Call Manager 8 new exciting features!!!!How to convince customer

[omair.siddiqui]

My customer is running CUCM 4.X, IPCX 4.X and Unity 4.X. i had o and fro discusion for their upgrade nut i am finding tough time to translate benfit of upgrade with respect to the cost. the customer is using  7912, 7940, 7960 phones so nothing fancy. They donot care whether their call manager is windows based or linux appliance, they do care of the features.

Can you experts suggest what are the major and minor benfits they get when they purchase upgrade. I have go thorugh datasheet but it all seems pure marketing bulk stuff while i need 5- 10 points.

[dakeller]

Muhammad,

As the presenter of new features in CUCM 8.0 at the last Beta Training, I'm not sure you're going to find the compelling features in the CUCM itself.  Most of the new and exciting features will be seen in the client facing interfaces.  So improvements in the Personal Communicator, MOC intergration and WebEx are where many new user features will be seen.

Specifically in the CUCM 8.0, here is a reader's digest of the new features:
-Extension Mobility Cross Cluster,
-Session Manager Edition

-LDAP Filtering

-MLPP over E1

-Daylight Savings Time/Time Zone improvements

-MGCP FXO CallerID

-Improved codec selection

-Reroute Direct Remote Destination Calls

-TAPS Support

-CTI/JTAPI/TSP/AXL updates

-SDI Trace Reduction

-Analysis Manager

-Security enhancements.

As you can see, there are very few features that end users will actually see.  Most of the features are administrative/operational improvements.  Many of these features were aimed at reducing TCO of the CUCM product.

If you need details on any of these features, just let me know.  I would recommend that you look at the collaboration and soft clients in this release for user improvements.

Thanks,

Dan Keller

Technical Marketing Engineer

[whamblin]

Don't forget features like:

• Service Advertisement Framework - Allows Dymanic configuration of dial plans between call agents
• Intercompany Media Engine - Business to Business Collaboration.  The ability to transform PSTN calls to SIP calls.  Video between companies
• Unified Computing System (UCS) Support starting with 8.0(2) with support for B-series and C-Series coming in 8.0(3) and 8.5.  Ability to virtualize Unified Communications Manager and install co-resident on UCS resources B200, C200, and C210.  Check time frames for deliver.

Also not directly in UCM itself, but new phones, clients and mobility features.  Lots of good stuff.

[answenso]

I agree with Dan - there are some great enhancements in version 8 that will particularly benefit the customer's IT team, such as the new Session Management Edition and the Intercompany Media Engine.  The more important benefit to a customer on very early versions of software are the cummulative enhancements that have been made over the years since the customer initially installed their Cisco IP telephony.

This solution overview titled "Accelerate Your Communications Benefits" paints that picture.  The content cites enhancements through Unified Communications system release 7.0 (we are in process of updating now, but the proofpoints between versions 4-7 remain the same, just add on all the enhancements that came with version 8).  You've probably already looked at this Unified Communications Manager 8.0 video datasheet.  The new Unified IP Phones 9900/8900 Series and Cisco Cius are also good proof points, along with the new soft clients Dan mentions, of the modernization of the telephony desktop that has occurred since your customer intially installed.

What are the customer's hot buttons?  Mobility? TCO? Productivity?  Cisco has introduced many enhancements and even new product categories -- it might help to target the discussion on what's new to their particular pain points.

Let us know how it goes.

[Tim Passinos]

Since you are moving from 4.x you will get Single Numbe rreach (Unififed Mobility) although you will need some DLUs for the users.

Also things like DND, iDivert, Intercom, Better Directed Call Parks and Pick Up Groups.

Support for new applications like CUPS, CUCIMOC, SSL VPN Phone Client and the iPhone mobile 8.0 client

[sakhter]

UC mobility is indeed a big plus!

Some cool features including but not limited to:

- Mobile Connect

- Desk Pickup

- Send Call to Mobile Phone (s)

- Mobile Voice Access (MVA)

- TOD based ACL

- Mid-call Enterprise features support using DTMF

- Two-stage dialing

- Dual Mode Phone support

- Manual Hand off calls on dual mode phone

- Dial-via-Office

- UC Mobility interaction with other features

- UC Mobility integration/interaction with OCS/MOC

Enjoy