incurred incremental communication costs of an average annual cost of $1488.– These are the additional communications expenses on top of “typical travel expenses.“
• “Remote worker” who spent 10% of their time working from remote locations noted lack of parity in communication services with reduced productivity by an average of 7.8 hours a month
• Total lost and avoidable expense ranged from $6K (500 person enterprise) to $12K (1,000 person enterprise) per person per year using a “conservative estimate”
“Measuring the Pain: What is Fragmented Communications Costing Your Enterprise?” Independent Insignia Research of Toronto, Canada
Copyright © Siemens Communications , Inc.. All rights reserved Full white paper available from Siemens Enterprise Network
US: www.siemens.com/us/open/ucsurvey UK: www.siemens.co.uk/open/ucsurveyDE: www.siemens.de/open/ucsurvey
ROI: Business value of Unified Communications
Forrester Consulting calculated 3-year risk-adjusted ROI of 563%
• Quantitative savings– Individual and workgroup productivity– Travel cost savings– Reducing the time to complete projects– Shortened sales cycles– Cost reductions for dial-in conferencing and telephony charges
• Other potential benefits:– Reduced total cost of ownership of telephony equipment, management & Administration– Reduced training expenses– Improved ability to attract and retain quality employees– Faster, better resolution of customer services issues
Forrester Consulting 2007, “The Total Economic Impact” ©
Link to report
Lessons Learned from engagements with Customers
• Don’t wait! UCC can deliver real business value• Quantifiable metrics – use various research studies to model• Lessons Learned
– Secure Executive support– Get LoB sponsor and quantify business benefit during pilot– Leverage lessons learned with first LoB pilot– IT and Telecommunications need to be working together– Assemble SWOT team with key stakeholders– Strong project management because several competencies required – Business cases are extremely valuable– Nothing is a ‘rip and replace’
• Speed to Implementation = Speed to Business Value– If you have good infrastructure planning and implementation – then integration is
easy and quickly extends as you grow• Simple converged desktop – with little or no training
How can Meridian Help
• Network of expertise– Partnerships– Internal Expertise
• Building the ROI– Let us help!
• Best of Breed Solutions– Evaluate– Implement
Navigating the Complex IT landscape
• Superior Relationships With Industry Leading Suppliers
• Strong Understanding of Client Business Requirements
• Meridian Group Possesses the Knowledge, Communications, & Ability to Unify IT Infrastructures – and protect them – while Maximizing Performance & Efficiency
Questions
Thank You!