host posted on July 07, 2010 00:24
Part 3 - Due Diligence: Be in the Driver’s Seat
Part 3 in a 3-part series posted by Laura Kleekamp at VITEC, Inc. www.vitecinc.com
If I were the contact center decision maker, I’d be assessing my options right away. Knowing that Avaya’s purchase of Nortel assets will drive change for both Nortel and Avaya customers, contact center organizations need to plan now for the future, and be in the driver’s seat, rather than letting circumstances drive decision making.
Contact center and IT leadership can take some immediate steps to be in the driver’s seat, including the following:
- Conduct a risk assessment for your current operation
- Age of current system/availability of parts & experienced technicians
- Potential need for more capacity & cost
- Outage risks
- Need for new features or bug fixes
- Complete immediate risk management steps
- Meridian & SL-1 users – purchase crash kits, spares, refresh support arrangements with VARs, upgrade to IP if possible
- CS1000/BCMxx – upgrade software to current releases
- Begin work on a replacement/migration path
- Consider support changes that come with adoption of Avaya culture
- Look at your company strategic vision – what new applications may be needed
- Assess new customer-driven needs/features
- Look at the options and treat the replacement as you would any multi-vendor assessment
- Consider hosted services and leasing options to minimize capital outlay
- Get buy-in, develop a timeline and secure funding
The marriage of Nortel and Avaya PBX assets poses operational changes that must be addressed, but fortunately, also presents opportunities to move your organization into the future:
- New features and capabilities
- Opportunity to assess the offerings of multiple suppliers
- Opportunity to “future-proof” the business with new IP and server-based contact center platforms
- Opportunity to enhance revenue or lower ongoing operating costs through a new system
Nortel customers have a 12-18 month horizon to have migration plans in place, and need to begin a migration plan immediately.
Avaya customers will also be impacted by this purchase, and given Avaya’s uncertain financial future, I recommend they assess options and make contingency plans immediately as well.