Selected Gateway Group Project Summaries
Development of Business/Technology strategy, solution design, research and selection of supplier, assistance in overseeing implementation.
This was the transformation of a traditional tele-marketing company into a tele-web consumer interaction company.
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Michigan Virtual University
Early stage technology planning and implementation.
- Career planning and search system.
- Largest State virtual university in the US.
Analysis of eLearning Delivery System needs and the definition and selection of a vendor.
- 1000+ Web-based courses.
- 100,000+ on-line student capability
- Wide range of subscriber bandwidth connection speeds
- http://www.MiVU.org
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DetroitCONNECTEDTM
Research and development of a Strategic Plan for WiFi deployment in low-income neighborhoods
- Technology and organizational plan to reduce the digital divide in low-income neighborhoods.
- WiFi Mesh Community Network.
- Collaborating with the University of Michigan School of Social Work
- http://www.detroitconnected.org
Download the complete Detroit Connected Feasibility Analysis and Organizational Plan. Forty three pages in PDF format.
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Coastal Wave
Market and resource development (ongoing).
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South Bend Clinic & SurgiCenter
Telecom system planning, vendor selection and implementation oversight.
- Outpatient medical clinics.
- Telephone PBX / WiFi / VM / UM/ Call center.
- VoIP.
- 11 locations and 70 physicians.
- Fully survivable independent operation at all locations.
- 750 phones.
- 15 call centers.
- WiFi phones with full enterprise-wide roaming.
- Four digit dial throughout the enterprise.
- Mitel / AVST / Cisco / Spectralink / Emergin
- http://www.southbendclinic.com
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Allen County Public Library
A full-featured Unified Communications Implementation
Telecom planning, designing the system, RFP development and proposal process management, implementation guidance.
- 300,000 square foot new Main Library and 13 Branches.
- 310 wired VoIP phones, 110 WiFi VoIP phones, 17 pay phones.
- Dual tandem PBX
- Unified Messaging, Voice Mail / WiFi phones / call centers, text messaging, call management.
- http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/
Download the full case study.
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Xperience Communications
High level technology strategy plan.
- Data network / phone / e-mail / collaboration / unified messaging.
- Dearborn, MI headquarters and production operations.
- Boston based graphics team.
- NY and LA Sales teams
- Multiple Field teams.
- Large international automotive, retailing and high-tech clients.
- Five-year technology roadmap with staged implementation tactics plan.
Mini Case Studies
Dialogue Marketing
Working with the Owner and the company's management team, we led the re-invention of a 20 year-old traditional tele-marketing company into a Tele-Web CRM Interaction company.
Gateway Group was responsible for developing Dialogue Marketing's strategy, putting together the technology plan, evaluating large-scope telecom and Web interaction systems, managing the selection of a vendor and the contracting process, re-defining the client's related internal organization and job descriptions.
We also selected Interactive Intelligence’s technology to provide seamless interactive phone / web /e-mail / fax and paper dialogue capability, and supervised the upgrading of the server system and network to handle all the new capabilities . http://www.dialogue-marketing.com/index.htm
Dialogue Marketing’s new capabilities and organization powered the creation of a vertical business that processes loan applications for banks and credit unions. http://www.digital-dialogue.com/index.htm
Michigan Virtual University
Michigan Virtual University is a consortium of the State of Michigan, Michigan universities, colleges and community colleges and the business community. It was formed to deliver wide ranging virtual education and career services to Michigan's K-12 students, college and trade school students as well as working adults via the Internet.
Essentially Michigan Virtual University was a start-up business and Gateway Group was able to help them with strategic business and technology planning in order to develop a comprehensive Web-based career guidance system for students, career councilors and adults. The start-up budget was $5 Million. Gateway Group led the development of the career group’s business, technology and organizational plans, overseeing external vendor selection, guiding software licensing and support contracting.
eLearning Delivery System planning and acquisition
MVU’s library of over 1,000 Web Based multi-media courses is available to over 100,000 state students and residents 7/24. We analyzed the technical, logistical, social and business requirements for the eLearning delivery system, wrote an RFP, managed the proposal process, and guided MVU through the selection and contracting for this very large eLearning Delivery System. www.MiVU.org
DetroitCONNECTED™.
Developed in conjunction with the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, the DetroitCONNECTED program has received national recognition for it’s use of technology together with numerous community resources to reduce the growing Digital Divide which disenfranchises lower-income families and neighborhoods.
Gateway Group helped to conceive and develop a comprehensive plan to provide low-cost computer skills training and Internet access to Detroit’s low-income neighborhoods via WiFi Mesh Networks. . www.detroitconnected.org
Coastal Wave.
Coastal Wave’s product is WiFi Internet access and security systems for marinas and yacht clubs.
Gateway Group assisted this small-business with market development and strategic planning. Together we rapidly doubled their business, establishing Coastal Wave as the premier provider of marina WiFi networks in the Great Lakes. www.coastalwave.net
South BendClinic & SurgiCenter
This fast growing, multi-faceted outpatient company needed a new phone system for its 12 facilities but was having a hard time defining a solution. Several companies were proposing solutions, but the Clinic had not been able to clarify its needs, and was unsure about whether VoIP was a viable choice. There seemed to be an endless list of requirements that needed to be verified and prioritized. While the Clinic is a corporate enterprise, there are over two dozen different groups within the enterprise, each with its own unique communications requirements. For example, the pediatrics department’s requirements for phone processes were very different from those of the pharmacy. The physicians wanted to be able to serve clients “by candlelight” if necessary during a power outage, but the phones would need to work to schedule appointments.
After struggling for a couple of years to clarify their needs for a new phone system, the South Bend Clinic & SurgiCenter contracted with the Gateway Group to help define and acquire a new phone system. Within four months, we analyzed their operational and technical situation, researched best in breed solutions in their industry, educated and surveyed users and designed a solution to the clinic’s myriad needs which included:
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11 locations
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Centralized control, VM and reporting
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Fully survivable independent operation in all locations with UPS to the phones
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750 phones
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15 Call Centers
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WiFi phones with an enterprise roaming network
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VoIP
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Four digit dial throughout the enterprise
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Comprehensive call activity monitoring and call accounting
Gateway Group contracted with highly qualified companies to do a VoIP Wan readiness study and an RF analysis and plan for the placement and configuration of WiFi Access Points throughout the enterprise.
We wrote a detailed but brand agnostic RFP for the complete telecom system. Because there were very few VAR’s in the area with the necessary experience for such a complex project we used a Request For Information process to identify qualified vendors within three hours of South Bend. Seven competent proposals were submitted, based on six different equipment brands. The best proposal was over 30% lower cost than the others. The cost difference was more than twice as much as the Gateway Group’s fees.
The Gateway Group also led a research and proposal effort to reduce carrier costs, resulting in a 40% savings in phone line charges, while increasing trunk capacity and preserving calling and contract flexibility.
Allen County Public Library
The very progressive Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana chose the
Gateway Group to guide them through a telecom system upgrade in conjunction
with the construction of a fabulous new 300,000 square foot main library and
upgrades of their 13 branch libraries. ACPL serves Fort Wayne and the very large
surrounding Allen County with library, reference, educational and Internet access
services. ACPL’s very significant genealogy department is world renown.
The Gateway Group analyzed ACPL's business strategy, their current system and
IP infrastructure and conducted an extensive series of educational focus group sessions to determine which telecom capabilities and features would best help the Library serve its community and improve its operational efficiencies.
Early on it became clear that the mobility provided by portable WiFi phones connected to the PBX would significantly improve efficiencies for several departments including Reader Services, Research and IT Support. The WiFi network was also designed to support ACPL's goal of providing convenient broadband access for its patrons with seamless multi-level coverage in all ACPL facilities.
Providing full WiFi coverage in libraries presents numerous challenges starting with WiFi signals being blocked by dense book stacks on metal shelves, areas with low ceilings and areas with large open spaces. The Gateway Group brought in one of the country's foremost wireless engineering firms to lead the WiFi system design.
Gateway Group designed a VoIP telecom solution for a completely new phone
system for the new library, data center and 13 branches. The design will deliver
total communications custom tailored to the library’s current and projected
needs well into the future. The vendor independent,design incorporates a
range of functions and features that supports the library’s specific service and
operational requirements while delivering value, future flexibility and
scalability.
Gateway created a comprehensive, brand neutral RFP, managed the proposal and evaluation process and assisted ACPL through final selection, negotiations and contracting.
The solution includes:
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Pure VoIP solution enterprise wide
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Dual VoIP PBX's working in tandem at two locations in back-up fail-over mode
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ISDN Primary or SIP trunk lines
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446 Phones
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Mitel 5340 HTML graphic display phones.
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WiFi phones operating as full functionality PBX extensions throughout 15 facilities.
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Public Pay phones operating through PBX trunking
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UPS on all phone equipment, to the phones by POE so phone system will continue operating even after a power outage.
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Call Centers, distributable across all enterprise facilities
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Text Messaging between desktops, phones and the public via Microsoft LCS server.
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Unified Messaging
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Desktop call managment for conference calls, Presence Management.
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Call Accounting System
Dialogue Marketing
