Telecom Challenges and Opportunities for Organizations

Challenges
Organizations are facing many large challenges today, including the following: 1. Containing costs while delivering increasingly more complex services and providing a consistently higher level of customer service across wide geographical areas; 2. Enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of communications with citizens and other stakeholders; 3. Utilizing emerging technologies to improve staff productivity; 4. Ensuring the reliability, availability, survivability and security of telephone, data network and Internet platforms and services; 5. Implementing centralized administration of services provided at satellite sites. Information Technology departments provide the planning, implementation and support of a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure and applications environment. IT departments are also under pressure to support their organizations goal to provide enhanced customer service. With increasingly limited resources and time, IT staff is challenged to stay current with the fast pace of technological change. Communications and information technology can no longer be viewed as merely a utility but as a strategic asset to an organizations goals.

Opportunities
Opportunities to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of operations include the following: 1. Assessing current customer service levels (including ease of use) and communications systems and applications to identify present or future problem areas and issues; 2. Identifying possible areas of savings from the re-engineering of operations (including work flow processes and contact centre operations), and rationalization of network services, voice services and facilities; 3. Identifying current and future network and voice telecommunications requirements, including opportunities and strategies to apply new and emerging technologies, such as speech recognition systems, IP telephone systems, electronic commerce, website applications, and collaborative audio and video conferencing services; 4. Conducting a preliminary cost analysis of the most immediate and pressing changes required; 5. Planning and issuing RFPs for IP telephone systems, Interactive Voice Response systems (IVR), Speech Recognition Systems, Wide Area Networks, Internet services and long distance telephone services;

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6. Providing a framework to assist an organization in its negotiations with telecommunications carriers and vendors with the objective of establishing and maintaining a long-term relationship in which requirements are better met; 7. Providing recommendations for consideration by senior management to address immediate requirements and position an organization to take advantage of future opportunities.

EDDINGTON Consulting believes that Technology is a solution-enabler.

Technology, however, does not represent the entire solution but should be considered one of three inter-linked components of an effective communications system. People-related issues such as training and development; development of guidelines and standards, such as voice mail and e-mail policies and protocols, and management support are equally important. Process, including knowledge management and systems development and integration, is crucial to effective communication.

Expertise
EDDINGTON Consulting an independent telecommunications consulting and project
management company provides telecommunications and business strategy consulting services to government, school boards, colleges and universities, hospitals, non-profit organizations and private sector companies. We specialize in developing workable solutions that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization while enhancing service. In nearly eleven years experience as an independent consulting firm, working with over sixty organizations, EDDINGTON Consulting takes the following approach in managing a project: As a member of the Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association (CTCA), offer vendor-independent, unbiased advice; We seek the best long-term solutions by considering all issues and all requirements; Place equal emphasis on technology and change management; Ensure staff is brought up to date on current technology and future options; Provide ongoing transfer of knowledge to staff; Consistently deliver on time and on budget.

Team
Jon Eddington has forty years experience in the telecommunications, computer systems and office automation fields, with extensive knowledge of computer and voice networks (local, wide area and international), contact centres, telephone systems, video conferencing systems, and trading floor systems. He currently provides telecommunications and technology consulting services for a range of clients. Jon has held various technical and management positions in the telephone industry (with Bell Canada, GT&E Data Services, General Telephone Company of Florida); the insurance industry (Manulife Financial); and the U.S. Armed Forces.

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Jeanne Eddington has over thirty years experience in the private and public sectors. She has been a telecommunications consultant for eight years, working on a wide variety of projects. Jeanne has held various positions as a manager and educator, and is a strong communicator with expertise in building teams and improving staff morale while achieving effective results with limited resources. She specializes in people and process, areas of vital importance to technology design and implementation.

EDDINGTON Consulting has established alliances with other telecommunications and

information technology and business strategy firms such as Graycom Analysis, BEMComm Consulting, Hunter Telemanagement Solutions and Data Perceptions Inc. Together, we provide a broad base of complementary skills, which ensures that your project goals are achieved in a thoughtful and expedient manner. Our associates bring extensive knowledge of telecommunications, data communications, information technology, and organization development. Our project teams define and document user requirements; prepare detailed engineering documentation; provide on-site support during implementation; facilitate knowledge transfer; and coach, mentor and train staff.

EDDINGTON Consulting has led and contributed to projects involving the evaluation of
technologies, development of communications strategies and relocation and upgrade of telecommunications systems. Our experience crosses many industry segments including healthcare, government, insurance, sales and service, education and manufacturing and includes buildings under construction, multi-building campuses, metropolitan wide area configurations, and national and international business and communications.

Experience with Public Sector Organizations

Over the last ten years, EDDINGTON Consulting has specialized in assisting public sector organizations, e.g. 22 hospitals, seven provincial ministries and crown corporations; seven regional, county and municipal governments; and a number of other public sector organizations including school boards and social services agencies with the following: Developing customer service and voice communications strategies; Identifying cost savings and cost containment opportunities; Developing RFPs for the acquisition of services, systems and applications; Working with clients to enable a defensible acquisition process; Developing service level agreements and advising on negotiating strategies and contracting issues.

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Professional Associations
EDDINGTON Consulting has active membership with the Canadian Telecommunications
Consultants Association CTCA - where we attest yearly to the CTCA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Jeanne Eddington has served on the CTCA Board of Directors and presented at the Associations conferences. Though independent and non-biased, we have established rapport and contacts with a wide range of telecommunications vendors, many of whom are CTCA members, and their consultant liaison programs.

Expertise and Markets Served

EDDINGTON Consulting has broad experience and expertise in the following areas and
markets: Areas of Expertise in Telecommunications and Computer Communications
Contact Centre Planning and Design Contact Centre Systems Telecommunications Strategic Planning Telecommunications Systems Design & RFP's Data Communications Networks Design & RFP's Video Conferencing Systems Local and Wide Area Networks Relocation Services and Project Management Trading Floor Systems Convergence of Voice & Data Networks (Voice over IP)

Areas of Expertise in Operational Review and Productivity Improvement

Identification of People and Process Issues Customer Service Best Practice Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning Goal and Objective Setting Team Building and Conflict Resolution Work Flow Analysis and Process Redesign Development of Systems and Procedures Analysis of Administrative Systems Training and Implementation Post-Implementation Audit and Review

Markets Served
Colleges, Universities and Boards of Education Organizations with a customer/citizen service focus 211 and 311 Contact Centre Planning & Development Municipal, County and Regional Governments Healthcare and Social Service Agencies Provincial Government Ministries Engineering and Architecture Firms Telecommunications Companies Pharmaceutical Companies Large Non-profit Organizations

Telecommunications Essential to Achievement of an Organizations Goals

EDDINGTON Consulting has the knowledge and experience to both advise and assist on a wide
range of communications technology, processes and best practices that will contribute to the organizations effective and efficient operations.

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