Be Part of History: Help Shape the Converged Communications Bill of Rights

As businesses continue to migrate to IP-based communications solutions, looking to increase productivity and enjoy cost savings in the process, the commitment can also means some sort of financial investment. For some, that capital expense is greater than others, but they all also incur a monthly fee.

Once these businesses have selected their vendors and have installed the hardware, they also need a service provider to manage the services — in fact, studies have shown that even large businesses with the idea that they will manage their own converged networks, find themselves seeking assistance within a year. So, either way, the need for managed services is growing as communications technologies and applications become increasingly complex.

However, many times, these providers are taken for granted, and service levels, whether they meet the expectations of customers or not, become the status quo — because the services are needed. On the contrary, every customer that signs with a managed service provider can expect certain things of that provider — it is their Converged Communications Bill of Rights, if you will.

What are these Rights? Quite simply, they are a series of demands customers can reasonably make of their service providers and VARs as they migrate to a converged communications solution. These Rights can include fulfilling simple requests, like provisioning a new endpoint; or they can relate to service availability; or they can be cost or value related. These rights can include nearly anything that connects service providers to their customers.

In many ways, this is a new concept, simply because converged communications is still a new and evolving trend. Naturally, this means that what customers can expect of their providers is also in flux, as customer needs and provider capabilities are still being defined.

Next week, you can be a part of history!

Communicado, formerly SyncVoice (News - Alert) Communications, is presenting the Converged Communications Bill of Rights Debate at INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO in Los Angeles. The Debate will happen on Tuesday, September 11, at 2:30 pm in Room 502.

A distinguished group of panelists will include David J. Lemelin, Senior Analyst at In-Stat (News - Alert), Communicado Founder and Chief Strategist Kerry Shih, Telechemy Founder and CEO Dr. Alan Clark, and Homer Jamison, CEO of Network Focus. The Debate will be moderated by TMC’s Erik Linask (News - Alert).

“As business customers make the transition to VoIP

for voice and other person-to-person real-time applications in order to become more agile and competitive, they should expect a sufficient level of support from the service provider who will manage their networks,” said Shih. “With the Converged Communications User Bill of Rights, they are now armed with guidelines, such as a guarantee of human acknowledgement of any problem within five minutes, to make sure their converged communications solution delivers the benefits it should, with minimal risk.”

Don’t miss your opportunity to not only witness the creation of the Converged Communications Bill of Rights, but participate in its development. The panel of experts will be on hand to drive the lively conversation, but this is also your opportunity to shape the face of converged communications — don’t let it pass you by.

Erik Linask is Associate Editor of INTERNET TELEPHONY, IMS Magazine, and Unified Communications (News - Alert). Prior to joining TMC, he was Managing Editor at Global Custodian, an international securities services publication. To see more of his articles, please visit Erik Linask’s columnist page.

What’s the best resource to learn about latest trends in the IP communications industry? Why, INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, of course. ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2007 is just around the corner—this year it’s being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California, Sept. 10-12. Preview sessions, speakers and exhibitors—then register to attend.

Green in the new black. At least, that’s the case in the communications industry where companies are finding that using green technology is not only good for the planet but good for business as well. Want to learn more about how being green can make money? Mark your calendar now for TMC’s first annual Green Technology World Conference, Sept. 11-12, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California. Preview the show schedule, speakers and exhibitors—then register to attend.

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