Consider managed voice services: third-party experts often bring efficiencies and depth of...

IP communications has come of age. Faced with aging time-division multiplex-based

PBX voice systems and the need to improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs, the move to voice over IP (VoIP) is no longer "if" but "when." A third-party expert can help companies realize the maximum benefits afforded from VoIP by ensuring they do not over look the requirements for designing and managing a strategic VoIP network. Third-party experts also can help ensure that companies do not overlook the business-process changes needed to take full advantage of their new communications system.

An IP communications implementation should be something planned well, and at the highest level. Third-party experts have IP project methodologies that include elements of services and technology to help businesses best plan and subsequently manage their project so that they can move toward VoIP with confidence.

Different businesses have different strategies and competencies for administering their technology solutions. No matter where they fall in the spectrum between complete self-sufficiency and completely outsourcing administration resources, however, there are options for companies seeking help in efficiently and cost-effectively managing their IP telephony and/or call center systems. By turning over all or part of the implementation and management of their VoIP-based customer interaction systems to a third-party expert, businesses no longer need to tie themselves in knots while adopting and managing their system.

For many businesses, keeping up with evolving technology and changing system requirements can be a challenge. Relying on a third-party expert can be more efficient and less disruptive to operations, and can help IT staffs ease into learning curve challenges that are inherent to new technology. Relying on third-party experts is an option for businesses that:

* do not have internal resources allocated to administer their system;

* have budget constraints for maintaining their system;

* have IT administration resources that are not familiar with customer interaction network or collaboration solutions; and

* want time for their administration team to ramp up via training and administration support programs.

Managed services offerings available today provide companies with cost-efficient alternatives to supplement their internal IT staff or can take the place of their internal IT resources-depending on the business' needs and technical competencies. There are offerings available to suit any need.

Some of the biggest benefits of managed services are allowing for a predictable expense model, immediate system ramp up and access to customer interaction administration expertise and best practices. When considering using third-party experts to implement and manage their mission-critical IP communications systems, companies should consider the following:

* Administration support can assist a company's in-house team for complex or time-consuming administration. This allows the in-house team time to focus on more strategic initiatives, ensures proactive system care and access to expert resources and mature processes. In general, proactive planning is more efficient and less disruptive to operations and helps in-house teams ease the learning curve challenges inherent to new technology. Additionally, administration support can often be purchased as prepaid service hours, allowing for a predictable expense model.

* Remote administration eliminates the need for a dedicated internal IT administrator. Businesses house their own equipment while the third-party expert remotely manages the entire VoIP system on their behalf. This allows businesses a scalable capability to immediately realize the benefits of their VoIP system's features and functions.

* Remote monitoring combines automatic system-performance monitoring with early notification to proactively address technical issues. The result is a cost-effective, proactive service designed to minimize system downtime for high-value VoIP-based customer interaction systems. Companies should look for "application-aware" services as a supplement to network-monitoring solutions.

Choosing the right mix of managed services for your organization is important. Another aspect that should not be overlooked when choosing third-party experts are the provider's core competencies and service levels for each of the available programs.

Managed service providers in the VoIP-based remote model have an advantage of pooled resources with unique and broad competencies. A business would be hard-pressed to find one individual with all of the required competencies. By accessing pooled resources, businesses can take advantage of the right skill at the right time. Depending on needs, expertise to look for when choosing a managed service provider for a VoIP-based solution might include: data networking, call signaling, telephony administration, operating systems, application administration, database administration and server hardware.

Organizations should carefully evaluate the service-level agreement (SLA). Businesses want a provider who offers the same level of service that an internal team would. In fact, often a good SLA brings better service compared to internal service capability. This is because managed service providers are financially motivated or penalized by SLA performance in a way that is hard to reproduce with a captive, internal IT department.

For instance, many managed services providers have a standard turnaround time for moves, adds and changes (MACs). Service levels for routine MACs should be in the 24-hour timeframe. Additionally, some offer emergency MAC services with response times closer to an hour.

Moving to VoIP-based business-critical systems does not have to be a risky endeavor. VoIP provides the opportunity to transform users and businesses. It offers solutions that provide a solid ROI and transformational business benefits. Managed services providers have the expertise, proven methodologies and technology to help businesses plan and subsequently manage their project so that they can move toward VoIP with confidence and reap the full business benefits that can be derived from technology.

Amy Baker is product manager, managed services, for Spanlink Communications, Minneapolis.

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