Avaya has seen a great deal of transformation over the last year or so as they’ve pushed forward to the next step of their cloud and software-focused future. While the company has seen some ups and downs in this incredibly competitive marketplace, it seems that they’re starting 2018 stronger than ever, with an inspiring portfolio of products designed to deliver stronger experiences to everyone from smaller organisations to large enterprises.
I had the unique opportunity to speak with Rick Wharton, the Sales Engineering Manager for Avaya, about the fantastic products the company can deliver to mid-market organisations through their channel partners and resellers.
What is the Mid-market Proposition for Avaya?
Jumping straight into the heart of the conversation, I asked Rick to explain what the mid-market offering is for Avaya, and how it can benefit customers in the UC Space. Wharton began by telling me that for them, the mid-market refers to any company with between 50 and 500 lines. “We also have a name for the next level of customers above mid-market which we refer to as “commercial”, which makes up everything from about 500 to 3000 lines”.
For Avaya, there are two core platforms available for mid-market customers in the portfolio, including IP Office, and Aura.
“We believe that when you’re looking at any size or shape of market, you should be examining the individual needs of the customer. That means determining what they already have and pinpointing the features they need to evolve.”
“One interesting decision for us comes when we’re trying to determine where in the mid-market customers might benefit from API middleware like Breeze to unlock new opportunities within the space between IP Office and Aura.”
Rick noted that Avaya resellers and channel partners sometimes interact with mid-market customers who can be equally served by both Avaya Aura, and IP Office, because they linger somewhere between the enterprise space, and the smaller mid-market sphere. “Ultimately, for us it’s about finding the best blend of features to deliver what the customer wants, whether it’s in IP Office, Aura, or with a combination of layered solutions.”
What Happens when the Contact Centre Comes into the Conversation?
As companies begin to grow, the “contact centre” question becomes more significant, as they search for new ways to serve their customers. When contact centre needs become evident, that opens a brand-new discussion for Avaya.
“It’s always outcome driven for us. For instance, a customer that wants a highly-sophisticated omnichannel contact centre with deep back-end integrations might need the support of Oceana.”
One particularly unique feature that Avaya has to offer is their “AVA” AI cloud service that can be consumed and connected into the Oceana platform out of the box. “We’re working on our connections to ensure that there’s an out-of-the-box chatbot experience available for every size and shape of business. For Avaya, it’s about simplifying the offer we give to mid-market companies will still providing the traditional services they need.”
As Rick explained to me, the thing that makes Avaya unique is the fact that they don’t try to push their customers into one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, every service is outcome driven, and customers can consume, remove, or add the features they need to their ecosystem as they grow, and change.
What Kind of Features are Common for the Mid-market?
To serve the mid-market environment, Avaya has a range of licensing bundles available ranging from “Basic” to “Power”. Essentially, these bundles are intended to profile the different parts of the market as the company understands it. “At the small end of the market you might choose to go with a very basic strategy and an on-premise solution. Then, as you grow, you might decide to move into the UC package and add extra capabilities like collaboration with IP Office.”
All the features a company might need are already onboard in IP Office, making the software as modular as possible. This means that new features can be added or removed as the business starts to progress.
“The power package also offers the integrated reporting solution for customers, with a great digital look and feel. We’re essentially trying to deliver market-appropriate packages, while letting customers know that they can access different things as they progress.”
To augment all the features already available with IP Office collaboration, and the mid-market Avaya packages, the company also delivers Equinox Meetings Online – a system that layers on even more capabilities for organisations who might have more remote or diverse companies. With Equinox, mid-market businesses can access call recording, video, and other strategies as the features they need become more complex.
“It’s about offering customers the choice to decide how and when they grow. There’s no one-size-fits-all for the mid-market.”
How Will Avaya Continue to Differentiate for the Mid-market?
As the UC marketplace continues to grow more competitive, it’s crucial for vendors like Avaya to set themselves apart from the crowd by giving their customers a truly unforgettable experience. Rick told me that the company is all about saying “yes” to their customers, and their individual needs.
“This means that we don’t just deliver great basic packages, but also a host of augmentation features that can deliver easier connectivity solutions and extra capability features. Our customers can scale down, scale up, and do whatever they need with Avaya and all the flexibility of the cloud.”
Rick also noted that Avaya’s cloud is already fully-featured with everything that a customer could want from IP Office. No matter how big or small the company is, the experience they get from the cloud environment stays the same, fundamentally. The only thing that changes is that customers can choose the profile they need and add new features as they evolve. “In the mid-market, companies are looking at all kinds of different features that allow them to scale up and evolve as naturally as possible.”
Rick finished off by saying: “It’s about flexibility. Whether it’s hybrid, staying simple on premises, or scaling up through the cloud, our customers have the freedom to build however they like. It’s up to you.”
