Q: I want to touch on something you said earlier. You said you helped your client upgrade their system to an enterprise solution. What's the difference between what the client had before and what is installed now?
A: They had old phone technology -- PBX (Private Branch Exchange) -- and they went to a fully converged Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) solution. The client converted all the company locations to this new technology. They have a 24x7 call center environment and so there was a lot at stake in this change and implementation. The solution allowed them to go beyond traditional call center boundaries and engage home-based agents. The solution also provides multiple levels of survivability in the event of at outage of some kind. The transition had to be seamless so that the client didn't lose any calls.
Q: Is VoIP stable enough for a call center?
A: Well that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? There are certainly many call-intensive environments across the U.S. using VoIP. The thing that I always ask a client up front is why are you choosing this technology? What will this new technology gain your business and what will it cost your business to make this transition? But often one of the first things clients say is, "We want to go with Voice over IP."
Q: And you ask them why.
A: Yes, because I think it's important. The question isn't solely about the technology; the question is, what are the business drivers? What do you want to accomplish with this transition? How do you want to increase your service delivery to your customers? How are you structured? There are all kinds of questions that precede a change in your telecom infrastructure.
When you make a change there are many costs involved in making that change. And my greatest concern when one of my clients implements new technology is organizational change: how is the change going to affect the people using the new tools and systems that we implement. That's always the biggest thing. At the beginning, management's concern is how is this going to work and what kind of budget is there, but when it comes down to it, staff and customers may be more concerned about the design of the handset, how the buttons work or the changes to their desktop. Because you can make all these changes, but if the people who use the technology don't like it, you're not successful.
We recently completed a project with a school district and before the district ever made any decision about what technology to use, we pulled together a requirements committee that had representation from teachers, maintenance staff, administrative staff, principals, and district staff. So as the district moves forward we have all the input from key players. I think that's an important part of the strategic use of technology, making sure the right people are involved in creating the plan.
Q: So what does Ruby Communications use in the office? How are you set up?
A: We're a service business, so we don't have huge technology requirements. At our office we have a server, desktop and laptop computers, and a VPN connection out to remote staff. The staff at the office really likes that I have this VPN connection because it means I work at home more, and I don't interrupt their productivity. (Laughs). We outsource our IT management to a great company that specializes in providing Fortune 500-type IT support services to small and medium businesses. It's fabulous because one of the things that's true now -- even for small businesses -- is that we're reliant on technology. You only have to think about what happens when e-mail goes down. It stops everybody; no one knows what to do. We also have a person on staff who does some of the day-to-day monitoring of systems.
Q: What's the biggest challenge facing your business right now?
A: For us it's growth, always growth. When you first start a company and there are only a couple people, you can do things more informally. But as you grow, you have to put systems, tools, processes we document, and all of our customer agreements in place -- and all of that becomes more for us to manage. Making decisions on which direction to go is more complex now because we have more at stake. I think in the beginning, you're just not really aware of how much is at stake.
We're in the process of shifting our core business model from the contingency audits to telecom services managed solutions. We initially started the contingency audits eight years ago. But things have changed in the market, and organizations have realized that telecom expenses are one of the top five business expenses. They need educated eyes on it all the time. Because we live, breathe and sleep this stuff, we're there for the clients, resolving issues, and that requires involvement over the long term.
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