Client Success Stories

Mass Strategic Communications, Inc. (MSC) is a true vendor-neutral consultancy. MSC’s history includes being at the leading edge of advances in telecommunications technologies. Over the years MSC has utilized a variety of telecommunications systems and incorporated tele- and data communications into complete solutions.

Telecommunications Consulting

Single Site with a Single Building

With the Missouri State Employees Retirement System, MSC was selected due to its knowledge of the latest telecommunications technologies and their integration with data communications. The Missouri State Employees Retirement System manages the retirement money of all State of Missouri employees. MSC consulted on their needs and then designed and implemented one of the first sophisticated server based telecommunications systems. This system included easy GUI (Graphical User Interface) based administration along with a complete programming language for easy customer customization. The goal, which was achieved, was to incorporate a system that they would never outgrow or be dependent on the vendor for customization.

Single Site with Multiple Buildings

With the Missouri Botanical Garden,MSC consulted on the use of their telecommunications systems and services for their entire campus. The Missouri Botanical Garden is a world renowned institution for its expansive botanical gardens and extensive collaboration with over 100 universities and research centers around the world. Over a course of many years of consulting by MSC, various needs discussions led to recommendations and implementations of updates and upgrades to their current system.

In some cases, additional functionality was added to their system. In other cases, significant cost savings were achieved on long distance services. They also implemented a recommendation for utilizing an advanced IP Telephone system (VOIP) at a remote location for lower cost and greater functionality than expanding their legacy system. The IP Phone system was integrated with their legacy phone system. This integration allowed them to obtain the benefits of new technology while not having to replace their larger legacy system at their main site until they chose to do so.

Multiple Sites

With Riverview Gardens School District, MSC created a technology plan for telecommunications for the school district. We then prepared a RFP (Request for Proposal) for an integrated communications system to handle voice, data, and video communications throughout a network that connected 12 buildings at 11 sites throughout the district. MSC prepared the RFP, selected the system and the vendor, negotiated pricing, and managed the implementation.

In summary, over the years, MSC has utilized legacy telecommunications systems as well as advanced combined telecommunications and data communications systems that have included: Interactive Intelligence, Nortel, NEC, 3Com NBX, Inter-Tel, and others.

IT (Information Technology) Consulting — Design, Project Management, and Deployment

Several projects that were accomplished for one client are described below. These show the extent of our technical and management capabilities. It is more important, though, to grasp that our clients select us due to our knowledge, ability and skill in designing with new technologies for our clients’ benefits. We design, manage, and deploy standard network, server, and desktop technologies for companies of all sizes but we thought we’d show a few larger size projects to represent the extent of our capabilities.

With RehabCare Group, In-patient Division, MSC was selected for a Network and Application Deployment. MSC personnel designed, managed and deployed a 150-site internet based integrated network for contracted in-patient services within hospitals. Our Project Management included close coordination with hospital IT staff. Our design provided initial $500,000 savings over client's in-house proposed network design plus $250,000 annual savings over the proposed broadband network. For this HIPAA compliant project, MSC provided extensive documentation on unique hospital network configurations and application issues surrounding encrypted access of the patient database. We were a key component of an application deployment team to set up systems for testing benchmarks and make recommendations for web-based "PROMOS" application development. We resolved issues surrounding the design and deployment of a customized version of Internet Explorer (IEAK) in order to lock down breaches of security at the desktop from Internet use. We also successfully resolved issues with the application design for performance tuning, with network backup planning and documentation, and with VeriSign Digital Certificate registration and deployment.

With RehabCare Group, Staffing Division, MSC was selected due to its successes with the In-patient Division mentioned above. MSC was asked to consult on this division’s Network and System Deployment Project. MSC was initially contracted to analyze application requirements, conduct a network study, develop a network project plan, and manage the deployment of a 150-site DSL Internet based TCP/IP VPN network. MSC’s Network Design saved $250,000 annually over the prior proposed network design. We then led a Project Team deployed to each site for IP address grooming, cabling installation, PC setup, and network hardware setup. We also set up a SNMP based network management and centralized firewall management systems that allow the customer to track problems on the network such as outages, performance issues, and Internet network misuse. All sites were successfully completed within the time schedule and expense budget. In addition, 8 sites were completed ahead of schedule and 60% of the sites were completed below the approved expense budget.

Instructional Design and Development Plus Training

MSC personnel includes a Certified Instructional Designer. He has developed marketing seminars and training materials for major telecommunications companies and equipment manufacturers including GTE, Bell Atlantic, WilTel, Intel, Microsoft, Citrix, and Ascend. He has also developed network training courses for CNE, ECNE and MCSE curriculums.

Superior Operations, Significant Cost Savings, and Smart Cost Avoidance

1. Client Achieves Superior Benefits Combined with Cost Savings and Cost Avoidance. Through our knowledge of the industry and marketplace, we are often able to design and recommend superior technology at lower costs to meet your needs than you would find on your own. Our fees have often been offset by cost avoidance and cost savings. For example, with our services this client obtained a telephone system for $66,000 that was more capable and adaptable to new technologies than another system they had started evaluating that would have cost $100,000. This cost avoidance alone more than paid for our services many times over. We accomplished this through the proper design of the system they needed, choice of technology to implement the design, vendor selection, and negotiated pricing. In addition, the price reductions we negotiated on the systems they did purchase added another cost avoidance equal to 100% of our fees. Lastly, they obtained cost savings equal to 61% of our fees through negotiated long distance savings. In total, their cost avoidance and cost savings totaled over $70,000, equaling many times our fees.

2. Our Unique Knowledge Reveals Vastly Improved Scenario for Client. A client needed to connect multiple locations together for voice and data communications and future use of video conferencing. They had a telephone equipment vendor for 10 years and a long distance carrier for 5 years that provided one option to accomplish their goal. Upon consulting us, we advised a different scenario that took advantage of a special service offered by the local telephone company. This service would utilize the equipment of the telephone equipment vendor and connect with the long distance carrier. Neither the representative from the telephone equipment vendor nor the long distance carrier were aware of this service. The advantage to the approach we recommended was an overall lower cost with greater efficiency in the use of the communications lines required and more flexibility in making changes in the future.

3. Knowledge Gains Cost Savings. We negotiate long distance carrier contracts. Our full time knowledge of the industry, rates, and contract terms become your advantage in negotiating with vendors. We reduced one client's long distance charges from $18,000 per month to $13,000 per month and kept them with the same carrier because they were satisfied with the service but didn't want to pay more than they should. The cost savings provided less than one month payback on our services.

4. Telecommunications Audit Stops Charges That Could Have Continued Indefinitely. A client had replaced one type of special data line with another - or so they thought. No order had ever been issued to the telephone company to cancel the old line. Going beyond our services to the client for which we were initially called upon, our thorough inventory of all voice and data lines and discussions with personnel uncovered a continuing charge for the unused line. They canceled the service after they had unnecessarily paid $7,368 over a two year period. Even more importantly, due to our in-depth analyses, they stopped paying $3,684/year that could have continued forever.

5. Telecommunications Audit Eliminates Over Billing and Obtains Refund. A company was being incorrectly billed for services and they had no idea this was happening. When we investigated their accounts as part of our services to them, we found five months of overbilling resulting in a $5,137 refund to our client. The over billing occurred because the local telephone company from which our client was receiving this service for several years had implemented a new rate structure. Our client didn't even know this happened. Under the new structure, our client was reclassified into the wrong category. This caused their billing to be much higher than if they had been classified into the correct category.

6. Our Knowledge Becomes Your Knowledge. Our services were engaged to renegotiate the rates and terms of a long distance carrier contract. The contract came up for renewal and the carrier offered some reduction in rates in order to retain the business. This client was satisfied with the service performance from the carrier. Therefore, with multiple locations around the country, they did not want to go through the process of changing carriers. This client, as is often the situation, did not feel that they knew what “good” rates were in the marketplace. Therefore, they engaged our services to renegotiate the rates and terms with their current long distance carrier. We negotiated rates that saved them considerably more than the initial rates offered by the carrier. The new rates accounted for a 28% reduction in their monthly charges amounting to a savings of $5,000 per month.

7. Streamline Decision Processes for Timely Response and Lower Costs. This client has one holding company that owns three separate companies that are co-located in the same building. Our consulting consisted of evaluating the needs of the individual companies, new telephone system evaluations using a "Request for Information" approach, making the purchase decision, negotiating with the selected vendor on pricing and terms, designing the types of telephone lines that should be utilized, and designing a private communications network between multiple locations of a banking business. We work efficiently for our clients. One way of doing this is by using a “Request for Information”. A Request for Information is less formal, and therefore less costly and time consuming, but as equally effective as a more formal “Request for Proposal” process.