For those that missed our free webinar on Data Networking for Voice Professionals, you can catch it on playback from our website: http://bit.ly/gwkXE0. Watch our CTO in action!
Training is one area we continually hear about from our Federal customers, specifically that it is not easy enough for them to buy. We will have both classroom and on-line (live and on-demand) training available on our GSA Schedule.
Cross Telecom is transforming the way Federal Agencies and companies conduct their business. We do that by providing integrated communications solutions — not just individual products. Leading the way as an Avaya Connect Platinum Partner and Avaya Platinum DevConnect Partner, Cross has also achieved the status of Services Expert and is Avaya's 2010 Partner of the Year for Services.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Some of our Shoes
I am very pleased to report that my team has submitted our findings and recommendations to our senior team. Our executives will review potential upside, cost/benefit, etc. and give us direction and (if appropriate) funding and resources.
While we await adjudication, I will be posting detail on what we intend to list on our Schedule. I am available to clarify these to any of my Federal followers as well as potential teaming partners. The first listing is a set of Professional Services for two product types from the Avaya portfolio, Contact Center Express (including Customer Relationship Management integration) and Self Service (IVR):
CCE/CRM:
• Configure and Install CCE Software
• Multimedia Queuing – SMS (text), Chat, and Email
• Out of the Box and Custom Screen Pops/Web Applications
• Custom Routing
• Custom Toolbars
• Custom Softphones
• Integration to multiple customer databases
• Customized Agent Interfaces
Self Service:
• Configure, install, and implement Interactive Response hardware and software (IR is manufacture discontinued but if customers have current IRs, we can help)
• Configure, install, and implement Voice Portal hardware and software in both H.323 and SIP environments
• Configure, install, and implement Enterprise Wide License Server software
• Configure, install, and implement Loquendo Speech Recognition Server (ASR) software and Text to Speech Server (TTS) software
• Develop, test, and deploy touch-tone only and speech enabled Self Service Applications using recorded announcements and/or TTS
• Modify, deploy, and test existing Source Code
• Create, test, and deploy Web Services for database integration
Whether we will list these as bundles of tasks with a set price or within labor categories with an hourly rate remains to be seen and ultimately will be driven by market demand.
I could write volumes on the evolution from Call Centers (where customers could call during business hours to complain) to multimedia- and social media-driven Customer Collaboration Centers, but the key here is that the Federal Government has many “customers,” and has spent much time and money on channels for these customers to access information. The services listed above are a sampling of what Cross Telecom can do to enhance and enable the Government’s ability to execute on this customer support model.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
First Real Step Re-revisited
We are formalizing a package of recommendations for submission to our senior team, several of whom attended and actively participated in Federally-focused Avaya event last week. We all believe that Cross having its own Schedule will enable us to drive even more value to Cross and to Avaya, who recognized us as a Federal Business Partner of the Year for the eighth or ninth time in a row at this event.
I want to thank everyone who has commented on this blog and its content; several blog followers contributed real value to our effort and one of whom may well continue contributing into our future. I will continue updating this blog as we make progress on our Schedule. Anyone pursuing their own Schedule—or competitors trembling with fear at the thought of Cross having one ;-) —should keep coming back as I will blog on the experience and dynamics of working on the proposal package and hopefully the negotiations/award phase. I am willing to share my experiences with this project to anyone as well. I am optimistic we will have a positive outcome before the buying season hits—and I think it will hit hard this year.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Step Towards Validation
I saw a presentation by a very professional and credible consultant today which included some forecasted stats from a reputable source. The prediction was for a 7% CAGR for professional services in the Federal vertical over the next 5 years. This is one of the key sets of services we will be putting on our Schedule. This was welcome validation of my team's efforts so far. I was less pleased the same forecast called for less use of GSA Schedules, but it is still a huge opportunity.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
REMINDER: FREE TRAINING TOMORROW
This month’s FREE webinar is being presented by our Chief Technology Officer, David Lover. The topic is Data Networking for Voice Professionals. The Government buys billions every year in data networking equipment and services—some to drive pure data traffic, some to transport Voice over IP traffic, and a lot to do both.
In this session, we'll get into the basics of cabling, switches, and routers. We'll talk about IP addressing, explaining things like subnet masks and default gateways. We'll also explain what VLANs and QOS tags are and why they're important to voice communications. If you're new to data networking or need a refresher on the basics, this session is for you.
As always, this webinar is not a sales pitch for the data products we sell or the services we sell to support the technology. This is an educational service we provide with no obligation or hard sell.
The webinar is Thursday, February 24 at 11 EST. The link to register is:
I hope you can attend and see the quality of technical education resources that soon will be available for easy purchase On Schedule. If you attend, please send me an email or post a comment on what you thought of it. Thanks!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Step Back (To Where We Once Belonged)
Well, it seems announcing a decision is a great way to spur discussion. Since we posted on February 2 that we had “decided” to aggressively pursue being added as a subcontractor to an existing Schedule, we received some very compelling arguments that such an approach would not be prudent—not at this juncture or any other!
The longer term implications of that approach were not really understood by the team, but they are now. This is a prime (pun intended) example of why we started this blog—to leverage the collective knowledge of our industry to fill the gaps in our understanding of the many intricate and at time conflicting rules.
We are now evaluating our Schedule options, and there are some very good ones. We are also evaluating one of the major bid information services. The next 60 days look to be action-packed and that is really exciting given how many companies go into hibernation in the first quarter. Keep coming back to this blog if you are interested in us and in stating your opinion—comments are always welcome!
Monday, February 14, 2011
More Free Steps
Last month I posted a link to our free webinar on Avaya Contact Center. Our monthly webinars put our training capabilities on display for everyone to see—including our competitors. Training definitely is going on our Schedule and in many cases fits under the P-card threshold, so it is really easy to purchase.
This month’s FREE webinar is being presented by our Chief Technology Officer, David Lover. The topic is Data Networking for Voice Professionals. The Government buys billions every year in data networking equipment and services—some to drive pure data traffic, some to transport Voice over IP traffic, and a lot to do both.
In this session, we'll get into the basics of cabling, switches, and routers. We'll talk about IP addressing, explaining things like subnet masks and default gateways. We'll also explain what VLANs and QOS tags are and why they're important to voice communications. If you're new to data networking or need a refresher on the basics, this session is for you.
As always, this webinar is not a sales pitch for the data products we sell or the services we sell to support the technology. This is an educational service we provide with no obligation or hard sell.
The webinar is Thursday, February 24 at 11 EST. The link to register is:
I hope you can attend and see the quality of technical education resources that soon will be available for easy purchase On Schedule. If you attend, please send me an email or post a comment on what you thought of it. Thanks!
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