Response Point Team Blog : Response Point

2 Free VOIP Training Webcasts for Partners from TechEd's Top Speaker!

sprague — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Introduction to Response Point Analysis with Wireshark (Part 1 of 2)
October 6th, 2009, 9:00 - 10:00am PDT
MRP01PAL

Registration URL: https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/LMS_ActDetails.aspx?UserMode=0&ActivityId=552695

This online seminar provides the foundation for troubleshooting Response Point communications with Wireshark, the open source analyzer, or other analyzer products. Beginning with the troubleshooting methodology and the tips/tricks to locating the cause of network problems related to VoIP communications, Laura demonstrates the visible evidence of the most common network infrastructure problems. If the infrastructure isn't performing properly - no network-based applications will perform properly. That includes Response Point.

Response Point Analysis and Troubleshooting (Part 2 of 2)
October 28th, 2009 9:00 - 10:00am PDT
MRP02PAL

Registration URL: https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/LMS_ActDetails.aspx?UserMode=0&ActivityId=552698

This online seminar follows the Introduction to Response Point Analysis with Wireshark event with a focus on issues that affect Response Point communications. Beginning with the overview of telephony protocols and typical communication processes, Laura delves into the numerous issues that affect the visibility and performance of Response Point systems, walks through a series of Response Point trace files and demonstrates how to use Wireshark's telephony-specific troubleshooting features. Finishing up this event is a summary of problems that may be caused by firewall issues and add-on service problems.

March 18th Microsoft Canada Response Point Webinar

RexBackman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:20:00 GMT

Hear from SBS MVP Jeff Loucks, Trent Johnsen of SMB Phone and the Response Point team on the opportunities in selling Response Point to your customers.

We will also have some SPECIAL OFFERS from our Response Point Partners for those who attend the webinar.

To register go HERE.

The 10 Step Response Point Partner Playbook

RexBackman — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:03:00 GMT

1. Select Your Hardware OEM:

Aastra, D-Link, or Syspine

2. Choose Your Service Provider:

Bandwidth.com, Cbeyond, NGT, Junction Networks, Packet 8, SMB Phone, TotalTel

3. Know the Response Point Peripherals:

Quintum for Gateways, ClearOne for speakerphones

4. Get Smart:

Read books – from Harry Brelsford and Joe Schurman

Take online training from the RP web

Take Microsoft Learning course #74-675

5. Stock Up:

Get a permanent demo unit at a discount from your OEM

Use it for demos and hot swap backups for your managed services

6. Get Involved in the Community:

Read the Response Point team blog; visit Telephonation.com; join the Response Point LinkedIn group

7. Market Yourself:

Get a Yellow Page ad in the TELEPHONE section; do a direct mail piece; put on an event; join local professional organizations

8. Get Those Leads:

Get to know your local Chamber of Commerce; know your local moving companies; Extend your SBS installed base with Response Point; investigate sba.gov for local angles and opportunities (i.e. monthly SCORE meetings…).

9. Sell the Solution:

It’s all about communication and collaboration. Leverage your SBS and Outlook skills with the client. Customize the RP toast with SP2, customize the auto attendant….

10. Manage that New Customer:

Deliver regular maintenance; sell remote management; network assessment health checks; Response Point customization. All are good ‘links of revenue' that add up overtime.

Follow us on Twitter

sprague — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:06:53 GMT

We’re busy at ITExpo, taking a lot of photos and compiling other news related to our SP2 launch, but sometimes we don’t always have time to put it up on the blog right away. If you’d like a more up-to-date view of how we’re doing, please follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/responsepoint.

Other members of the team here are on Twitter too, so feel free to follow them too:

http://twitter.com/sprague

http://twitter.com/xdh

http://twitter.com/rexbackman

Incidentally, we’ll be using the hash tag #rpsp2 to mark messages specifically about RP if you want to shorten your Twitter messages back to us.

New Response Point web site

sprague — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:35:42 GMT

At last! We have a new web site: the new and improved http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint is open to the world.

Since the vast majority of customers see Response Point for the first time on our web site, our main goal of course is to make the best possible impression. Our original site was designed like a brochure for potential customers, as simple and uncluttered as possible, because we wanted to convey the simplicity of Response Point. We used a light-on-black text layout to make the site stand out and feel more graphical than your typical boring phone site.

Now, after months of studying our web traffic, conducting usability studies on actual users, and receiving feedback from many of you, we are proud to roll out a new site that we hope meets an additional goal: we want it to be easier to find what you're looking for about Response Point. We've relabeled the tabs, simplified the organization, and moved to a black-on-light design that's easier on your eyes when you read longer articles. We also wanted to make it easier for different types of visitors to find what they need: potential customers (of course), but also existing customers (who may have technical or other questions), and partners (both old and new).

We hope you like the new design, but please note that we're never finished. We will continue to add new content and extend the site to meet your needs. As always, we rely on your feedback, so don't hesitate to contact us with your thoughts and suggestions.

Syspine Announces Canadian Master Distributor - Williams Telecommunications

RexBackman — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:49:00 GMT

The Response Point ecosystem coninues to grow. Today, our OEM partner Syspine announced their Master Distributor for Canada. Their press release is below:

(RENO, Nev., Aug. 27, 2008) — Quanta Computer announced today that Williams Telecommunications Corp. will now be serving as a master distributor of the Syspine® Digital Operator Phone System throughout Canada.

Syspine, an advanced IP phone system designed for small businesses with up to 50 employees, was created for ease of use, low costs and integration with other technologies. Featuring Microsoft® (Nasdaq: MSFT) Response Point™ technology, Syspine has a powerful voice-recognition system that can be linked with a company’s internal phone directory, as well as an individual’s Microsoft Office Outlook® address book.

“Williams Telecommunications is a well-known and respected name in the telecom industry, so we are very excited to begin working with them to increase our presence in Canada,” said Syspine director of sales and marketing Robert Gordon. “It’s a win-win situation. Williams’ network of dealers and resellers will be able to introduce Syspine to an untapped market, while this is an equally great opportunity for Williams to deliver an affordable VoIP phone system with Microsoft Response Point technology to small businesses in Canada.”

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Williams Telecommunications is recognized as the premier independent worldwide distributor of telecom equipment and supplier of information and customer service. Williams distributes products from manufacturers such as Nortel Networks, Avaya and Mitel, as well as a complete line of peripheral products. From telephones, voice mail systems and headsets, to highly advanced call answering centers, Williams Telecommunications meets the needs of businesses of all sizes. Williams Telecommunications also serves clients worldwide with its state-of-the-art repair and refurbishing facility.

For more information on the Syspine Digital Operator Phone System, visit www.syspine.com, Williams Telecommunications can be found online at www.williamsglobal.com.

Plan Ahead. Microsoft Response Point @ the upcoming Internet Telephony Expo

RexBackman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:17:00 GMT

Microsoft Response Point will be quite active at the upcoming Internet Telephony Expo September 16 - 18 in Los Angeles at the L.A. Convention Center - http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/conference/.

IP Telephony expert Tom Ross from the TMC University will hold a one-day class focused on Microsoft's VoIP solutions Office Communications Server (OCS) and Response Point (RP). If you are interested in the class, please use this link for registration information. Also, Microsoft Response Point General Manager, X.D. Huang will deliver one of the event Keynotes on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 4:00pm. Please use this link for Keynote information.

Bill Gates announces Response Point SP1 IP PBX Phone System

Xuedong David Huang — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:11:00 GMT

Lots of good things from Cloud Services to PinPoint at this year's WPC. Of course, one of my favorite things is our Response Point SP1 launch. At WPC, I had a chance to meet with so many wonderful RP partners. I got tons of feedback and suggestions. Steve Ballmer passed me the note from one of our MVP in Germany, who very passionately asked for German RP…

As part of our SP1 launch, Bill Gates helped us announce this important release.You can watch Bill's RP video here.

Video: Gates' Magic Blue Button: Response Point SP1 Announcement

Response Point SP1 RTM'ed

Xuedong David Huang — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:50:00 GMT

When we started RP, our vision was simple: to provide a telephony solution so easy to use that every small business customer can set it up like connecting a printer to the PC. Today, we are moving one step closer to realize our vision by releasing to manufacturing Response Point Service Pack 1. Our OEM partners will bring SP1 to market next month. Current Response Point 1.0 customers will be able to download SP1. Please visit http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint on July 8th for details. SP1 is a simple and free download that takes a matter of minutes for you to install.

SP1 not only improved RP 1.0's performance/quality but also added some very cool features such as VOIP gateway, Click to Call, and Call Presence etc. Never before was PBX this easy to use and manage.

Costco is selling Syspine

Xuedong David Huang — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:37:00 GMT

I'm very pleased to see that our partner Quanta worked out a deal with Costco to sell Syspine Response Point phone system online. This is a major step simplifying the purchase experience for our small business customers.

Will Costco create a conflict for our small business channel specialists? My answer is no. Direct and partner-led channel have always been complimentary strategies at Microsoft for a number of products. Direct allows us to help to drive awareness and demand. Channel allows us to deliver supply and expertise. Costco’s support of Response Point is a testimony of the core value of our IP PBX phone system. Never before is the VOIP Phone PBX system so easy to use and set up. I have met with so many people who set up Response Point in a way similar to connecting a printer to the PC. Most of the problems for these small business customers are networking and broadband related. This is where our small business channel specialists can step in to add a tremendous amount of value to our small business customers!

With Response Point SP1 RTM on the horizon, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint/ for latest development.

Let's Talk Computers

sprague — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:19:12 GMT

There's a nice 15-min interview of me talking about Response Point over at Let's Talk Computers, the pioneer of tech radio dating back to 1989.

The host, Alan Ashendorf, and I had a nice conversation covering all the basics of RP and how it can help small businesses. Some people have commented that I talked too quickly, which I think is true, but maybe because our building was experiencing a firedrill here at the time.

CI Gear New Syspine Distributor in Canada. Discounted Demo Kits Available for Canadian Partners

RexBackman — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:32:00 GMT

The following came to use from Quanta Computer:

We are pleased to announce that CI Gear is the Canadian Distributor for Quanta Syspine Microsoft Response Point Phone Systems.

They are inviting interested Response Point Business Partners across Canada to experience the benefits of the Syspine Digital Operator System.

CI Gear has informed us that Quanta Syspine has extended its limited time Demo Kit promotion. Canadian Response Point Partners can purchase a Demo Kit at a tremendously discounted price. For under ~$1,000, the Demo Kit has everything you need to get started and see for yourself the advantages of adding Response Point to your product line. This is a great way for Canadian RP Partners to get trained and begin using the system for live demonstrations in-house or at a customer's location.

Order your Demo Kit before they're all gone! Contact CI Gear at sales@CIGear.com or 1-866-924-4292 to place an order.

UW EE Colloquium: How did we run a startup inside Microsoft?

Xuedong David Huang — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:37:00 GMT

I will be giving a talk at UW on May 6th, 2008 on our RP and core technology development story.

How did we run a startup inside Microsoft?

Delivering value to small businesses with the right product offering challenges many product teams at Microsoft. The Response Point team is no different. How did we enter into the competitive IP telephony market with a differentiated solution? I will discuss how the Response Point team’s vision of simplicity guided the team from conceptualizing the business proposal through product development and product launch as a startup experiment in a large enterprise. While technologies are critical, it is the use of technologies in the right context that is more critical to the success of the product. Response Point’s magic blue button illustrates how speech recognition technologies can be used to help small business customers managing their daily phone activities.

CRN's Scorecard on Response Point 1.0

Xuedong David Huang — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:16:00 GMT

Since we shipped RP 1.0, we have received a lot of wonderful feedbacks from so many of our customers, partners, and analysts. It is gratifying to see RP 1.0 is loved by so many people! I know there are still lots of things we can do better and improve. I want to thank so many people who supported us along the way in creating the best telephony solution for SMB!

CRN’s recent scorecard on RP 1.0 is a good summary on RP 1.0. We are working agressively to achieve all 5’s from Features to Profit Potential. We hope to do this rapidly for our customers and partners in RP’s future releases. Thank you again!

Response Point SP1 Training is Now FREE w/Promo Code

RexBackman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:23:00 GMT

The Response Point SP1 12 city USA training tour kicks off this week here in the Seattle area. This training can be attended free-of-charge if you register with the promo code: RSPFW01. Taking this SP1 training will prepare Response Point Specialists for the upcoming Response Point assessment cirriculum that is currently under development and planned for a summer '08 deployment. Registration and detailed information on the 12 city event can be found at this LINK.

Microsoft Response Point Training Schedule

4/17/2008 Bellevue
4/21/2008 New York
4/24/2008 Wash DC
4/29/2008 Houston
5/2/2008 San Francisco
5/7/2008 Waltham
5/12/2008 Chicago
5/16/2008 Denver
5/22/2008 Ft Lauderdale
5/28/2008 Minneapolis
6/2/2008 Atlanta
6/5/2008 Nashville