IP Telephony: It’s Time to Act

Embracing change demands more than mere wordsThe best part of presenting to IP and telecom audiences is that it gives you a chance to listen. And I did a lot of listening during my eight-day, five-city tour across most of Canada last month, presenting my ideas and insights on embracing change to end users as part of a Telus road show. I learned a lot about what rock music bands go through while on the road—the strain of travel, of performance, and the joy of rapport with the audience. As for my topic, I found that people are starting to focus on the right questions. We’ve done a lot of analyzing over the past couple of years in this industry, and it’s time to act. In every place people asked the typical questions raised regarding any new product or service (see box). But this time I heard more on three key themes that imply a willingness to act: system robustness, integration, and remote capabilities. RobustnessHere are the questions that focused on business continuity and security: > How does the system help ensure business continuity? > How do you ensure security for each user in the hosted version? > What is the physical security configuration? This is the big concern with all new products being rolled out today. Given the disasters and virus pandemics of the past decade, great effort has been expended on business and IT-related contingency planning. However, many organizations’ telecom networks and unique applications—like contact centres—are weak and vulnerable. Many talk about risk, security and back-up processes; few have arrangements that are robust, fully tested and easy to kick into action. IntegrationSample questions were: > How does the system integrate with CRM systems/other databases? > Does it integrate with our telco’s IP-based telephony service? > How does it connect to enterprise legacy systems? Any implementation of something new has an impact on existing systems. And, in most cases, existing systems have an impact on the new. Disruptive technology both creates and destroys, often in unexpected ways. This unruly process must be carefully planned and managed to assure a positive outcome. In recent years, many have underestimated the time and effort required to embrace change well. Virtual OfficeMany participants raised questions on IP telephony’s implications for remote workers and for building virtual offices: > What equipment, software, and access links do remote workers need? > Does the manager need to be based at HQ? > How does a manager access and view the remote systems? The key point today is that technology is no longer a barrier. All things being equal, if the virtual office is good for the organization (lower turnover, for example), good for the staff (eliminating eight hours a week in a car, for example), good for customers (the right answers to questions faster, for example), then most businesses would at least try it. Just Do ItThe questions raised by corporate buyers across Canada showed a practical interest in acting to realize communication technology’s new potential. A year ago I wrote about "the rumble in distance" heading toward us. Well for most organizations, it’s here. Nike is right: when it’s time, just do it. "On the Line" is based on the consulting experience of Angus Dortmans Associates. Henry Dortmans, president, welcomes comments and suggestions. Send an email to dortmans@angusdortmans.ca or call him at 416-849-2896. For information on the firm’s advisory services, seminars and speeches, visit www.angusdortmans.ca. The Standard QuestionsSome questions put forward during my cross-Canada tour are simply timeless. Users were asking them 20 years ago, and they’re still relevant: 1. What is the target market? 2. What is the relationship between the manufacturer and the distrbutor/integrator? 3. How long does it take to implement? 4. What does it cost? 5. Who uses it today? 6. What is the operating system? 7. What is the training process? 8. Does it provide feature X? 9. What are the maximum-size limitations on feature X? 10. What are the minimum-size limitations on feature X?

IP Telephony: It’s Time to Act

News | January 1, 2006

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