Voice Management

Tone Software is a provider of comprehensive network monitoring and management solutions for converged telecommunications and IT infrastructures.

With the company's ReliaTel and Streamline solutions, voice quality management and service level assurance is provided to the diverse, converging communications infrastructures of both enterprises and managed service providers.

Recently, the company announced ReliaTel Streamline Management Solution 2.6,  which includes an "Operational Knowledge Base (News - Alert)" for converged voice networks. This added feature, company officials said, offers a "single pane of glass" for the critical intelligence required to better achieve and sustain the quality and service levels necessary in converged voice over IP or and data networks.

I took some time to chat with Amit Kapoor, director of Strategic Technology Advancement for Tone Software about the company's latest release and their recent participation at the Avaya (News - Alert)-Nortel Global Connect user conference that concluded recently.

Our exchange follows.

Tone software recently participated in the 2010 International Alliance of Avaya Users "InAAU" Conference. Can you talk a little about Tone's experience at the show?

The INNAU conference and trade show was a great opportunity to meet directly with users of both Avaya and Nortel (News - Alert) technologies face to face  - and hear first hand their plans and needs as they expand voice services within their businesses.  Consistently we heard that VoIP call quality and overall Quality of Service is a significant issue many users face, and they need tools to first determine if their existing networks can handle VoIP traffic, and then a comprehensive solution to sustain VoIP network quality and service levels while also reducing the costs associated with supporting converged networks.  Interestingly enough, Service Providers shared these exact same concerns with us - they are also facing these issues as they expand VoIP network management services into their clients' converging environments.

Tone  demonstrated the ReliaTel-Streamline Avaya - Nortel VoIP Management Solution at the event. What does this combined solution offer for enterprises?

ReliaTel-Streamline is an ideal solution to help converging environments manage their voice infrastructure - whether their using TDM or IP based equipment from Avaya, Nortel, or other manufacturers.  ReliaTel-Streamline manages the entire convergence life cycle - from network assessments to determine the network's ability to handle VoIP, to ongoing management of faults, performance, real-time VoIP QoS, and capacity. Using ReliaTel-Streamline enables enterprises to take control of their converging infrastructure and ensure they can smoothly transition to VoIP and then sustain the VoIP call quality and service levels necessary to achieve their expected convergence ROI.

At InAAU, Tone also demonstrated the latest release of ReliaTel-Streamline Management, version 2.6 which includes "Operational Knowledge Base." Can you talk a little more about the solution and the significance of the newly added feature?

The ReliaTel-Streamline 2.6.0 Operational Knowledge Base dynamically delivers critical intelligence about converged voice network fault, performance, and quality problems - including the specific manufacturer suggested actions relevant to solving that particular condition - along with installation-specific details and procedures regarding the device and configuration impacted by the issue.  The facility also provides direct access to remotely execute the recommended actions and procedures necessary to immediately resolve the issue - all without leaving the Knowledge Base portal window. 

One of the most innovative aspects of the 2.6.0 Knowledge Base facility is that it arrives in customers' hands pre-populated with manufacturer's documented resolution procedures - including both Avaya and Nortel recommended actions for a variety of their popular voice equipment.  The facility also enables users to populate the Knowledge Base with their own operational procedures, including step by step actions, relevant text or schematic documents, or hyperlinks to access information stored over the network.  

This means, when problems arise, the enterprise voice support technician - or the Managed Service Provider technician - can quickly identify and execute the exact actions necessary to correctly validate and resolve an issue, vastly reducing the problem resolution time, increasing the accuracy of the resolution, and saving valuable staff time that translates into real dollar savings to the business.  

What does the new updated version provide for technicians specifically?

As businesses roll in VoIP and advanced communications technologies, their support technicians are often challenged to keep up with the demands of supporting the VoIP network and necessary VoIP service levels.  They often have limited experience with VoIP technologies and the issues related to VoIP call quality.  This problem is especially true as Heritage Nortel user's transition to new Avaya technologies.  The ReliaTel-Streamline Knowledge Base provides the expertise they desperately need to accurately handle the complex and diverse issues that inevitably come with supporting VoIP and IP Telephony communications environments.
 

The Knowledge Base captures the expertise of both the voice equipment manufacturer as well as the installation's most senior technicians, and instantly makes that knowledge available to the entire support team in a clear, concise manner on a 24x7 basis.  

Senior staff members are then freed up from problem resolution tasks as their expertise has been captured within the Knowledge base - they now have time to focus on more strategic projects, such as implementing advanced communications applications that support strategic business initiatives.

As a result, the IP Voice network delivers higher service levels because issues are more rapidly resolved before users or customers experience any degradation in voice quality or services.

Can you talk a little about the specific demonstrations you gave for this solution and any reactions or feedback?

Across the board, attendee reactions from the 2.6 Knowledge Base demonstrations we performed at Global Connect (News - Alert) were outright excitement, and even a bit of amazement that there was finally an integrated Knowledge Base solution that delivered usable, actionable problem resolution information within the context of specific faults and alarms.  Some users commented that their installations had standalone knowledge base type tools, but they were just not usable because it was so difficult to find relevant information pertinent to the problem or issue they were trying to address and resolve.  

With one click, technicians using the ReliaTel-Streamline Knowledge Base are presented with both manufacturer-recommended and installation-specific actions and documentation pertinent to the issue, devices, and underlying configuration directly involved in the exact fault or alarm the technician is resolving.  Regardless of the level of experience, the technician can confidently utilize the knowledge provided to rapidly and accurately resolve the problem.

This improves mean time to repair, lowers supports costs, and boosts voice service levels.  It also impacts the bottom line - enterprises who implement VoIP expect considerable ROI from their IP investment - but the support burden the VoIP network puts on their voice support team can virtually wipe out the expected ROI as support costs spiral out of control, and service levels plummet due to the inexperience of the current support team. 

The ReliaTel-Streamline Knowledge Base helps control support costs by putting comprehensive manufacturer and installation-specific expertise at the fingertips of all VoIP support team members - equipping them with the expertise they need to do their jobs in an efficient and effective manner, and ensuring the VoIP network delivers the VoIP quality and service levels necessary to support the business. 

For more, check out the Voice Software channel on TMCnet.