Lighthouse Networks
IT Firm Supports Managed Services Model with Telephony Offering for Small Businesses
Partner: Lighthouse Networks
Web Site: www.lighthousenetworks.org
Partner Size: 4
Country or Region: United States
Industry: IT Services
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Partner Profile
Located in Anderson, South Carolina, Lighthouse Networks is a small business with four employees that provides managed IT services to small and midsize businesses.
Software and Services
- Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
- Microsoft Windows® Small Business Server 2003
- Microsoft® Response Point™
"As a small business that serves other small businesses, Microsoft Response Point phone system software has given us easy entry into the telephony space."
Ken West, President, Lighthouse Networks
Company Profile
Ken West, an IT expert with 22 years of experience and a strong background in the telephony market, started Lighthouse Networks in February 2007. As a young company with four employees, Lighthouse Networks strives to function as a beacon of guidance and support for other small businesses. Located in Anderson, South Carolina, the company offers a range of services that include Windows® Small Business Server 2003 deployments, network administration, and phone system implementations. Currently, the company is migrating towards a managed services model to provide quicker and more convenient monitoring options to clients.
Lighthouse Networks decided to pursue the small-business telephony market from the start. However, attempts to partner with established phone solution providers, such as Cisco and 3COM, were unsuccessful. “Cisco is geared more toward enterprise-level businesses. And as a small provider, our company didn’t have the support staff that 3COM required to partner with them in the telephony market,” recalls West.
Lighthouse Networks eventually partnered with smaller phone system vendors, including Vocalocity and Aptela, to offer hosted PBX phone solutions. But the company sought to find a more cost-effective solution for its small-business clients and its newly adopted managed services model.
Business Opportunity
In late 2007, the company heard about Microsoft® Response Point™ phone system software, an advanced telephony system that can be managed remotely. Designed and priced especially for small businesses, Microsoft Response Point offered Lighthouse Networks the opportunity to firmly position itself in the telephony market.
Although Lighthouse Networks has not deployed a Microsoft Response Point phone system yet, West sees cost of ownership as a compelling motivator for selling Microsoft Response Point to his customers. “Although Microsoft Response Point may cost more initially due to hardware expenses, the software will typically have a nine month return on investment. Compared to Vocalocity or Aptela, Microsoft Response Point will actually save our customers money in the first year.”
Lighthouse Networks consultants immediately began online training for Microsoft Response Point through webinars offered on the Microsoft Web site. The team then spent one day in Charlotte, North Carolina participating in hands-on training sessions and mock setups. After only 10 hours of training, Microsoft added Lighthouse Networks to the list of qualified Microsoft Response Point specialists on the Microsoft Response Point Web site. Since then, the company has developed five promising sales leads. “I’ve received cold calls from prospective customers directly as a result of our listing on the Microsoft Response Point Web site,” says West.
Go-to-Market Strategy
To complement the leads generated from the Web site, Lighthouse Networks plans to launch a marketing campaign directed at both new and existing customers to raise awareness of the product. “We’ll be reaching out to all our existing clients who don’t have a phone system and educating them about Microsoft Response Point. I believe 70 percent of our clients would be great candidates for the Microsoft Response Point solution,” says West.
In addition, Lighthouse Networks plans to promote the adaptability of Microsoft Response Point with other Microsoft technologies to appeal to clients who are familiar with Microsoft products. By integrating Microsoft Response Point phone system software and Microsoft Office Outlook® with Business Contact Manager, for example, Lighthouse Networks offers customer relationship management functionality that is more typical of an enterprise-class system.
West envisions two scenarios for Microsoft Response Point engagements. In the first, for customers who manage their own infrastructure, Lighthouse Networks will resell the Microsoft Response Point phone system software and offer one-time installation, configuration, and training. West estimates an hour of consulting time for each phone added to the system.
In the second scenario, for customers who are not as technically savvy, Lighthouse Networks plans to offer remote monitoring in addition to the setup services. “For those clients who are on our managed services platform, we will monitor the system for them and add a line-item to their monthly contract,” explains West. Lighthouse Networks projects that revenues from selling and supporting Microsoft Response Point will account for 20 to 25 percent of its annual revenue by 2009.
Benefits
With Microsoft Response Point phone system software, Lighthouse Networks can offer a phone solution that supports its managed services model while meeting the needs of small-business clients. “As a small business that serves other small businesses, Microsoft Response Point phone system software will give us easy entry into the telephony market space,” says West.
Streamlined Qualification
Training its consultants to configure and support Microsoft Response Point required minimal investment from Lighthouse Networks and made use of consultants’ existing skills. “Within a couple hours, you can take Microsoft Response Point out of the box, plug in the phones, plug in the gateway, and you’re up and running,” explains West. “Anybody who is familiar with Microsoft technologies will have no problem implementing or using Microsoft Response Point.”
Managed Service
Because Microsoft Response Point supports remote management and configuration, it complements the managed services model that Lighthouse Networks offers. “If one of my customers sends me an e-mail and says he wants to change his extension, I can remote into the network and jump onto the Microsoft Response Point server to make the changes,” says West. “I won’t even have to roll a truck to go on site to do the work,” which is an added convenience for both the customer and Lighthouse Networks.
Platform for Growth
Microsoft Response Point has provided Lighthouse Networks with opportunities to grow its business. “As customers gain trust in our ability, we gain the role of a trusted technology advisor. We can introduce Microsoft Response Point to clients that we already have on Windows Small Business Server and vice versa. Either way, our goal is to sell them what they’re looking for, close that deal first, then sell additional services,” says West.
Microsoft Response Point phone system software also helps Lighthouse Networks become a vital partner, one that keeps up with the needs of its customer base. With Microsoft Response Point, Lighthouse Networks can gain customer satisfaction and therefore, customer retention, ensuring the success of the company.
For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies.