2 focus areas for a smooth teleconferencing services transition.
We’re back with thoughts on navigating planned or unplanned service changes. Need a quick reminder of our bona fides on the topic? The Intellor team has helped countless IT and telecommunications professionals successfully navigate teleconferencing services transitions over the past decade. Last time, we talked process. (Missed the post? Read it here.) This time, our focus shifts to people.
People – the staff scheduling and running, the executives presenting, the press, investors, citizens, analysts, or employees participating – are the mutual customers of IT/Telecom and the new vendor. Given not only the profile of these people, but of the messages being delivered and their potential impact on the business or mission, any successful transition will carefully consider them.
Thematically, today is all about avoiding assumptions. Rather than “if you see something, say something,” a user-centric transition errs on the side of saying something, providing it in writing, saying it again. And of course, engaging key users in the planning and rollout is a key tactic.
Scheduled Call Handling
The Office of Public Liaison has a half-dozen listening sessions on the books. Your Sales VP has a standing monthly team call. Knowing what the business has on the books is the first step. Planning to transition those calls and communicate changes is an early priority. Leaning on your new partner for recommendations and feature mapping will ease your workload and create the best experience for your stakeholders.
Policies & Procedures
Every vendor does things a little bit differently. No big deal, right? Right. Until it’s a really big deal. Users – especially your executive users – are used to a specific communication method, call script, call flow. Having your new partner’s management policies and procedures clearly documented and understood is essential to avoiding preventable crises.
Communication & Training
Your new partner should bring a variety of training resources to the table – documentation, video, and/or instructor-led. Select those that align with your implementation and then – and this is the key – tell people. Let them know that you’re changing teleconferencing services. Tell them why if that makes sense. Point them to the available resources. Communicate early and communicate often.
No one loves change. But with a bit of planning and the right partner, this one doesn’t have to be hard. And, of course, if you’re on the hunt for a new partner, talk to Intellor.
