Why is this important?

While most CallPilot web components can run directly on the CallPilot server, you can choose to host some or all web components on a separate server for the following reasons:

Larger enterprise customers, or those with more demanding traffic levels, improve responsiveness and resilience of CallPilot Manager and My CallPilot by hosting these components from the same customer-provided web-server used for Reporter.

CallPilot Reporter, used for reporting on up to 20 CallPilot systems, cannot be hosted by the CallPilot server given both its CPU-intensive anytime/anywhere reporting and large disk-space requirements to store the OM database.

Compatibility Reference

The following outlines product minimum compatibility details:

CallPilot supported Web-Server Operating Systems:

- Windows 2000 Server (Standard version)/Service Pack 1 with IIS 5.0/Service Pack 1
- Windows 2003 Server (Standard version)/Service Pack 2 with IIS 6.0
- Windows Vista (Standard or Enterprise)/Service Pack 1 with IIS 7.0

CallPilot components:

- CallPilot Manager/Reporter 5.00.41.112 (released with Service Update 8) or later
- My CallPilot 5.00.41.111 (released with Service Update 8) or later

VMWare application and version:

- Workstation 6.5.4
- Server 2.0.1

First, if you have a Norstar, don’t worry… “Avaya/Nortel will support the Norstar products for a total of six (6) years after October 4, 2010.” That means that you will have access to  any needed hardware, software support, or service for six years. And, you also have the option to extend the life of your system by upgradng to Avaya/Nortel’s next generation of telephony products… in this case, the Avaya/Nortel BCM. And, it will give you the latest telephony innovations such as IP telephony, presence, and more advanced unified communication features…

So, if you decide to do nothing with your existing Norstar system, you will be fine until 2016.

Avaya/Nortel’s Norstar Migration Path:

If you want to extend the life of your Norstar System investment and take advantage of their latest technology innovations, you can upgrade to the Avaya/Nortel BCM. Both the BCM 50 and BCM 450 provide scalable migration paths from the Norstar system. You can even keep your phones and in many cases retain your fiber trunk and station modules, which can account for up to 70% of the total cost of a new telephony system. Also, the need to re-train end users is also minimized when migrating to BCM as the features, functionality, and use are similar to the Norstar system.

How Your Business will Benefit from the upgrading your Norstar to a BCM:

Improve Productivity & Customer Service:

- Does your business have voice mail today? BCM systems include voice mail so “pink slip” messages are no longer required

- Since messaging is included, calls can be routed quickly and professionally using the built-in automated attendant

- Professional Call Recording can help increase service to your customers by giving supervisors the tools to improve agent skills; available on the BCM50 and BCM 450

- Integrated Voice Response with the BCM 450 can facilitate customer self-service, making transactions easier for everyone

- The BCM InTouch application improves productivity because users can see the presence status of other employees as well as the status of MSN and Skype users – saves time and improves communication and responsiveness

- The FindMe/FollowMe feature ensures that calls are always answered – calls can be routed up to five destinations based on time of day – ensures timely call handling

- The Message forwarding Capability sends an email to any smart phone when a new voice mail message arrives, ensuring timely response to callers

Reduce your Expenses:

- With BCM, all of your locations can be connected together to improve collaboration and to eliminate calling charges between offices

- SIP trunks can save your business money and offers added services like direct inward dialing

- Enjoy the productivity of PIN-protected, Meet-me conferences calls for up to 18 or 120 parties; saves money over network-based services

Protect your Investment:

-  Digital sets can be reused on BCM to protect your investment and allow you to retain a familiar desktop interface; user training provides additional investment-protection benefits

- Trunk and station modules can be reused, further supporting investment protection which reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCP)

- Overall, up to 70% of the investment in Norstar can be reused with BCM providing for an easy and comfortable migration

What you will get if you choose to upgrade your existing Norstar system to a BCM:

If you are responsible for making technology investments for your firm, you must have a complete understanding on where your true priority is. There are three things that you need to think about to determine the level of priority that is placed on technology at your companty…

There are three things that can help you determine if you are a 1, 2, or 3 on the technology continuum.

- Your Customer’s Expectations

- Your Competitive Advantage

- Your Competition

Customer’s Expectations: Delivering on your customer’s expectations is critical to your long-term success or failure… Can you define what your customer’s expectations are in 15 words or less? Are you prioritizing your technology investments around your customer’s expectations?

If you are a small bakery, your customers might expect your bread to be deliciously amazing every time they take a bite. To deliver on that expectation you will make a level 3 investment in your cooking technology and ingredients before you will in a highly sophisticated Customer Relationship Management solution. If you sale disgusting bread, no CRM system in the world is going to save you…

On the other hand, if you are a hospital, your customer’s expectation is to get well soon… A critical piece of that equation is the communication infrastructure that makes it possible for nurses, doctors, and technicians to collaborate and communicate and solve patient problems. Meeting those customer expectations could require a technology investment that needs level 3 commitment.

I’m going to ask… Are you matching your customer’s expectations to your area of technology priority?

Your Competitive Advantage: The level of technology investments that you make should directly align with your competitive advantage.

If your competitive advantage is being the lowest cost provider in your field, then making a level 3 investment in technology that does not help you maintain your low cost market leadership will undermine your competitive advantage.

You might ask, well Walmart has a technology infrastructure that rivals most governments AND they also boast the lowest price? What’s going on? For Walmart, the key is investing in technologies that lower the cost to bring merchandise to market. That involves having one of the most sophisticated distribution technology infrastructures on the planet. At Walmart, anything that doesn’t lower the cost to their customer’s gets a level 1 investment.

So, at your business, it’s critically important to align technology investments with your competitive advantage.

Your Competition: If you have already aligned technology investments with your customer’s expectations and your competitive advantage, you are ahead of most. The key is keeping your eye on the technology horizon for disruptive technologies that could either:

1) Transform your customer’s experience (even if your customers don’t know what that is yet)

2) Overturn your industry.

To be ready, you have to continuously innovative and seek out technology innovations that solve your customers problems AND align with your competitive advantage.

So, are you a 1,2, or 3?

Yesterday, I attended the Colt’s first preseason game for the 2010-2011 season.  There were 66,000 people in attendance.  People cheered when the team was introduced.  They screamed and applauded when Peyton Manning was presented the trophy for winning last year’s MVP award before the game.  Next, they cheered for the opening kickoff….but it wasn’t the same.  The atmosphere was much quieter, calmer, even sedate at times.  I saw a guy a couple of rows down from me reading the paper during the second quarter!  The stadium screen flashed a message that said “Make some NOISE” and nothing happened.  It was a totally different experience.

About half-way through the first quarter, I leaned over to my husband and commented on the difference in the “feeling in the air.”  He said, “Of course.  This one doesn’t count.”  I thought about that for the next few minutes as Peyton and company left the field after a scoring drive.  They didn’t return to the game…because it didn’t count.  I started thinking about what this means for us as leaders (like I said, it was a different kind of game to attend!).

It’s my job as a leader to let my people know that their work counts.  It’s my job as a leader to show them that they count…that they’re important…that their effort has meaning for our customers and our business.  It’s my job to create the electricity in the air, to be enthusiastic, to scream and clap when they score a touchdown (by satisfying a customer need the first time!).  Here’s three quick things you can do as the coach to help your call center agents know they count:

1. Call Center Agents count when they see a vision and know how their work contributes to the scoring drive.  Clearly define a vision for your organization – make sure everyone knows what it is – and make sure you live it in everything you do.
2. Call Center Agents count when they know you appreciate their work.  Reward them when you catch them doing something good.  Say great things about them to leaders in other departments.  Make sure their work gets featured in your company newsletter.  Put their picture on your department scoreboard (or on the outside of your cube!).  People love to have fans – be your agent’s greatest fan.
3. Call Center Agents count when you create a clear path for them to grow. No one can play football forever.  When players retire, they go into broadcasting…or coaching…or business.  There a variety of paths for them to follow.  In the same way, no one can take calls in a call center forever.  Agents are looking for a path to follow.  Provide a clear one.  Be open about the fact that they’re going to want to move on at some point.  That kind of honesty helps create the “feeling in the air” that says “this game counts!”

Closing question:  what can you do today as a leader to help your agents know that they count?

So are what are some customer impacting trends that you may want to consider?

Implementing a multi media solution to allow your customers to contact in any way they see fit…
For example: I am a “computer” person, I do 90% of my shopping on line and prefer to not speak to anyone, I am always looking for a web option that will allow me to navigate at my leisure and chat with someone if I have questions….on the other hand, my mom prefers to do 90% of her shopping in person and wants to have a person available at her disposal if she needs assistance. Having both available to your audience can allow you to retain and gain customers because you are providing the options that they value…

Allowing Contact Center agents to work from home…
This is a trend that is really starting to pick up momentum. With technology today, you can manage, train, score and assist agents from a remote location. A lot of times companies can get a higher quality worker for lower cost because you are providing them quality of life benefits by working from home. It’s also a great incentive plan to entice employees to provide higher quality of service and be more available to your customers.

Contact Center Consolidation…
This probably doesn’t seem like a trend, but it truly is….with VoIP, software and CRM products available Contact Center Managers are strategic about opening a new center independent of others. Consolidation of agents based on geography, skills, language, time of day etc can all be overcome and save you a lot of money. Don’t be afraid of taking advantage of technology….

Automating Contact Center Processes…
Business Automation is a trend that is continuing to transform Contact Centers. This solution can take a simple manual process and automate them, making them more efficient and ultimately providing more value to your customers. For example: Time Sheets…you can now take a weekly time sheet, fill it out, and process it through payroll without anyone moving or emailing it to multiple people. It’s about building rules and responsibilities in an automated way so processes are not let behind and/or not completed because someone. Not only can this reduce costs but it can improve customer service as well.

Again, in the past, Contact Centers have been “cost” centers and companies didn’t feel they were driving business…Today, that has completely changed. Contact Centers are areas of business that are driving solutions, trends and change….its exciting to be in this world.

You see, I had been told that the internet was free to the Hotel’s patrons when I checked in. Well, when I logged on, the hotel’s WiFi sign-on screen told me that there would be a $10 fee charged to my room. Slightly perturbed, I picked up the phone to call the front desk to find out if I had to pay or not. It rang, and rang, and rang… for a very – very long time. Finally, someone picked up the phone with a disgusted sounding voice and asked me what I needed… I asked about the WiFi cost and was told that any fees would be refunded. So, then I proceeded to log on, which was successful. Then I went up to the floor that the conference was being held on and opened up my laptop only to find out that the table I was sitting at didn’t have and WiFi coverage…

The point is, even though they had marvelous breath mints, the hotel miserably failed to deliver on the two things that mattered most to me, prompt service from their staff and the WiFi that I needed to take care of business.

Are you investing in the things that truly delight your customers?

I read something recently that amazed me – did you know that a pencil, on average, can produce 50,000 English words?  50,000 words!  That’s the equivalent of a 200-page novel.  There’s an incredible amount of potential in a little pencil.

That got me thinking about the potential in our call center staff.  I see some parallels to our pencils.  Pencils come in all shapes, colors and sizes – so do our people.  However, there are some things that are consistent for all of them.

Here are three that stand out to me:

First – they must be sharpened. A pencil’s 50,000 word potential can’t be unlocked until it’s sharpened.  It’s worthless before that.  Your people are the same way – then need to be sharpened…challenged…developed into something more than they were when they came to you.  Do you train them on new things regularly?   Do you give them regular feedback so they can sharpen their skills as excellent service providers?  You hold the key to unlocking their potential by offering to sharpen them regularly.

Second – sometimes you need to erase. My 9-year old son has a tendency to write his spelling words so fast that you can’t read all of the letters.  He has to erase and make it right.  I don’t yell at him for that – I encourage him to do the right thing with his homework.  In the same way, sometimes our call center agents do something that needs to be erased.  I believe we unlock lots more potential in our staff by creating an environment where admitting and correcting a mistake is an erasable – rather than unforgiveable – event.  People don’t come to work each day thinking about how to mess things up – but they do sometimes because they’re human.  Help them fix it and move on.  They’ll work hard to do it right for you the next time.

Finally, pencils wear out. Although there’s a lot of potential in a pencil, eventually, it wears out.  Great call center agents, eventually, want a new challenge.   Do you offer a clear career-path to your agents?  Can they progress into other areas of your company easily?  I always encouraged my agents to apply for jobs in other areas of our company (after spending awhile with us in the call center of course!).  I told them they were our ambassadors to other departments – letting others know about the challenges of being in the call center and serving our customers.  They carried our philosophy of being great service providers throughout the organization – and that benefitted everyone.

So, here’s my challenge for you: go find a pencil – or a call center agent – and unlock some potential today!

Today if I have to wait a nanosecond for a response from my computer, I’m irritated. How times have changed! Now instead of being a convenience, high speed technology is a requirement. Computers are faster than ever with more storage than we ever imagined we’d need on a personal computer. And the demands increase annually. We want our technology to be more, in fact we expect it, we demand it. Office equipment is upgraded regularly, new technology is implemented, new applications are constantly developed.

But what’s at the heart of all that speed and capability we demand for everyday life? What is it that really enables us to get on the internet and download a video from YouTube, or email a file to a customer across the country, or even to a coworker in the next cube? There’s one element that your entire office communications system is dependent on, whether it’s voice, data, or video. It’s something that can slow down the fastest computer, make the best video unwatchable, even impair a telephone call. It’s something that’s unseen and largely not even thought about, but can bring all your communication to its knees.  The critical component I’m talking about is your cabling infrastructure.

Cabling isn’t sexy, it’s not something IT guys brag about to their friends  -“Hey, we just installed high density CAT6 angled patch panels  in our office”.  But without the proper infrastructure, none of the rest of the components are going to perform the way you want them to. Why? Let’s compare it to the human body. View the cabling that runs throughout your building as the veins and arteries that run throughout your body. What happens if one of your arteries is clogged or too small? Enough blood doesn’t get to your organs causing all sorts of potential problems. The same with your infrastructure. If your cable is unable to carry the volume of data that’s trying to pass through, it causes all sorts of potential problems.

Your cabling infrastructure must be well designed, installed and documented. While downtime is obvious to everyone, degradation in performance often goes undetected. In turn, that can lead to chronic problems that may prevent your company from ever realizing the full potential of your IT strategies. Which can then have a negative impact on your entire business.

This isn’t a challenge that’s going to fix itself. The more users you add, the faster speeds that are demanded, the more applications that are added are just going to compound the problem of an already inadequate infrastructure. Now is the time to plan and implement a structured cabling system into your overall IT strategy.

Important considerations when making decisions about structured cabling:

1. Since this is a critical component of your overall IT strategy, you want to work with a company who knows what they’re doing! Require the company to have Registered Communications Distribution Designers (RCDD) and certified cabling technicians on staff.
2. Consider how long you’ll be in the facility. Do you own or lease? Or are you building a new building?
3. What kind of applications will you be running, today and in the future? In other words, how much bandwidth  do you need now and how much are you likely to need in the future?
4. Oftentimes cabling decisions are made based on the lowest price. However the lowest initial price may not ultimately result in the lowest total cost of ownership.

The bottom line is infrastructure is probably one of the most long-term business decisions you’ll make with regard to technology. It’s likely to be in your building for many years to come, through numerous upgrades and expansions. So don’t sell yourself short, make sure it’s well designed, implemented and documented.

Though this concept was introduced three decades ago, it’s a trend that has seen dramatic increases in the last few years. One of the reasons for that is today’s technology makes it so much easier for a remote worker to stay in touch. In the early to mid-1980’s I had a home based office, and in those pre-internet, pre-cell phone days, I was truly an island unto myself. I had a land line with call waiting and an answering machine, a pre-MS Office computer, with a monochrome monitor, and a dot matrix printer, then a few years later I got the most amazing of all office tools (of the day) —– a fax machine! For all practical purposes, I was chained to my office – if I wasn’t there the only thing people could do was leave a message on my answering machine, and the only thing I could do was wait until I returned to my office to deal with everything.

Today however, people can work wherever, whenever they want with the same convenience as if they were sitting in a traditional office. Manufacturers such as Cisco are building solutions that enable employees to have all the capabilities of a “bricks and mortar” office, regardless of where they are physically located.

How feasible is it to have employees working from home or wherever? Very, according to recent surveys.

- 33% of employees said they could do 60% or more of their job from a location outside the office (WorldatWork Telework Trendlines, 2009).

- 72% of employees say flexible work arrangements would cause them to choose one job over another. 37% specifically cite telecommuting. (The Edge Report, 2008 Robert Half International Survey).
Gen Y’ers are more difficult to recruit (as reported by 56% of hiring managers) and to retain (as reported by 64% of hiring managers) but they are particularly attracted to flexible work arrangements. (The Edge Report, 2008 Robert Half International Survey)

- 25% of employers plan to offer telecommuting as an option for retiring Boomers. (2008 Robert Half International Survey)

- 29% have begun offering telecommuting as a way to improve staff retention rates in the last 12 months. (2008 Robert Half International Survey)

What are some of the potential benefits to your business if you start to “workshift” some of your employees?

- Potential reduction in footprint resulting in savings for real estate

- Productivity gains from eliminating day-to-day office distractions

- Eliminating the wear and tear of commuting

- An important business continuity strategy  (consider threats such as swine flu or transit strikes )

- Reducing carbon footprint and energy usage

- Expands the talent pool

Though the technical aspects are easily and cost-effectively addressed,  workshifting isn’t for all companies. Success depends largely on a company’s culture and the willingness to abandon the “I’ve got to see you to manage you” mentality, and instead shifting the focus to outcomes. An individual employee’s self-discipline is also a key factor.

“What makes it doable or not is whether you have a results-based organization,” says Diane Krieman, a senior consultant with human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates. “Do the managers themselves support it,  and is there role-modeling from the top down?”

The bottom line is, the idea of “the office” is going through some dramatic changes, and in order to stay competitive today, it’s something you may need to consider for your business.

By the way, I finished writing this while I was at the dealership waiting on my car to be serviced – time that otherwise would’ve been wasted.

How has Zappos accomplished this? Well, in the article, Tony shared his 7 Secrets of creating exceptional customer service in their call center:

1. Make customer service a priority for the whole company. It’s not just a department

2. Empower your customer service reps. Rarely should they have to escalate a customer’s issue to a supervisor.

3. Fire customers who are insatiable or abuse your employees.

4. Don’t measure call times, don’t upsell, and don’t use scripts.

5. Don’t hide your phone number. you want to talk to customers.

6. View the cost of handling customer’s calls as an investment in marketing, not an expense.

7. Celebrate great service by telling exceptional stories to the entire company.

“There’s a lot of buzz these days about social media and ‘integration marketing.’ Our belief is that as unsexy and low-tech as it may sound, the telephone is one of the best branding devices out there. You have the customer’s undivided attention for five or 10 minutes, and if you get the interaction right, the customer remembers the experience for a very long time and tells his or her friends about it.” ¹

¹ Tony Hsieh, “Zappos’s CEO on Going to Extremes for Customers,” Harvard Business Review (2010): 41.

With the economy seeming to be as stagnate as it was in 2009, companies are brainstorming and getting creative about how they communicate with their customers. Companies are trying to keep the customers they already have and ideally bring on new ones when the opportunity arises. Brainstorming ideas on how to make this happen is a great way to stay ahead of the game and grow your business in a highly competitive time. When I ask the question “what are your ideas for retaining your customers or increasing revenue?”; 90% of the time I hear, “I need to do more with less, I cannot add headcount”, “I need to improve customer loyalty and increase revenue?” or “I need to improve our service levels with minimal impact to our call center”… No ideas, just objectives…how do we approach these challenges?…let the ideas flow….

Here are some different ideas that we’ve discussed with our customers to help meet some of the above objectives:

1)      How do I do more with less and I can’t add headcount??

Implement an Agentless Interactive Voice Response (IVR)…this is a great way to improve customer service and sales without adding head count, increase revenue and improve customer service. One example of this method is appointment reminders and/or scheduling appointments without a customer service agent. This has minimal impact on your call center because you don’t have to staff after hours and you can recycle as much as you need too.

2)      Improve service with little to no impact to the Contact Center?

Add an Automatic Customer Callback’s…customer call backs have become a popular way to improve customer service by utilizing the agents you have and lowering abandonment rates….make your agents more productive. A lot of my customers have implemented this method to also lower frustration levels of “being on hold”. The Idea behind Customer Callback is used when a customer is in a holding pattern in an ACD queue and the customer is asked if they would like to wait or leave a callback number to be contacted when an agent becomes available. Not only do they keep their place in queue but this is a great way to enhance the customer experience because you are considerate of their time.

3)       How do I improve customer loyalty and increase revenue?

Implement a Find me function…having your sales folks, service folks and administration folks always available to sell product and service as well as help your customer base is priceless. This method is one of the most cost effective ways to improve your overall business communications and service to your customers. Companies have found that by being completely accessible to their prospects and customers, improves relationships, loyalty and revenue; it’s an easy win!!

The most common applications for video surveillance systems include:

• Deterring theft and vandalism in your building or parking lot
• View arriving or departing guests at office entrances
• Collecting evidence in the event of theft or vandalism
  • Reduce risk of liability by providing a record of everything that occurs in the workplace
  • Simplify incident investigation by making it easy to jump to any date and time
  • Enhance operational effectiveness by allowing business owners to directly supervise multiple locations from anywhere
  • Add to peace of mind by allowing business owners to receive alerts of any problems and view real-time surveillance video from anywhere
  • Reduce operational costs of supporting separate surveillance and business application networks
  • Improve profitability by providing a tool to understand customer behavior and traffic patterns

An IP video surveillance system operates over the IP network that is already in place and delivers features far beyond what conventional closed-circuit television systems can provide. This also provides tremendous flexibility, ease of installation, and reduces cost.

Cameras: There are a wide variety of high quality, relatively inexpensive cameras today, which provide a lot of flexibility in placement and the areas covered. Business owners can choose camera models with pan, tilt and zoom capabilities. This allows remote monitoring from virtually any angle, providing a cost-effective alternative to deploying multiple fixed cameras. Additionally, some camera models have sensors that can provide excellent image quality even in low light conditions. For ease of installation, there are wireless cameras, or Power over Ethernet (PoE) wired cameras.

Remote accessibility: With an IP video surveillance solution, users can access real-time video from any Internet-connected PC or mobile phone at any time, allowing them to monitor and respond to alarms in real time. They can also receive automatic alerts (including video clips or still images) whenever motion is detected on the premises after hours. Owners can virtually manage the business’s security and  operational efficiency from anywhere, at any time.

Advanced application support: IP based video surveillance solutions include cameras with integrated speaker output and microphone for two-way audio, and input/output ports to support a variety of applications. Customers can link the video surveillance system with door sensors, motion sensors, alarms, lighting systems, phone systems, or virtually any other business system.

Installing an IP video surveillance system can make the difference between saving your assets and risking burglary, vandalism, or employee theft.

Two weeks ago, my 9-year old son attended summer camp with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir.  His music teacher recommended him for participation.  He had a great time and the week ended with an amazing concert performed by 800 children from all around central Indiana.

I got home from work last night and in the middle of the stack of sale flyers and bills was a little envelope with a hand-written address for my son.  It was a note from his music teacher telling him how proud she was of him.  She attended the concert and told him she could see and hear what a wonderful job he’d done.  Then, she wished him a “Happy Summer” and her note was finished.  My son, of course, was thrilled to get mail.  I was blown away by the thoughtfulness of a teacher taking a moment to make an impact on my son’s life.

You know, I used to keep a box of note cards in my desk.  I’d send handwritten notes to my call center agents when they got great monitoring scores…or when they got a promotion…or when I caught them doing something good.  I once visited a call center where the company president required his senior management team send him news about employees so he could send them hand-written notes.  You could see them hanging on the walls of cubicles all around the building.

We’ve got all kinds of management training for how to discipline and fire employees.  Here’s a suggestion for motivation that will cost you next-to-nothing.  Try sending a genuine, hand-written note thanking them for doing a good job.  The power of the pen creates incredible loyalty in the lives you impact by taking a moment to show you care.

“Pay attention: I’m going to discuss something today that’s critical for your business, but that you probably never think about. Your network. Yes, I know it’s geeky, but stick with me. This is important.

Consider the following scenarios:

• You’re running a small hotel, it’s the week before Memorial Day, and suddenly, your connection to the Internet goes down, and you can’t accept reservations.

• You’re on deadline for a report to your most lucrative client, and suddenly, you can’t send e-mail.

• Your e-commerce store is up and running, but suddenly, you can’t download orders to your shipping clerk or upload payments to your bank.

• You’ve got a critical file to share with a team member who works remotely, but suddenly you can’t access your server.

• You use the Internet to get cheap phone service, and suddenly, you’ve got no dial tone.

Today, the network is a mission critical component for small business. We turn on our machines, and we expect the network to be there. Until it’s not. Then we panic. Worse, we don’t know what the problem is: “It’s the router. It’s the modem. It’s the DSL. It’s the software.”

All I know is that in my business, I just need the network to work. And I need it to ALWAYS work.

That’s why networking giant Cisco is on a mission. The corporation known for enterprise-level networking equipment — all the dull stuff like routers, switches, hubs and the like — has created an entire group within Cisco to serve companies with fewer than 100 employees.

I recently visited their Small Business Technology Group, (SBTG) which fills more than a large building in Milpitas, Calif. Their task: develop new products and services especially for small companies to give those who run small companies the technologies we need to build and run competitive businesses. And, make sure those technologies work together seamlessly, all the time.

“When you get to the point when you realize your connection to the network is critical, then it’s important that it’s dependable, reliable,” said Ian Pennell, senior vice president, SBTG. “You don’t have to tinker with it.”

“The killer app of the Internet is the Internet,” said Pennell. And that will only be more true as we increasingly use Web-based services for our bookkeeping, payroll, contact management. “The heart of Cisco is all about connecting everything to everything on the network.”

You may not realize it, but your network now is probably built on a patchwork of products. Cisco’s goal is to have everything integrated. “Now, you may have four-to-eight different vendors,” explained Pennell. That makes the chances of problems greater.

Take me: I just walked into our server room. We have a modem, router, switch, hub, backup system. All from different companies. And mine is a simple network. No wonder it goes down about once a month. That doesn’t have to be the case.

“It just works,” that’s Cisco’s value proposition, according to Rick Moran, Cisco’s small business vice president of marketing. According to Moran, Cisco is integrating products enabling small businesses to:

1. Connect — get on, and stay on, the network with stuff like routers, switches, wireless access

2. Secure— both their data, with firewalls and backup, and their physical property, with products like surveillance equipment

3. Communicate— using telephony, video, collaboration tools and more.

The goal: make all these products work together seamlessly, easily, reliably.

Cisco understands that most small business owners and managers aren’t going to build or manage their networks themselves. They’re going to turn to a technology provider — someone who knows about all that geeky gear. That’s why Cisco has created their partner network — to make it easier for small businesses to find qualified technology help. Cisco is also offering, for a limited time, 0% financing on their equipment for small business.

Your network connection is like your plumbing. If your home plumbing goes out, it’s an inconvenience. But if your plumbing goes out at your restaurant, you can’t do business. At home, lose your Internet connection for a couple hours, go without surfing the Web. At the office, even a couple of hours may mean you lose a customer, miss a deadline.

The network IS your business. Pay attention.”

Here’s a link to the article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2010-03-19-networks-key-for-small-business_N.htm?POE=click-refer

Over the last decade, Alexander’s invention has become much more sophisticated. During that time, CPI has had the opportunity to build phone systems that support hundreds of thousands of government employees nationwide.

Today, we are  now listed on the Government Executive.com’s Vendor Solutions Center. And look forward to the next decade of supporting our Governments communications…