Packet Fusion: Bringing the Power of Cloud to Unified Communication

Matt Pingatore, CEO

Packet Fusion is a Top Mitel Reseller whose expertise lies in evaluating business needs and designing an environment that integrates seamlessly into existing or future infrastructure. In this interview, Matt Pingatore, CEO of Packet Fusion shares some insights about his organization’s offerings, their unique value proposition, and roadmap for the future.

Please give us a brief overview of the company:

17 years ago, Packet Fusion began selling NorTel. We quickly made the move to a more innovative solution in ShoreTel and became their largest VAR in the country. Mitel acquired ShoreTel in 2017 and we’ve become Mitel’s largest independent VAR.

We have witnessed some massive changes over the last few years; the network caught up and real-time cloud applications are now a reality. And the contact center industry has been eagerly adopting cloud technology to gain a competitive advantage. This constantly evolving landscape demands better unified communication and collaboration tools. The UCaaS (Unified Communication as a Service) and CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) space is growing at a rate never seen before in this market segment. This has given rise to a sea of cloud-based solution options from independent sales reps to large organizations. Hence, we are taking a more consultative role with our clients; helping them select and move to the cloud, with minimal disruptions and ensuring all applications work together.

What are some of the imminent challenges confronting the contact center industry?

One of the foremost challenges our clients confront is identifying whether all their applications are compatible with a cloud-based environment. Additionally, they face network issues moving from an environment with equipment on premise to the cloud. Some providers have solutions that are integrated into their network and they can offer QoS (Quality of Service). Other companies go pure over the top like Mitel; they don’t have a data network to ride on. In such cases, we need to pay more attention to the actual underlined data infrastructure and make sure that the application doesn’t run into trouble with their existing LAN/WAN. So, Packet Fusion provides network assistance such as MPLS or SD-WAN, to ensure their cloud-based applications work better with their WAN.

Another challenge we tackle is making sure various applications such as NetSuite, Microsoft CRM, Zoom, Slack and Salesforce are compatible within a client’s infrastructure.

We don’t just help “procure” a cloud solution; we ensure the compatibility of their LAN, WAN, and applications with the cloud

We have to have the expertise to figure out how to integrate the many tools any one client uses into a single tool that may replace or can work seamlessly with their existing environment.

Please walk us through your service offering and your training options:

Our premise-based system clients know they need to get to the cloud, but don’t know how. We don’t just help “procure” a cloud solution; we ensure the compatibility of their LAN, WAN, and applications with the cloud with a complete analysis and a business process review. We issue an RFP on our customer’s behalf and help them choose the best solution, negotiate the contract, and help implement it in their workplace. Then we help support the implemented solution post the initial phase. Our years of experience help guide them through their journey.

In the Mitel world, we have had outstanding success moving our ShoreTel install base to the cloud due to fact that their cloud and premise systems share the same user interface and the same desktop phone. Mitel’s CloudLink offering is unique; cloud applications for their existing premise customers include: Contact Center, SMS, Teamwork, Voice to Text, Artificial Intelligence with a Google partnership and more.

Packet Fusion also has a group dedicated to the Interaction Center. With so many modes of customer interaction today: Voice, email, chat, SMS, Social, Slack, AI, AR it is hard for our customers to stay on top of everything. We provide everything from Needs Analysis to RFP to Procurement to Implementation to Support to On Going Education.

Training is critical for any new environment and we provide two types. Our end-user training provides a customized live session for contact center agents and supervisors, knowledge workers, salespeople and business users. The modules consist of information on all the different applications within the UC stack. Our Admin/Supervisor training focuses more in-depth on people managing the environment, so that they are well versed on the implementation and support of the product.

Could you please discuss a case scenario where Packet Fusion helped a company addressing their challenges?

Recently a large media company, who has been a long-time customer, asked us to consult to help them choose the right UCaaS solution. We are guiding the entire process of migrating to the cloud: From Needs Analysis, POC, RPP, Executive Summary, Procurement, Implementation to On-Going Support. We are on our third proof of concept with various vendors on their behalf. We will then work with the selected provider on the implementation and provide any necessary support. It’s important that we go way beyond just helping “procure” a cloud solution.

Can you share details of the firm’s plans pertaining to the company’s offerings in the near future?

We want to get more integrated into the lifecycle of the environment we are providing. Some competitors only do the procurement. Packet Fusion can help in all aspects of the environment from procurement all the way to support.

One market I would like to add to our offering would be Security. Security is of the utmost importance so we expect to expand and start maintaining, selling, and supporting various products in this space. We will continue to help companies implement cloud solutions as we believe the benefits of cloud far outweigh the complexities and expenditure. Companies making the switch from a premise-based to a cloud-based provider need a partner that will guide them through their entire journey.