Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | B | Business Communications Review

Consultants grade the vendors: what's most important in choosing a system--and which vendors deliver? Members of the leading consultants' groups in the U.S. and Canada weigh in.

Article Excerpt
Members of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants (STC) and the Canadian Telecommunications Consultant Association (CTCA) recently participated in a survey designed, distributed and analyzed by TEQConsult Group. The survey's primary objective was to determine how leading enterprise communications system suppliers compare with each other based on the experiences and perceptions of telecommunications consultants. This year's survey is a follow-up to the consultant survey as reported in BCR January 2007.

The STC is a not-for-profit organization made up of independent telecommunications consultants based in the U.S.; the CTCA, as its name implies, is composed of independent telecommunications consultants based in Canada. The STC and CTCA both provide forums where telecom consultants can discuss and share their experiences and encourage educational opportunities that will ensure the advancement of their profession. Telecommunications suppliers and distributors are associate members of each organization and work closely with the consultants for the betterment of the industry.

The two professional organizations are self-regulating, with a strict Code of Ethics, and require applicants to have several years' industry experience before they are considered for membership. An important membership criterion is that consultants must be independent, and not have ongoing fiduciary relationships with telecommunications equipment suppliers and distributors that could influence advice provided to their clients. Membership in the STC or CTCA signifies that a consultant maintains a current perspective on industry events and is an active participant in the industry's future direction.

Survey Results

There were 58 survey participants, all with extensive industry experience. The consultant experience distribution is as follows: 57 percent have more than a quarter-century experience; 31 percent have 15-25 years' experience; and 12 percent have 5-15 years' experience. The survey participants were not novices.

The list of suppliers graded in the survey is made up primarily of STC Vendor Advisory Council (VAC) and CTCA Supplier Liaison Council members with a complete portfolio of enterprise communications system products and application options. The vendor...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!