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How DC Region Banks and CUs Improve Customer Experience with TCI & Mitel Technology

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Customer Experience that Your Bank or CU Can be Proud of

Creating a customer-first culture is about more than just client interactions. You need to provide tools that allow every part of your business to flourish. With happy, effective staff using secure, efficient communications, your organization can deliver the enhanced services your customers expect.

It pays to invest in Customer Experience (CX), but there’s a lot that needs to be addressed behind the scenes. Inconsistent service levels, outdated security, siloed staff, and narrow channels of communication are just some of the issues that get in the way of delivering exceptional customer service.

With local TCI experts and Mitel technology, you can develop the customer-first culture your business needs to thrive. Our suite of Financial Service Solutions help:

  • Improve customer interactions, whether in a branch or on a mobile app
  • Fulfill regulatory compliance
  • Strengthen security
  • Automate tasks to enhance operations
  • Enable employees or branch workers to be more responsive

For over 40+ years, TCI has empowered thousands of organizations to connect, collaborate and exceed customer expectations. Experience is why we partner with Mitel – a 50+ year global technology leader.

  • Mitel onboards 2 million+ New UC users per year
  • Mitel is #1 in Seven Core Industry Markets
  • Mitel operates in 100+ countries

Together, we deliver results.

TCI brings practical expertise, having served local financial services firms for decades. We’ll bring that in-depth knowledge to your organization – adding value to your UC investment and helping unleash your organization’s full potential.

Real Solutions… Real Impacts

  • Reliable Mitel telephony for 99.99% uptime
  • Customer-based routing for more personalized service
  • screen pops for efficient agent empowerment
  • Suggested responses for faster, more consistent customer service

Customized industry solutions are why so many local banks and credit unions connect their institutions with Mitel Financial Services Solutions – designed, deployed, and supported by TCI.

Let’s talk about improving your Customer Experience. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Navigating Communication Compliance in Healthcare

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The healthcare industry has always been at the forefront of safeguarding sensitive patient information, a responsibility that has become even more crucial in the post-pandemic era. With the rapid shift to digital communication channels and telehealth services, adhering to communication compliance regulations is not just a legal obligation but a cornerstone of patient trust and safety.

We’ll explore why healthcare communication compliance is paramount today and how it shapes the industry’s future.

The Rise of Digital Healthcare and Compliance Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare. Telehealth consultations, electronic health records, and digital patient portals are now commonplace. While these advancements improve accessibility and efficiency, they raise significant compliance concerns regarding data privacy and security.

Ensuring Secure Communication and Data Protection

To protect patient information, healthcare providers must ensure secure, encrypted channels for communication and adhere to standards like HIPAA. Secure patient identification processes and data encryption are critical to maintaining compliance.

The Complexities of Telehealth Compliance

Telehealth has emerged as a vital tool for providing healthcare remotely. However, this convenience also introduces complexities in maintaining communication compliance. Healthcare providers must ensure that their telehealth platforms comply with regulations, such as data encryption and secure patient identification processes.

The Impact of Emerging Regulations on Operations – 2023 CMS Final Rule

New regulations are always on the horizon. For example, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule in response to address complaints of inappropriate marketing practices by Medicare Advantage organizations and Third-Party Marketing Organizations (TPMOs). The rule requires all TPMOs to adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and CMS guidelines, including the requirements for conducting lead generation, marketing, selling, and enrollment activities with Medicare beneficiaries.

This meant that insurance companies and TPMOs, including healthcare agents and brokers, were now required to record all “marketing” calls with beneficiaries, including the enrollment process. This rule applies to both new and existing clients of the organization. The call recordings must then be stored HIPAA-compliant for at least 10 years – which almost certainly means higher operational costs for the affected companies. And that’s just one of the over 600 regulations that could potentially update their rules regularly, keeping every company’s compliance officers on their toes.

Educating Healthcare Staff and Safeguarding Patients’ Trust

With emergent technologies and communication channels, educating healthcare staff on compliance is crucial. Regular training sessions about the latest compliance regulations and the proper handling of patient information can mitigate risks associated with data breaches and non-compliance.

The Cost of Non-Compliance with HIPAA

Often, non-compliance leads to severe legal and financial consequences for healthcare organizations. From 2020 to 2022, the fines and penalties for violating HIPAA amounted to about $22 million. On top of that, the financial impact of ensuring data protection laws like HIPAA is also substantial, with the American Hospital Association reporting that the healthcare industry spends $39 billion every year on the administrative aspects of regulatory compliance.

Leveraging Technology to Ensure Compliance

So, how does one navigate this seemingly ever-changing landscape? The short answer is embracing technology as an ally. Leveraging technology can be a game-changer in ensuring compliance. Mitel Interaction Recording (MIR), powered by ASC Technologies, has tools that monitor communications and flag potential compliance issues that have been proven to help healthcare organizations remain compliant with healthcare standards and regulations. MIR is at the forefront of delivering the highest levels of compliance across several industries with features that include:

  • Highest security standards with encryption
  • Flexible recording rules
  • Powerful search and easy replay with strong access rights controls
  • Identifying calls that contain personal data
  • Automated compliance screening and alerting

The Imperative of Healthcare Communication Compliance

In the post-pandemic age, where digital communication in healthcare is more prevalent than ever, fulfilling communication compliance regulations is not just a regulatory requirement but a critical component of patient care.

Connect with a TCI expert to ensure your UC technology is protecting your patients and your organization. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Power Up Microsoft Teams with Mitel’s Integrated Tools and Apps

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Making Microsoft Teams More of a Team Player

Microsoft Teams is great for video meetings and sharing documents, but many business sectors still depend on customized telephony apps from third-parties.

  • Schools and universities, for example, rely on mass notification via mobile devices to protect students, staff, and parents during emergencies.
  • Financial services companies must maintain inbound contact centers supporting call recording and other advanced telephony features.
  • Retail businesses need to connect workers on the sales floor to customer service applications via telephone to help customers in real-time.
  • Healthcare facilitie may use Teams for video collaboration between facilities, but what about emergencies where a doctor or nurse needs to respond when they’re not near a laptop? Telephony services can provide the critical link to life-saving answers in seconds.
  • Hotels may use Teams for internal meetings or drive customer engagement, but telephones still play a critical role in their daily life. Guests rely on in-suite phone services to contact staff and receive messages. Cleaning staff can use those same phones to indicate when a room is clean and available for guests.

Video: Making the Most of Microsoft Teams with Mitel – 1:20 min.

Mitel offers tools and apps that seamlessly integrate Mitel’s enterprise-class telephony features with the MS Teams platform.

  • Integrate your telephony system with Teams through Mitel’s Telephony-only client available in the MiCollab app and enjoy all the robust telephony features that Mitel offers.
  • Mitel also offers presence integration between Teams and Mitel telephony users, allowing users to see whether a colleague is on a phone call – regardless of platform.
  • Mitel Assistant is available for free on the Microsoft app store and delivers Mitel softphone capabilities to Teams users’ desktops as a floating app. Mitel Assistant allows you to make and transfer calls, search directories, set speed dials, import contacts, activate 3-way conferencing, and more from your Teams screen.

TCI and Mitel can help your organization improve teamwork in a hybrid world. Contact our Mitel + Teams experts today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Connecting Your Sr. Living Community with TCI Managed UC & Infrastructure Solutions

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TCI designs, deploys and supports the technologies you need to bring your entire senior living community together.

We offer a full suite of integrated services, bringing the ‘TCI Advantage’ to your community with Managed Voice, Core Network and Infrastructure services to connect what counts…

TCI Host

Connect your community with Mitel-powered communication features and built-in mobility, customized app integrations, professional cloud, on-prem and hybrid deployments, and 24/7 support.

  • Voice & Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
  • All-in-one Phones, Video Meetings, and Messaging
  • Integrations with Your Business Apps
  • Contact Center Solutions

TCI Connect & Manage

Managing a complex communications infrastructure is no simple task. We handle the day-to-day details so you can focus on your strategic priorities.

  • Wired Infrastructure & Managed Wi-Fi, Data Centers & Broadband
  • 24/7 Help Desk, Monitoring, Alerting, Response & Resolution
  • Asset Management, Data Backups & Recovery

We back up your Assisted Living technology with outstanding TCI support…

  • 24/7 Remote Monitoring
  • On Call Technicians
  • Emergency Service

TCI’s customized technology and communications services keep your families and caregivers in touch, providing the peace of mind they deserve and expect.

Let’s talk about new ways to serve your Senior Living Community: Contact your local TCI experts at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

The Best of Cloud & On-Prem – 3 Big Advantages of Hybrid UC Deployments

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For years, the focus of IT and telecom decision-makers has been on moving communications to the cloud. Many accepted the idea that all communications would eventually be handled as a cloud-based service.

However, the notion of a “cloud utopia” starts to break down when you consider the significant investments that many organizations have made in on-premises solutions. There’s also a common perception that business communications are too important to relinquish total control.

As a business leader, you may be faced with the decision of whether to go all-in on the cloud or maintain an on-premises communications infrastructure. The good news is that there’s a third option that can provide the best of both worlds: a hybrid approach.

A hybrid solution allows you to leverage the benefits of cloud-based communications while still retaining control and customization over your on-premises systems.

3 Advantages of a Hybrid Solution for Business Leaders

1. Innovate Today, Migrate Tomorrow – The key benefit of a hybrid approach is that you can deliver enhanced communications capabilities, like video conferencing, mobility, and team collaboration, from the cloud while retaining your existing on-premises platform for telephony services. This allows you to manage your growth by deploying new UC and contact center (CC) solutions in the cloud with a flexible, OpEx-based model, while still leveraging your previous on-premises investments for long-term ROI. Additionally, you can expand communications to frontline workers using a serverless, cloud-based approach that integrates with your on-premises UC system, providing a consistent user experience.

2. Different Needs, One Platform – As a business with diverse locations and user requirements, the challenge of going “all-in” on cloud or on-premises is accommodating the exceptions. A hybrid architecture allows you to tailor your communications solution to meet the specific needs of your organization. For example, you can keep telephony on-premises at locations that require it for regulatory reasons or internet redundancy, while deploying cloud-based UCaaS at smaller remote sites. This mix-and-match approach ensures you can meet the unique requirements of your multi-location business.

3. Everything Has Its Place – Unified communications is often a suite of loosely integrated applications, which creates an opportunity for a hybrid approach. You can continue to deploy mission-critical call control on-premises while moving less critical applications to the cloud. Additionally, you can integrate cloud-based UC services, such as mobility and collaboration with your on-premises telephony to optimize virtual team meetings, enable remote access, and even allow for programmable communications through cloud-based APIs.

A hybrid communications approach can provide the flexibility, scalability, and control you need to meet your evolving communications requirements. By leveraging the strengths of both cloud and on-premises solutions, you can innovate today while maintaining your existing investments for the long-term.

Connect with our UC experts to discover new ways to customize communications that will future-proof your enterprise. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

The Benefits of Connected Healthcare – Introducing the ‘Internet of Medical Things’

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Spurred by the growing need for services outside the traditional office setting, the connected healthcare market is rapidly expanding…

Quality medical care has always been built on strong personal connections, but recent developments in telehealth are spurring ‘Connected Health’ – the delivery and management of healthcare services using remote technology.

Connected Health utilizes the ‘Internet of Medical Things‘ (IoMT) to give practitioners real-time insights into patient vitals, allowing them to monitor conditions and provide treatment without requiring physical visits.

Introducing the ‘Internet of Medical Things’

The Internet of Things (IoT) is all around us. It refers to any device capable of exchanging data online, usually via the cloud autonomously. In connected healthcare, IoMT devices monitor and treat patients at home, extending doctors’ reach beyond the clinic or hospital. Some examples of IoMT devices:

  • Personal emergency response systems
  • Wearable biosensors such as smartwatches
  • Smart medication dispensers
  • Remote insulin pumps
  • Blood pressure or heart rate monitors
  • At-home dialysis machines
  • CPAP machines

Connecting for Remote Diagnostics

These tools provide caregivers with a continuous stream of data, giving them a more comprehensive view of their patient’s conditions than intermittent clinical visits or temporary hospital stays. Wearable devices can provide real-time patient vital signs monitoring, while AI algorithms can analyze this data to flag potential health issues.

The Benefits of Connected Healthcare

Connected healthcare offers numerous benefits for patients, physicians, and healthcare organizations.

  • Better access to care – Telehealth is an equitable mode of care, as it removes barriers like cost and travel time for patients with limited mobility or who live in remote areas. Patients can interact with their doctors and receive clinical-grade treatment from the comfort of their own homes.
  • Increased efficiency – IoMT devices autonomously monitor patient vitals or deliver treatment without direct provider intervention. Clinics can devote in-person resources to acute cases while chronic patients receive care at home.
  • Improved patient outcomes – Patients often thrive better in familiar environments rather than hospital settings. Wearable devices, medication dispensers, and at-home diagnostic systems keep them engaged in their treatment while still being able to go about their routines. This leads to greater patient satisfaction and better recovery rates.

Integrate Your Communications with HIPAA-compliant Mitel Healthcare Solutions

TCI can help innovative healthcare companies offer patients a more proactive care experience using connected devices, endpoints, and other sensors.

For instance, if a provider has a patient with a heart condition, they could receive a notification directly on their smartphone if the patient’s heart rate moved above or below an acceptable range – thanks to IoMT sensors and wearable devices. Similarly, a smart pill case could alert staff that a patient missed a dosage, even if they’re at home. Solutions like these can reduce the chances of an emergency and proactively support patient health.

Connect with a TCI expert to learn new ways to connect and future-proof your practice with secure, scalable UC technology. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Focus on Hospitality – How to Surpass Guest Expectations with Effective Communications

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Enhance your guest experience, elevate staff performance, and stay ahead of the competition with the latest integrated communications technology. You and your guests can enjoy seamless service that is sure to impress.

Challenges You Might Be Facing

1. Reliability is not negotiable – Whether it’s a simple wake-up call or acting in a professional and efficient manner in an emergency, there’s no room for errors. Stability is an essential requirement for your communications platform to ensure guest satisfaction and increased positive ratings.

2. Universal device access – Both business and leisure travelers want to use their own devices and get the service they require immediately. From personal conversations and interactions with chatbots to voicemail and email, give your guests the power to choose when, where, and how they communicate with you.

3. Security threats on the rise – Ensuring guest privacy, maintaining data security, and integrating smart devices should be at the forefront of your IT priorities.

4. Profitability from productivity – As a manager, improving operational efficiency is a top priority. You must streamline processes, explore new communication methods, and enhance guest experiences to make your organization more effective and profitable.

5. Experience is everything – As customer expectations continue to evolve, it’s crucial to meet their demands across all channels and devices and provide the right experience. Failure to do so could negatively impact staff productivity and customer loyalty.

Questions You Should Ask

1. Is your communications technology stable? What level of support do you offer?
What measures do you have in place to ensure reliable and uninterrupted communication services? Can you provide details about any backup and redundancy mechanisms?

2. What experience do you have serving the hospitality industry?
How long have you been serving this industry? Who are your biggest clients?

3. Does your system integrate with smart devices and high-speed internet?
How can this help promote revenue-generating guest services? Can your solution help us provide personalized services for our guests?

4. How flexible is your solution when it comes to customization?
Do you offer secure third-party integration? Which applications and platforms do you provide full integration with?

5. Can you manage multi-site, multi-location, and multi-national hospitality businesses?
Is your system compatible with multiple brands and languages? Can it scale if we expand our business in the future?

How the Right Communications Drive Results

  • Influence online ratings – By utilizing your communications technology, you become more proactive in addressing guest and maintenance concerns. This results in improved staff productivity and higher customer ratings, ultimately leading to better online reviews.
  • Improve guest experiences – Adopt multi-channel engagement to ensure your guests interact with your organization directly through personal devices, including mobile check-in, text, and chat.
  • Cut your costs – Unifying communications into a single service solution means automated efficiencies, smoother workflows, integrated apps, budget-friendly fees, and reduced operating costs.
  • Connect your staff – Connecting staff creates a seamless guest experience. Streamlining experiences means issues are resolved quickly and efficiently, ensuring superior service is provided every time.
  • Ensure data security and system reliability – Look for a partner with a strong track record of industry clients and a reputation for secure and stable networks.

Seamless communication lies at the heart of exceptional hospitality.

Find your perfect-fit solution with the help of TCI. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Set Up Your Business for Success with Customized ‘Your Way’ UC as a Service

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Get Ahead of the Game

If you haven’t done it yet, now is a great time to take stock, reassess where you stand, and make commitments to improve your technology this year.

TCI offers a range of customized solutions, including Mitel’s unified communications platforms. Mitel UC solutions combine voice, chat, email, video meetings, file sharing, and more – providing the tools your team needs to get ahead.

Flexible deployment options

Mitel’s core UC systems offer the most flexible deployment and payment options on the market. TCI and Mitel put you in the driver’s seat to implement the latest business communications, your way.

For example, as your organization’s IT strategy evolves – from distributed servers in multiple sites to a single private cloud – Mitel UC evolves with your business – delivering a strong, futureproof solution with a low total cost of ownership.

Premises Options

  • Mitel SMB Controller
  • Mitel EX Controller
  • Industry Standard Server

Virtual Software Deployments

  • VMware, Hyper-V, and Nutanix virtualization
  • Single or multiple virtual machine option

Public Cloud Deployments

  • Amazon AWS
  • Microsoft Azure

Private Cloud Deployments

  • This solution leverages virtualization and physical infrastructure for public cloud-like scale and efficiency, but in a private, dedicated system within your data center. The protected nature of a private cloud provides an extra layer of security and control to meet industry-specific compliance requirements.

Meet New Hire and Employee Expectations Head-on

Talented job candidates are more likely to make employment decisions based on their workstyle and preferences now than at any time in history. We can enable your organization to activate a hybrid or fully remote workforce. Your employees can collaborate, communicate, and share information from anywhere.

Arrange a time to discuss your business challenges and communication needs. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

7 Ways TCI Host Cloud Voice Makes Your Life Easier

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In today’s remote working world, it is essential for your team to be connected seamlessly no matter what device they are using. If you are exploring ways to improve how your team communicates, TCI Host provides a locally supported, customized service with all-in-one collaboration and mobility tools, so your business won’t miss a beat.

Here are 7 ways TCI Host helps you keep your employees connected – wherever they are – and how it makes your job easier…

1. Never Lose Your Place with One Stop for Communication.

How much time do you waste by losing the thread of a conversation? TCI Host makes all your communications available from a single hub on your desktop. It’s always there but never in the way. Keep an eye on every call and message and never lose sight of important details.

2. Work from Anywhere, together.

Gone are the days when teams worked in close proximity and shared a simple project document. In paper, no less. Nowadays team members can be anywhere – at home, on the road, in another country. To stay connected, video meetings and desktop sharing are essential. Everyone on your team can collaborate in real-time.

3. Take the Conversation Smoothly from Text to Voice with Ad-Hoc Meetings.

Big deal on the table? Need fast thinking and even faster decision-making? TCI Host helps you connect with the one person who has the information you need to close the deal – at the precise moment you need their help. With one click, start a meeting and keep the conversation going.

4. Get to The Right Person at the Right Time.

The flexibility to work anywhere is a benefit – except when an answer is needed fast. With presence, employees make their whereabouts known to everyone in the organization. So, when a customer calls in asking a question only a subject matter expert can answer, everyone knows where and how to reach them.

5. Be as Productive on the Road as in the Office.

Working outside the office is often frustrating because employees don’t have access to the tools they have in the office. But TCI Host transforms this experience. With its mobile app, employees take the office everywhere and get the same experience on the road as they do at their desks. Whether in the office or on the road, they can join a meeting with a single click, without the need to enter those cumbersome participant codes. It’s that easy.

6. Live in Your CRM…

Which does your sales team love more? Their phone or their CRM? Please, don’t make them choose! When you integrate your phones with your CRM application, salespeople never have to switch between the two. They stay in the CRM to make and receive phone calls. Plus, it saves them from the dreaded task of data entry. Just by answering their phone, items are automatically added to their to-do lists.

7. …Or in Microsoft Outlook, Teams, or Google Workspace.

Sales teams shouldn’t be the only ones who have all the fun. TCI Host also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft and Google apps, easing the adoption of your new phone system throughout your business.

Our project team handles all the transition details to get it all going for you. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

4 Ways to Show Your Customers You Value and Appreciate Them with Contact Center Tools

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There are dozens of creative ways to express customer appreciation, and a full-featured call center software suite can help get your message across with minimal fuss.

Small business owners and their teams can handle customer calls efficiently while indulging their VIPs with something extra — all without missing a beat.

Here are four ways to show your customers that you care…

1. Make Your Customer’s Experience the Center of Your World.

Everyone wants to feel valued. When a customer calls in, you must give them your undivided attention. If your team is worried about finding contact records or scripts, they’re not paying attention, leaving your customers feeling overlooked.

Keep the focus on the customer – not shuffling application windows – with screen prompts and automated workflows that flow seamlessly from your CRM to your contact center solution. An integrated contact center solution can empower CRM-based workflows with in-call screen pops and recommendations to help your team stay engaged with customers.

2. Anticipate What Your Customers Need with The Right Call Center Software.

Do you know your customers well enough to finish their sentences? Knowing what your customers need, even before they do, can help them feel like you truly “get” them — the basis of a fruitful relationship. Look at your data and reporting to understand customer pain points, past purchases, and other behavior.

Consider reaching out to selected customers on “quiet” days to ensure a problem was resolved to their satisfaction or simply to thank them for their business. And if you’re experiencing a service issue, contact them proactively and let them know you’re working to resolve it.

3. Customize Offer Recommendations.

Tailoring your interactions with your customers builds stronger relationships and a better customer experience. Take advantage of the capabilities of an integrated, multi-channel customer experience solution to create user profiles and make custom offer recommendations based on what your customers like. As always, meet your customers where they expect to find you, whether through email or web-based chat.

4. Partner for Pampering Experiences.

Today’s shoppers are spending more on experiences for themselves and others.If your business is rooted in products rather than experiences, consider partnering with others for a joint offer. Have these offers ready so any team member can easily share and give a great experience recommendation when they connect with a customer. Take that offer to the next level by delivering it in the method the customer prefers, email or chat, with a multi-channel call center solution.

With the right contact center solution and complementary partner, you’ll spend less time managing your phone system and more time providing customers with an exceptional experience.

When it comes to improving your customer experience and contact center solutions, TCI experts can customize, deploy, and support your technology. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.