November Sales Engineering Braintrust

This month’s Sales Engineering Braintrust brings you exciting updates, including recordings from 2024 Special Forces Summit, new tools on Pathfinder, latest podcasts to keep you informed on emerging technologies, and more:

• Special Forces Summit Recordings
• Pathfinder Updates
• New podcast
• Engineering Spotlight
• Latest Win Wire
• Trusted Advisor Testimonials

Special Forces Summit Recordings

This year’s Special Forces Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, featured a lineup of the latest industry updates, exciting data trends, and engaging discussions on AI. AVANT Engineers conducted almost 50 Main Stage and breakout sessions throughout the 3-day event. 

Leverage key takeaways from inspiring keynotes and interactive SE breakout sessions on innovative solutions and sales strategies by accessing the recordings, now available on demand! Relive breakthrough insights and develop your expertise by logging in to Pathfinder, navigating to Training and Education, and selecting the Trusted Advisor Academy.

Pathfinder Updates 

• Utilize the new Reputation Management Matrix on Pathfinder, developed by Amanda Bean, Brent Wilford, Dave Watson, & John Paullin, with your customers! Together, explore and compare the emerging capabilities of CCaaS providers who can enable your customers to improve contact rates, monitor social channels, assess consumer sentiment, and coordinate responses.
• Leverage the updated Email & Productivity Matrix to review possible managed SaaS solutions for your clients. Developed by Dane Menke, David Bjerke, and Niko O’Hara, this update brings new detail on providers’ ability to support Microsoft applications, including Copilot.
• The new Physical Security IQA, designed by Dane Menke, Rick Mischka, & Stephen Semmelroth, is now available to help Trusted Advisors assist organizations in better managing the security of their people, property, and assets. This quick form will help you and your customers evaluate their physical environments to identify vulnerabilities and implement protective measures.

New Resources – New Technology Insights Episodes

• Are SASE Technologies Really All That Different?: Dive into the SASE selection process in this conversation between AVANT Field Sales Engineer and SASE expert Sarah Arnstein, and Sangita Patel, Senior Director of Global Product Marketing at CATO! Learn about the key differences among SASE providers and unlock valuable information for stakeholders seeking the right technology fit for their companies.

Win Wire with John Paullin

The Breakdown

• Technology Category: CCaaS
• Customer Type: Bank/Financial Institution
• Industry: Financial Services
• Size and Scope: 115 Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud licenses + Talkdesk AI + Talkdesk Workforce Management
• MRR: $40,000
• Winning provider: Talkdesk
• Competitors: Cisco (incumbent), Five9, Genesys

The Details

What were the drivers for the client?  

About 25% of inbound calls were balance lookup requests, and the customer wanted to resolve these through virtual agents. They were also experiencing issues with their main number being marked as SPAM and needed to explore branded calling options. Since agents currently had to manually search for answers in SharePoint, the customer sought to make data lookups more efficient. Additionally, they wanted to add a queue callback option to enhance the caller experience.

How did the Trusted Advisor close the deal? 

The Trusted Advisor delivered several “art of the possible” presentations, partly based on AVANT content, to secure executive buy-in for a platform refresh. This effort resulted in a series of vendor demonstrations highlighting process improvements through AI solutions offered by each vendor. Using a vendor scorecard, the Trusted Advisor helped the customer make an informed decision, ultimately deciding that Talkdesk was the best fit.

How did AVANT support the win? 

John and the Trusted Advisor participated in several prep calls to brainstorm “art of the possible” scenarios for the end customer’s executive team. John provided content focused on CCaaS benefits for the financial services sector, which the Trusted Advisor used to enhance their presentation. Additionally, John contributed to customer-facing meetings and vendor demonstrations, assisting the Trusted Advisor and the end customer in selecting the best solution for their needs.

Our Engineers are available and ready for you to bring them into your opportunities! Get started by filling out an IQA on Pathfinder.

Trusted Advisor Testimonials  

What are your peers saying about their experience working with AVANT Sales Engineers? 

“Engineering team showed up well prepared, engaged in customer discussion and interaction. Provided high level recommendations enough to take us to the next step. Client shows interest and wants to further explore. Thank you, AVANT team!” – Juanita Menjivar, Ingram Micro Global Connectivity & SIP

“They are great engineers and very responsive. They are extremely knowledgeable in their fields.” – Lindsey Mooney, Singular Technologies

“Great people that support us advisors and great tools [that are] accessible to use.” – Josh Lawless, Conectrix

Our Engineers are ready for you to put them in the game! Connect with the team to find out how to leverage their support with your open opportunities.

Engineering Spotlight 

This month, we’re spotlighting Peter Callowhill, Director of Engineering.

Peter brings over 25 years of experience in WAN, Colocation, Connectivity, and Telecom Expense Management. He has held various roles at esteemed telecom companies and was also the co-founder and CEO of NetGain Communications.

Here’s a bit more about Peter, in his own words! 

Tell us something about something you do for AVANT that TAs may not normally know.

At AVANT, I lead a dedicated team focused on advancing their expertise in technology. I have implemented a training program featuring two vendor sessions each week, offering insights into the latest advancements and value propositions across various tech sectors. This includes Connectivity, SD-WAN, SASE, Colocation, Wireless, and Technology Expense Management. This ongoing initiative keeps the team informed about the evolving technology landscape to ensure success.

What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?

The thrill of sprinting and participating on relay teams continues to inspire me. I envision myself on the track, pushing my limits and striving for personal bests in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, as well as in the associated relay teams. Even though I may not be able to compete at the highest level, the spirit of the Olympics motivates me to train harder and embrace the challenge of athletic achievement.

What was your dream job as a kid? Why did you want to do that?

My dream job as a kid (and teenager) was to become a renowned cabinet maker. I always loved working with wood, particularly sanding and refinishing different pieces of furniture. It amazed me how wood could take on so many looks with different stains and finishes. I spent time refinishing several pieces for clients as a hobby and, after totaling my hours, calculated that I was making about $0.92 per hour. It was at that point that I realized sales might be a much better career direction.

Ready to level up your sales game? Partner with AVANT as a Trusted Advisor to deliver cutting-edge technologies. Get access to our customer-facing Pathfinder tools, insights, training, and more to help you succeed. Connect with us today to get started!