Hutton Taps Voda One For Assistance With Avaya IP Telephony
The Memphis, Tenn.-based solution provider's history on the data side, working with networking and CRM applications, was more than sufficient for the integrations, but it lacked the necessary Voice-Over-IP skills. So Hutton Business Solutions turned to Westcon Group's Voda One division for help, said company president Hays Hutton.
"They help us when we need support," he said. "With [Voda One] behind us on the phone side, I have a lot more resources."
ANATOMY OF A SOLUTION
>> COMPANY: Hutton Business Solutions, Memphis, Tenn.
>> FOCUS: CRM and other business applications, IP telephony
>> PROBLEM and SOLUTION: Adams Keegan wanted an IP telephony system that could help the company keep better track of its customer service efforts. Hutton implemented an Avaya solution that included integration with Microsoft CRM.>> PRODUCTS and SERVICES USED: Avaya IP Office, Avaya IP Softphone, Microsoft CRM
>> LESSONS LEARNED:
> Partnerships with distributors like Voda One can help fill in services gaps around new technology.
> Time in the testing lab before an IP telephony installation pays off in the end.
> Customers are willing to replace legacy equipment when new technology provides additional functionality, such as the integration of telephony and CRM.
Voda One, Omaha, Neb., which specializes in Avaya's communications portfolio, recruits VARs with either data or telephony experience and helps them become purveyors of converged solutions with skill sets in both voice and data, said Eva Fujan, vice president of sales and operations.
The distributor helps its partners cull through their customer lists to find IP telephony sales opportunities and offers services for implementation, configuration and design to get them on their feet, she said.
In one recent customer engagement, Hutton Business Solutions won a deal to implement a new IP telephony system for Adams Keegan, a human resources management firm in Memphis. Adams Keegan wanted to replace its legacy Nortel Networks Norstar telephony system with a new phone system that could integrate with Microsoft Business Solutions CRM to improve customer service, said Jay Keegan, president of Adams Keegan.
"Customers hopefully are with us for years, so retention is paramount to our business," Keegan said. "If we're going to use CRM, we need to make sure we capture every touchpoint with the customer."
Hutton Business Solutions determined that the perfect fit would be IP Office, Avaya's channel-only hardware and software IP communications offering for small and midsize customers. It combines call-processing with voice-mail, contact-center and data-networking capabilities.
IP Office comes as a prepackaged solution that integrates customer data stored in Microsoft CRM, automatically creating "screen pops" that display customers' records to service agents when they call.
Before installation, Hutton Business Solutions tested the implementation at the Voda One Integration Center, the distributor's staging lab.
"We went to their Pittsburgh facility and did a mockup beforehand, did tests on the integrated system," Hutton said.
Voda One engineers were also on-hand during installation to make sure the final result worked as well as it did in the lab, Fujan said.
The solution provider in October successfully rolled out the Avaya Microsoft solution to 35 Adams Keegan users, deploying 10 new digital handsets and 25 of Avaya's IP Softphones at the company's headquarters and tying the communications system to the firm's back-end legacy software.
It is too early to quantify Adams Keegan's cost-savings as a result of the new solution, but Keegan has already seen several customers retained because of the high level of customer service his employees now provide.
"By getting information quickly we're able to get involved and be super responsive. We have all the facts, and that really impresses the customer."