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Telephony Cost Reduction without the Hype This report from Forrester discusses the growing unauthorised use of cheap ISP communication services such as eBay/Skype and Google by mobile workers and its implications for businesses. The analyst warns of the hidden costs of such services, and advises that solutions based on VPNs and IP communications provide similar benefits in supporting enterprise mobility but offer improved cost control and service integrity. Forrester also highlights that acquisition costs are the biggest obstacle to European IP communications adoption and recommends that mobility costs are considered as part of the IP communications business case. Looking forward, Forrester views enterprise fixed-mobile convergence as a future initiative that will reduce on-premise mobile call charges and positions Avaya as the most active in this area. (PDF, 95 KB)

"Dummies Series" Analyst and Research Reports White Papers ICONS, Intelligent Companies, Intelligent Communications

DUMMIES SERIES Back to top

VoIP Security For Dummies (PDF, 4 MB) 4-Jun-2006 This Avaya limited edition of VoIP Security For Dummies shows how risks are identified, analyzed, managed, and minimized in your converged voice and data networks. Find out how security best practices – and Avaya products and services – can make your VoIP network as secure as a traditional telephone network.

SIP Communication for Dummies (PDF, 2.07 MB) 14-Jun-2006 You may be rapidly reaching the conclusion that everyone has too many devices, too many numbers, and too little time. SIP is here to save the day and it is fast becoming the standard for complete service integration. SIP Communications For Dummies shows readers how to improve communications while simplifying our device-centric world.

Football for Dummies (PDF, 4.8 KB) 22-Feb-2006 For our football-savvy readers, a deep dive into the specifics of the World Cup; exploring the qualification process, the individual teams and players involved and the cities hosting the games. And for fun, read about dramatic World Cup moments and tips on how to sound like a World Cup Pro.

Soccer for Dummies (PDF, 1.6 MB) 22-Feb-2006 This book introduces the novoice to a basic soccer background, going into the history and explaining the rules of the game. Hopefully, this will start you on your way toward not only understanding this great sport, but enjoying it and developing an appreciation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Business Continuity in Communications for Dummies (PDF, 737 KB) 22-Feb-2006 This book provides an excellent place for you to begin if you are starting a business continuity program and considering technology such as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), or if you are an IT person looking to make an informed decision about integrated networking, or designing the next level of a communications strategy. It's also an excellent starting place for end users who are new to business continuity and disaster planning to learn how things like VoIP and other Avaya solutions, software, and services can help in the process.

Contact Centers for Dummies (PDF, 1.5 MB) 22-Feb-2006 This book provides information not only on running contact centers but also on implementing technology in contact centers in a profitable way. We'll show you what defines a good contact center, ways to improve your contact center, the latest technological enhancements, how to set performance targets and manage results, plus much, much more! You'll also get to see real-world examples of Avaya contact center technology in action!

Mobile Workforce for Dummies (PDF, 3.1 MB) 22-Feb-2006 This book examines the changing workplace and shows how new technologies and demands have coupled to create a workforce that is more mobile than at any time in the past. Organizations are now driven to discover new ways to increase responsiveness and productivity. Learn how developing a meaningful mobility strategy for your organization — one that embraces the technologies and meets the demands — can help you fulfill the needs of both your workers and clients.

VoIP For Dummies 22-Feb-2006 This Avaya limited edition of VoIP For Dummies shows how converging your traditional voice and data networks can save money and increase efficiency and productivity throughout your organization ---- just what it takes to remain competitive in today's marketplace.

ANALYST AND RESEARCH REPORTS Back to top

Creating Efficient Business Processes with CEBP - The next stage in the evolution of business applications (PDF, 916 KB) 02-Mar-2007 This Hurwitz White Paper by Robin Bloor introduces CEBP as an important innovation in the automation of human communications within business applications focusing on three evolutionary steps for business software.

The Total Economic Impact of Avaya IP Telephony Solutions within a Branch Environment (PDF, 185 KB) 27-Apr-2007 Forrester Research was commissioned to examine the total economic impact and potential Return on Investment enterprises may realize by deploying IP solutions to branch locations. This mulitcompany study conducted by one of the most respected analyst firms illustrates the (positive) financial impact of moving towards IP Telephony solutions.

Call Centre of the future - A comprehensive guide to people, products and processes (PDF, 915 KB) 06-Oct-2006 Read how to start planning today for the call centre of tomorrow.

CMUK06 - Executive Summary (PDF, 543 KB) 14-Jun-2006 CMA's 2006 survey results - read the latest industry trends

Telephony Cost Reduction without the Hype (PDF, 95 KB) 28-Mar-2006 This report from Forrester discusses the growing unauthorised use of cheap ISP communication services such as eBay/Skype and Google by mobile workers and its implications for businesses. The analyst warns of the hidden costs of such services, and advises that solutions based on VPNs and IP communications provide similar benefits in supporting enterprise mobility but offer improved cost control and service integrity. Forrester also highlights that acquisition costs are the biggest obstacle to European IP communications adoption and recommends that mobility costs are considered as part of the IP communications business case. Looking forward, Forrester views enterprise fixed-mobile convergence as a future initiative that will reduce on-premise mobile call charges and positions Avaya as the most active in this area.

Guide to Small Business Communications (PDF, 2.8MB) 21-Mar-2006 Technology can often be confusing and challenging to decipher. As a small business owner you need clear information and simple solutions that save you money and help you reach your business goals. This guide will provide you with the information you need to know about improving your business communications.

Guide to VoIP for the Small to Medium Business (PDF, 3 MB) 21-Mar-2006 VoIP.  What is it? Is it reliable? How can VoIP help address my business needs?   This Practical Guide to VoIP for the Small to Medium Business  answers all your questions and helps you meet your business challenges head on.

The Battle For Customer Retention And Improved Experience (PDF, 696 KB) 21-Mar-2006 This report summarises the responses from 100 senior executives from organizations with call centres that employ at least 75 call centre agents in a broad spectrum of industries. These include retail, IT, telecoms, finance, technology / manufacturing and public sector.

A New Era of Intelligent Communications (PDF, 495KB) 21-Mar-2006 For the first time, organizations of all sizes are able to become more profitable and productive by enabling people, networks and business applications to work together--when they need to--anywhere they happen to be in the distributed enterprise or the world at large. The key is a whole new category of business communications applications and services that are connecting workers, customers and processes to the right people, at the right time, in the right medium.

Avaya 2005 Global Research Report (PDF, 762 KB) 21-Mar-2006 Working To Communicate Better In Business.

How to turn your contact center into a profit center (PDF, 181 KB) 21-Mar-2006 The world leader in contact centers shares considerations and tactics for getting the most out of systems, software, services, and people.

WHITE PAPERS Back to top

Eight Steps for Keeping Customer Experience Momentum During an Economic Downturn. (PDF, 269 KB) 08-Jul-2008 Forrester Research Inc. asked its Customer Experience Peer Research Panel about the state of the economy. Read this paper to see the research and to learn the eight steps that Forrester recommends for customer experience executives in this environment in preparation for tightened budgets, intensified focus on costs, and customer dissatisfaction.

Creating The Green IT Action Plan (PDF, 449 KB) 30-Jan-2008 Enterprise CIOs have a variety of motivations for improving the environmental footprint of their IT operations, but they are often unsure how to proceed. IT organisations should start by crafting an action plan for implementing green IT principles. Forrester Research addresses one of the most important emerging issues for corporate IT organisations and their technology suppliers by providing an action plan that can help you go green.

Creating Efficient Business Processes with CEBP - The next stage in the evolution of business applications (PDF, 916 KB); 2-Mar-2007 This Hurwitz White Paper by Robin Bloor introduces CEBP as an important innovation in the automation of human communications within business applications focusing on three evolutionary steps for business software.

Unified Communications for Dummies (PDF, 2.9 MB) 27-Sept-2007 Discover increased efficiency and effectiveness within your enterprise through a Unified Communications strategy. In the inimitable Dummies style, Unified Communications for Dummies explores new paradigms for working and communicating efficiently and collaboratively. Find here the real-world examples of how unified communications is being used now to solve critical business challenges and the tips you can use to meet your business needs in the modern, mobile work environment.

Essential Managers Extraordinary Customer Service Avaya and DK, a leading publisher of business reference books, have created a limited edition series on business critical communications challenges and solutions. Extraordinary Customer Service explores the contact center as a strategic part of your enterprise-where you can leverage differentiated services to provide a superior customer experience that can build brand loyalty and increase profits. Presented here are the best practices, trends, and innovations that can help empower your people and transform your business.

Intelligent Communications in Healthcare: Reinventing the Patient Experience (PDF, 4.5 MB) 26-May-2006 Uncovers revolutionary possibilities for achieving strategic objectives within the Healthcare Industry through the implementation of Intelligent Communications solutions.

Is Now the Time to Migrate to IP Telephony? Re-evaluating the Risks and Rewards (PDF, 107 KB) 27-July-2007 Are you facing the challenge of deciding when a migration to a new telephony environment makes sense for your business? This Greenspring Partners white paper will facilitate your understanding of the range and types of current risks that you face with that challenge. It will also suggest that delay in preparing for that migration may ultimately prove to be more risky than moving forward.

Empowering Greater Branch Productivity with Distributed Communications (PDF, 110 KB) 11-May-2007 Branch strategies are critical to the success of many companies. Zeus Kerravala of the Yankee Group defines a company that spreads it value across its entire organization as he illustrates the transformation of the branch office in the ''distributed enterprise''..

The Business Case for Voice Over IP - What do large VoIP rollouts truly cost and how do vendors compare? In this Nemertes Issue Paper, Robin Gareiss examines cost components in large VoIP implementations and how key vendors compare with one another.

Are You Ready For Unified Communications? Creating An IT Organization To Support Unified Communications (PDF, 435 KB) 15-Oct-2007 Written by noted analyst Elizabeth Herrell, this is must read new research for IT professionals from Forrester. On top of the new business communication capabilities that are possible with unified communications (UC), new challenges await the IT department in how to deploy and manage this integrated platform. UC — technology that connects communication and collaboration applications on a common platform — requires you to understand how to support existing applications in this converged environment.

Unified Communications  Real-Time Communications Concepts and Business Applications (PDF, 204 KB) 19-Mar-2007 Nemertes Research Issue Paper by analyst Irwin Lazar on how unified communications has the potential to dramatically simplify and improve enterprise communications, as well as improve business agility.

Hearing a New Voice in Banking: The Branch Gets Personal (PDF, 320 KB) 27-Apr-2007 The branch is a touchstone for customer service in banking. This paper looks at the challenges banks face to provide a better customer experience within the branch and how Intelligent Communications help build the branch by transforming the way bank employees work.

Unified Communications Accelerates Business Processes (PDF, 250 KB) 29-Aug-2007 Read this exclusive study by Forrester Consulting on the business benefits of Unified Communications for financial and professional services industries.

Essential Managers Intelligent Communications (PDF, 7 MB) 15-Oct-2007 Avaya and DK, a leading publisher of business reference books, have created a limited edition series on business-critical communications challenges and solutions. Can your communications strategy create competitive advantage? Discover answers here in the Essential Managers Intelligent Communications. Embedding communications into the fabric of your business processes enables you to optimize the connections among your people, customers, and processes – protect investments, increase productivity, and differentiate your business by offering a unique and competitive level of customer service, responsiveness to market situations, and new service offerings.

Essential Managers Communications Tools for the Effective Worker (PDF, 8 MB) 15-Oct-2007 Avaya and DK, a leading publisher of business reference books, have created a limited edition series on business critical communications challenges and solutions. In Essential Managers Communications Tools for the Effective Worker, discover the positive impact of Unified Communications on both day-to-day interactions as well as on higher level goals such as business process efficiency, customer loyalty and profitability. Explore the communications dilemmas faced by workers, management, technology teams, and organizations as a whole. Learn specific proven strategies for using Unified Communications to address these challenges, and gain useful insights for evaluating and building a compelling business case for Unified Communications in your organization.

IP-Enabled Contact Centers: Lowering Costs, Raising the Customer Experience (PDF, 532) 16-Jan-2007 This paper explores how Internet Protocol (IP) can be leveraged to lower the cost of enhancing customer service via the contact center. IP is a critical enabler for multisite contact centers, providing the underlying technology that enables enterprises to cost-effectively extend their contact centers to locations anywhere around the world and deliver consistent, high-quality service.

Intelligent Communications Powers the Next Wave of Productivity Growth (PDF, 394 KB) 10-Jul-2007) To truly harness the power of the extended enterprise, companies need to deploy an Intelligent Communications strategy combining traditional communications and collaboration tools with business applications.

Virtual Contact Centers: What Are The Benefits? (Forrester Research October 31, 2006) (PDF, 85 KB) 1-June-2007 Forrester Analyst Elizabeth Herrell reports how companies need to build processes and policies that support their virtual workforce in a secure environment, and ensure that remote workers are well-trained and support the company's culture. Find out how you can connect to employees located in remote branches or home offices to provide expanded services and expertise within your existing operations.

Doorways to Increased Productivity: Advances in IP Telephony User Interface and Phone Design (PDF, 402 KB) 08-June-2006 This paper will explore the importance of the telephone user interface and the interface’s integration into telephone design in achieving the full productivity potential inherent in IP Telephony. It will also explore the potential for enhanced productivity possible with a re-thinking of the user experience designed to achieve greater simplicity and confidence in advanced feature use.

Wideband Audio: Exploring the Potential for Improved Enterprise Communications (PDF, 268 KB) 8-June-2006 This paper explores the possibilities for better sound quality within IP Telephony through the introduction of Wideband Audio technology and the business implications for improved productivity that the new wave of sound can offer.

Getting Started with VOIP-A practical Guide for Mid Sized Businesses (PDF, 2.3 MB) 27-Apr-2006 VoIP. What is it? Is it reliable? How can VoIP help address my business needs? Getting Started with VoIP for the Midsize Business provides practical answers all your questions and helps you meet your business challenges head on.

IDC Executive Brief: IP Telephony: The Time is Now for Midsize Companies (PDF, 64 KB) 27-Apr-2006 Market conditions are aligned and IPT is poised to overtake and replace the reliable but aging circuit switched phone network. IDC believes that the midsize business market is ripe for adoption of telephony applications based on the features and functionalities that IPT promises.

Enterprising with SIP - A Technology Overview (PDF, 181 KB) 15-Mar-2006 This White Paper explores the business benefits, operational models, and enabling technologies for the multi-site contact center.

The New Mission of Customer Service (PDF, 27 KB) 15-Mar-2006 See how enterprises are leveraging IP Telephony for retention and top-line growth. Read this IDC white paper on market drivers, transforming the call center and opportunites to consider.

Deploying a Hosted Contact Center (PDF, 1.6 MB) 15-Mar-2006 What are the pros and cons of a traditional call center using premises-based equipment vs. a hosted network-based service? Read this white paper by consulting firm Infotech.

Business Communications Applications on Any Network (PDF, 389KB) 15-Mar-2006 This paper explores how enterprises can exploit Business Communications Applications, a new category of applications operating on any network, connecting workers, customers and business processes to the right people, at the right time, by the right communication medium. Application planners and management will need to consider how they can best utilize these new capabilities to create business agility within their enterprises.

Helping SMBs Expand: Hosted Communications Solutions (PDF, 219KB) 15-Mar-2006 Managed and hosted communication solutions are reshaping the way many small and medium businesses interact with employees, customers and partners.

Multiple Choices for Managed Communication Services: Which is the Right Choice for Your Business? (PDF, 193KB) 15-Mar-2006 Managed and hosted communication solutions are reshaping the way many businesses interact with employees, customers and partners.

Voice over IP - how ‘VoIP’ offers cost-effective (PDF, 2870KB) 15-Mar-2006 Download your copy of our latest Voice over IP booklet produced in conjuction with the IoD.

Your roads to an optimized Enterprise (PDF, 277 KB) 15-Mar-2006 The competitive advantages of "anytime, any device" access are driving successful enterprises to optimize their communications infrastructures

A Roadmap For Deploying Converged Networks (PDF, 248 KB) 15-Mar-2006 Reviews important consideration when deploying a converged network focusing on IP vs TDM technology, IP Readiness, Network Design, Implementation and on going management.

Convergence gets deep (PDF, 452 KB) 15-Mar-2006 Avaya believes that the next phase of business communications will radically improve the way businesses perform. Put simply, intelligent communications that adapt to business events and conditions will redefine the relationship between users and time, and will provide a major step forward in responsiveness, collaboration and customer service. This translates to business value: more revenue, better customer loyalty, and differentiated competitive advantage.

ICONS, Intelligent Companies, Intelligent Communications Back to top

ICONS with IP Telephony Solutions (PDF, 4 MB) 13-Mar-2006 ICONS with IP Telephony Solutions is a select compilation from the book ICONS: Intelligent Companies, Intelligent Communications, is a collection of 100 Avaya customer case studies. You will learn how Avaya customers with IP Telephony Solutions are using Intelligent Communications to overcome challenges and get real results : increased productivity, superior collaboration, significant cost savings, strategic competitive advantages, enhanced customer service and protected investments.

ICONS with Contact Center Solutions (PDF, 2 MB) 13-Mar-2006 ICONS with Contact Center Solutions is a select compilation from the book ICONS: Intelligent Companies, Intelligent Communications, is a collection of 100 Avaya customer case studies. You will learn how Avaya customers with Contact Center Solutions are using Intelligent Communications to overcome challenges and get real results : increased productivity, superior collaboration, significant cost savings, strategic competitive advantages, enhanced customer service and protected investments.

ICONS with Mobility Solutions (PDF, 2 MB) 20-Sept-2005 ICONS with Mobility Solutions is a select compilation from the book ICONS: Intelligent Companies, Intelligent Communications, is a collection of 100 Avaya customer case studies. You will learn how Avaya customers with IP Telephony Solutions are using Intelligent Communications to overcome challenges and get real results: increased productivity, superior collaboration, significant cost savings, strategic competives advantages, enhanced customer service and protected investments.