Response Point Team Blog

Response Point Town Hall Meeting - Update on Recent Changes
Microsoft has made some changes to the Response Point business. I am not expecting impact on current customers as we will maintain the current version of the product. We want to take a good look at the next version of Response Point and ensure it addresses the needs of Small Businesses. We are thankful for the support we have received from our partners to date.

We will continue to support our current OEMs, Service Providers and resellers that are selling Response Point v1.0. We will also continue to promote the product and our partners on-line. We believe there is a plenty of room for delivering breakthrough products in the communication space and will continue to investigate the opportunity in the small business segment.
John Frederiksen, General Manager of the Response Point Product, will update partners and answer questions during this live meeting.
 
Please monitor the official Response Point blog for updates and information. http://blogs.technet.com/rp/

Date: June 30th, 2009 (Tuesday)
Time: 1:00 - 2:30pm PDT (Redmond Time)

Registration URL:
https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=267491

Note: This session will be recording and you can find it in the PLC. If you register and can't make it, you will be sent the location where you can find the PLC on demand URL.

This week we made some changes to the Response Point business. I am not expecting impact on current customers as we will maintain the current version of the product. We want to take a good look at the next version of Response Point and ensure it addresses the needs of Small Businesses. We are thankful for the support we have received from our partners to date. We will continue to support our current OEMs, Service Providers and resellers that are selling Response Point v1.0. We will also continue to promote the product and our partners on-line. We believe there is a plenty of room for delivering breakthrough products in the communication space and will continue to investigate the opportunity in the small business segment.

If you have questions or concerns please feel free to contact me (johnfre@microsoft.com , GM for Response Point). 

Erik Lagerway at the SMBPhone blog has a nice overview of how he installed a VPN to support a remote worker.  It includes specifics like exactly which router he used, which Response Point hardware, and how he configured everything. He concludes:

The Response Point phone and Assistant worked as expected and the VPN provided other benefits related to file sharing etc.

We know that remote workers are an important scenario asked for regularly by customers, so Erik’s piece is a good read if you want to learn how to get one working for you.

Looking for more ways to add Response Point videos and training to your web site? We've just released a bunch of short videos that you can easily put on your own site, to show your customers how easy Response Point is to use. Click through to the following links and you'll see the videos, along with a way to copy/paste some HTML code that will let you show the videos on your site:

Configure a user
Configure a phone

Configure a voice service

Getting Started with the Assistant

Using the Assistant

Using the Administrator

The nice thing about these videos is that the hosting and streaming is handled by Microsoft. No need to run an expensive video server--just copy the HTML code in the "embed" section and we'll take it from there.

From our friends at Response Point OEM Aastra:

Aastra Telecom is pleased to announce the availability of software maintenance release 2.4.1_RP.1014.  Available for download from the AastraLink RP website, this release offers a fix to the Call Park issues customers experienced when attempting to park a call on phones with multiple Lines/Users.

Please visit www.aastralinkrp.com and click on Software Downloads Area to obtain the new firmware

Our friends at RiteTech LLC have been busy with some of the new features in SP2.  They just announced a limited public Beta test of their RPCalls Call Manager and RPTrends Call Analytics Web-based applications. Definitely worth checking out.

RPCalls is an easy to use, customizable “lightweight CRM” and contact-tracking application that integrates with Service Pack 2’s URL-launching feature.

RPTrends provides analysis and enhanced reporting for Microsoft Response Point call logs.

For more information, please visit http://www.rpconnect.net.  To sign up for the Beta, complete the request form at http://www.rpconnect.net/public/request.cfm.

News from our OEM partner Syspine today:

Introducing Syspine P406 and P806 promotional packages.  These custom packages have six (6) 310M IP phones and include a award winning Syspine 4 or 8 line All-In-One A50 server.  While supplies last, the packages will also ship with the integrated Security Gateway at no extra charge. 

The Syspine promo packages are simple to order. Just one part number gets you started with Syspine's All-In-One Solution... and all in one carton!

SYS - P406 package:  4 line DOS-A50 Base w/ 6ea. 310M IP Phones
SYS - P806 package:  8 line DOS-A50 Base w/ 6ea. 310M IP Phones

Get in the door and lead with the Microsoft RP brand, features, and applications. Follow the presentation with a Syspine value proposition that will close the deal.  Walk out the door with the higher sales margin your company deserves.  You now have the winning combination.  Product, price, and support packaged with a higher margin opportunity to truly make the Syspine Microsoft RP system an important part of your business model.

Contact Tom Burgess, Syspine National Sales Manager at 480-528-3040, or Tom.Burgess@Syspine.com  for pricing details and additional information.

Want to hear the best practices from 3  top Response Point VARs? What are their secrets for generating revenue ?  Finding new customers ? Closing the deal? How to leverage demos ?  Then please join us for this April 30th webinar.

Registration information on the Microsoft Partner Learning Center is HERE.

The VAR Guy, a web site focused on the day-to-day happenings of partners recently published a story on Response Point VAR and Service Provider SMB Phone. The article describes the journey Erik Lagerway and Trent Johnsen were on as they established SMB Phone. Here is the link to the article.

The Response Point world is centered around our business partners and Microsoft Specialists who help customers choose and deploy their phone systems.  Our partners often ask us for marketing, sales, and technical information to make it easier for them to present Response Point, and there are many ways to get that information, but if you’re a serious partner the best way is through the Microsoft Partner Portal (MSPP).

Today we’re pleased to announce a major upgrade to the Response Point section on MSPP:   get all the Response Point sales, marketing and training tools you’ll need to increase awareness and drive sales to your small business customers.  The newly redesigned Response Point product page has relocated to the Global Microsoft Partner Portal site, and is now located under “Products and Solutions” with easier navigation and on-stop access to technical, product and selling resources.  In addition to updated SP2 feature and benefit content, you’ll find NEW website, email, event and co-promotional templates.

You can find all of this and more at:  https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40104201

Please note: the MSPP site is limited to Microsoft Partners only.  If you’re interested in becoming one, please follow the instructions for how to become a Response Point specialist and join us!

If you click on the “share” icon above, you’ll see some simple HTML code that you can use to place the video on your site as well.  Every small business  should watch this simple 7-minute introduction to see how easy it is to upgrade to Response Point.

Robert Brown, Principal Group Program Manager of the Response Point Development team, will lead this April 17th webinar. It is part of Microsoft’s 5W/50 webinar series for SMB  Partners. Robert and his team of Program Managers will offer technical discussions on SP2, the Response Point architecture.

Registration information is available here.

When you add a person’s name to your Response Point directory,  there is a pleasant voice inside RP that speaks the name back to you.  It’s a computerized voice, usually referred to as TTS ( text-to-speech), and the one inside RP is world-class.  In fact, it’s the same voice used by Windows Vista, and referred to as “Anna” in the TTS applications out there. TTS can make a nice prompt for your names on RP, but it’s never as good as a real recorded voice, especially for longer utterances like the greetings that you use for your Automated Receptionist.

Well here’s some good news:  “Anna” is actually the voice of Melanie Granfors, a real live person who lives in Seattle, Washington and made the recordings that formed the basis for the sound waves now included in both Response Point and  Vista.  And you can hire Anna, I mean Melanie,  to record your company’s directory greeting.

Melanie is one of the voice talents signed up with Voices.com, an internet web site that sells introductions to people who record their voices.  Here’s the description on her voices.com site:

Melanie Granfors is a Radio/TV personality, spokeswoman, narrator and voiceover artist. Melanie's styles include smooth or energetic, reassuring and friendly, corporate, confident, motherly, sexy, sassy, elegant, raucous. She can sound like a doctor or a diva! Melanie is an excellent cold reader, and adept at technical reading with scientific, medical or technological terms. She promises quick turnaround on all voiceover projects from her home studio.

Reasonable rates, quick turnaround – and a voice that perfectly matches the one inside RP.  Check it out!

Aastra has published more details about their new “SIP Trunking Bundle" we mentioned previously.

The AastraLink RP SIP Trunking Bundle, available in the U.S. market only, is priced at just $1,799.99 MSRP and includes the Aastra designed Base Unit containing the Microsoft® Response Point™ software, and three Aastra Response Point 6753i RP phones.

This is a great deal, especially for RP customers who want the quality and convenience of VOIP and don’t need an analog line.  Full systems, including the analog telephony adapter (gateway) and a selection of additional phones are still available at $2400.