BlueNote Networks' award-winning SessionSuite family of Business Communications Platforms deliver a rich set of voice, video and other interactive communication services as an integral part of an enterprise IT applications architecture and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

BlueNote asked Centricity Systems to help develop a Professional Services strategy and infrastructure in preparation for building out a world-class Professional and Consulting Services organization (PSO).

• Conducted strategy sessions with executive team and developed overall PS strategy.
• Developed engagement processes for sales and service.
• Implemented infrastructure (contracts, tools, processes, …).
• Provided services sales training to sales and other stakeholders.

• Services strategy plan in place with 100% executive support.
• Infrastructure implemented with all necessary contracts, pricing, and processes in place.
• Sales trained on selling services.
• Automated tools in place for managing projects, resources, billable time, and invoicing.
• Marketing collateral created.

BlueNote's products were designed with a robust application programming interface (API) using Web services, and as a result, were inherently developer-oriented. BlueNote recognized at an early stage that they would need a PSO to help drive development of new and innovative voice-enabled applications. Creating a PSO can be daunting for any company. As a start-up, the challenges are even greater. A clear services strategy, with infrastructure requirements, growth and cost projections, and risks were needed however the company did not have a service executive on staff to manage this effort.

Centricity Systems conducted a series of strategy sessions with the BlueNote executive team to gain consensus on an agreed approach to Services based on the company's near and long term strategies. Centricity Systems then managed and implemented the development of necessary infrastructure including service contracts, offerings, cost and budget plans, job descriptions and hiring recommendations, marketing collateral, and engagement processes.

Service automation tools for managing projects and resources, billable time and utilization, and invoicing were implemented and Service training on the new PSO was conducted to the sales and marketing staff.