How
to Prepare For and Manage Changes in Your Telecom Department
The
first mission of telecommunications management is to
effectively utilize and manage present services and
systems. With the continual emergence of new and cost-saving
telecommunications technologies it is easy to become
seduced by the constant need for changes and upgrades.
But
making changes for the sake of change, or to cater to
whims or new but yet unproven technologies can be counterproductive
or even very costly in the long run.
But
how do you know when it's time to implement major changes
in your telecom department?
The
answer: Conduct a "needs" analysis of your
current telecom department.
How
to Conduct a Needs Analysis of
Your Telecommunications Department
The
importance of a careful and complete analysis of needs
BEFORE making major changes cannot be overstated. But
don't rely on your suppliers to make these decisions!
Yes, it's true that your suppliers and vendors may be
very sensitive to your needs - as long as those needs
can be met with their product or service. More
often than not, vendor sales reps are merchants of solutions
in search of a problem or a need.
3
Signs That Changes Are Needed in Your Telecom Department
Business
and operations planning can give you plenty of advance
notice that new or changed telecommunication facilities
are or will be needed. A growing company will eventually
need new offices, plants and facilities. These changes
will invariably result in more and changed communications
patterns that could exceed the capacity of present
services and systems. Moves to new locations will
often lead to new communications services since it
may not be economical to move existing systems.
Even
in the absence of planned operational change, there
may be signs your present system is no longer cost effective.
In addition, service problems, outages and even complaints
by customers or employees are a good sign you're in
need of change.
Technological
advances are creating new products and services that
make even the most cost-effective services seem obsolete
in comparison. Be aware that new technologies need time
to get the "bugs" out. For example, the reliability
and quality of VOIP services in the past has kept some
from making permanent changes in that direction. It
has only been in the last 12-18 months that this emerging
technology has gained a major foothold and what can
be considered now as a major trend in mainstream telecommunications
services.
6
Steps To a Successful Telecom Needs Analysis
Step
1: List detailed concerns and problems that the proposed
changes will solve. Make this list as specific as
possible. Ultimately this list should be quite long,
even for small changes in services and systems. Examples
of such concerns could included:
"customers
complain about busy signals"
"we
disconnect callers when trying to transfer them"
"the
800 lines always show people on hold"
"we
can't get employees to choose the most economical line
for their calling, and they are making alot of personal
calls" etc.
Step
2: Summarize company plans that suggest changes in telecommunications
requirements. Again, be as specific as possible when
listing these items. This summary should include numbers,
locations, timing of changes, special requirements, etc.
Step
3: Where necessary, draw a schematic diagram or matrix
representation of telecommunications. If the anticipated
system must serve changing communications requirements,
draw several diagrams for different points in time. This
diagram can be as simple or complex as the situation warrants.
This visual will help clarify the proposed changes to
those involved in making them.
Step
4: Quantify major requirements. These should include
items such as:
Phone
capacity - List the number of access lines, telephones
and/or station numbers to determine system size.
Capabilities
- List the major characteristics of any new service
or system that will be required to fulfill major needs.
(i.e. incoming call patterns, peak traffic, call-pickup
groups, speed-dial groups, paging circuits, automatic
call routing, classes of services, multi-video conferencing,
etc.)
Equipment
items - List the type and quantity of telephones, modems,
cords, peripheral items...everything that will be connected
to, or work with, the new services.
Features
- Identify the significant features on which the new
services will be evaluated. List only minimum requirements.
Options
- List capabilities, equipment and features that are
desirable but not essential.
Add-on
Items - Anticipate the items that may be added to the
service or system during its lifetime.
Step
5: Summarize needed capabilities. A concise summary
of quantified information can and should be made for even
the most complex systems or services. This summary should
include a general description of telecommunications needs,
and a listing of quantified items in two categories -
essential and options. This summary will enable you to
obtain general pricing from vendors, consultants, or other
reference sources.
Step
6: Review and confirm changes to be made. Discuss
the summary of needs and pricing with management and others
that are involved in the project. When a general agreement
is reached on the configuration of new services and/or
systems, the approved summary can be used in the process
of vendor qualifications and actual system/service design
and selection.
Eventually
the need will arise for you to make major changes to your
telecommunications systems and/or services. A careful
and systematic approach as outlined here will make your
project more organized and allow you to make decisions
that will enhance your business productivity and efficiency.
If
you have any questions, please feel free to give us a
call at 1-888-383-3200, Ext. 110. That's all for this
month!
How
to Prepare For and Manage Changes in Your Telecom Department
