Explore our latest Sales Engineering Braintrust, which includes:
- Pathfinder Updates
- Keep up with the latest updates in the CCaaS landscape by diving into our new CCaaS 201 Engineering Quick Hit
- Offer an elevated provider selection process to your customers using our SASE Portfolio Matrix
- AVANT Updates
- Listen into TWO new Technology Insights podcast episodes, featuring experts diving into the pros and cons of leveraging Microsoft for consolidation and how to introduce better efficiency into an organization using AI
- Win Wire: Discover how a TA build a valuable relationship with their customer by utilizing AVANT’s tools, resources, and expertise, resulting in a $46K deal with Genesys Cloud
- Engineering Spotlight: Meet Niko O’Hara, Head of Programs, Engineering & Vendors
- Trusted Advisor Testimonials: Learn how your peers utilize AVANT Engineers to enhance customer engagement and close more deals
Pathfinder Updates
- Check out the newly-revised CCaaS 201 Engineering Quick Hit with AVANT’s John Paullin! This Quick Hit covers common expectations of customers, agents, and supervisors, as well as Contact Center features like conversational self-service, workforce engagement, and quality assurance with AI. We recommend taking this Quick Hit after completing the AVANT CCaaS Certification Course! Both are located in the Trusted Advisor Academy on Pathfinder.
- Offer an elevated provider selection process to your customers using our SASE Portfolio Matrix! Developed by Sarah Arnstein and Niko O’Hara, this matrix details competitive offerings in the SASE market so Trusted Advisors can identify the best solution to secure and optimize each customer’s environment.
Log into Pathfinder now to explore these training resources and customer engagement tool! Go to lookup.gopathfinder.net to access your unique Pathfinder URL.
AVANT Updates
- Podcast – Betting on Microsoft? Getting Early ROI: In this episode, we welcomed an expert from Microsoft Security Partner of the Year, BlueVoyant to the podcast! Executive Director of Managed Security Center of Excellence at BlueVoyant, Micah Heaton, joined AVANT Analytics Senior Analyst and Head of Security Stephen Semmelroth to discuss the pros and cons of leveraging Microsoft for consolidation.
- Podcast – AI’s Impact to the Bottom Line for All Verticals: AVANT President and co-founder, Drew Lydecker, hosted Frank Fawzi, CEO of IntelePeer and a prominent figure in the communication landscape, for this episode! Their conversation spanned diverse verticals, including healthcare, retail, logistics, and manufacturing, to highlight how AI and automation can revolutionize organizational efficiency.
Win Wire with Amanda Bean
The Breakdown
- Technology Category: CCaaS
- Customer Type: BPO
- Industry: Various
- Size and Scope: 12 locations
- MRR: $46,480
- Winning provider: Genesys Cloud
- Competitors: Avaya, Five9, NICE, Talkdesk
The Details
What were the drivers for the client?
The customer was facing the fact that their on-premises Contact Center was at the end of its life. Years of building complex intricacies and supporting many businesses under one operation forced this BPO to face the move to the cloud project head on.
How did the Trusted Advisor close the deal?
The Trusted Advisor drove the process by leading discovery, researching technologies, and helping the customer navigate who to work with to face the inevitable challenge ahead. They also expertly explained the benefits of moving to the cloud and pushing past common roadblocks, despite their complexities.
How did AVANT support the win?
The Trusted Advisor was able to build on their relationship and trust with the customer by utilizing tools, Pathfinder resources, and expertise from AVANT – most specifically Sales Engineer Amanda Bean! Through Amanda’s experience migrating hundreds of customer sites and advanced contact centers to the cloud, she helped bring a deeper understanding of the project to the customer. Additionally, she set expectations throughout the opportunity, discussing requirements and possibilities with the new toolset. At a point when the opportunity stalled significantly, Amanda also drove the conversation forward. She helped instill stronger confidence in the customer to overcome the challenges of moving a complex contact center operation to the cloud. With her support, the Trusted Advisor was able to close the deal, resulting in $46K+ MRR and a satisfied customer!
Engineering Spotlight
This month, we’re spotlighting Niko O’Hara, Head of Programs, Engineering & Vendors!
Many of our partners have worked with Niko throughout his 10+ years at AVANT. However, there are still a lot of areas Niko impacts that our Trusted Advisors may not be aware of. Therefore, we’re highlighting some of Niko’s lesser-known roles and responsibilities at AVANT! We asked Niko to tell us about something he does for AVANT that our partners may not normally know.
He shared, “I am the original architect of the Dynamic Matrices, IQAs, and Ninja Notes! Although by now, as many TAs probably know, I’m less involved in the individual matrices or IQAs. However, I am heavily involved in metrics for both the Vendor and Engineering departments, which make up our combined Technology Enablement org. This means everything from setting KPIs and MBOs to making sure we deliver top-notch experiences to our partners, to tracking our NPS across both Trusted Advisors and vendors, and more.”
Here’s a bit more about Niko, outside of his work at AVANT:
- Where are you located? Chicago suburbs
- What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics? I would love to play basketball, although I’m obviously not in the NBA, so that seems unlikely! But I still play weekly, my wife played in college, and I follow the NBA and WNBA closely. Kobe is my all-time favorite player, and it would have been amazing to be part of the Redeem Team, when he led the US back to gold. My current favorite players are Steph Curry (NBA) and Sabrina Ionescu (WNBA).
- Do you have any resolutions you’re working on for 2024? My personal resolutions relate to working out, nutrition, and reading. I have a three-year streak of at least 5 workouts completed every week (minus one week I had COVID), so I can’t let that die. As for nutrition, I aim for certain macros (which vary throughout the year) to make sure I get enough protein and align with the workouts I’m doing. If you see me measure or track my food, I apologize. And finally, my personal goal is to read 24 books this year, which is harder than it seems with a newborn! But I want to be at least a third as enlightened as my colleague and fellow Engineer Joe Colletti, who read 60 books last year. I’ve only finished 6 books as of the start of June, because I keep choosing books that are 500-1000 pages long, so that’s on me. I need to get some quick wins (and stop playing video games)!
You can connect with Niko on LinkedIn here!
Trusted Advisor Testimonials
What are your peers saying about the powerful impact of AVANT SEs on their opportunities?
“I completed the IQA and the AVANT Engineering team responded within 24 hours. Amazing! The team are rock stars and definitely become an extension of my team as my time is limited.” – Juanita Menjivar, Reg Sr. Solutions Architect – Trace 3
“Finest engineers and tools on the planet!” – Mark Waldman, Client Champion – Tech-Gofer
“I love the robust analysis that is provided when we do an IQA. I cannot tell you how important this type of sales methodology is and it helps not only the seller in the process but especially the customers.” – Beau Green, Infrastructure Engineer – OneTel Holdings