Streaming Media - August/September 2008 - (Page 76)

writing an RFP for maximum ROI content? Rate? Comment? Email links to other users? Submit content with or without approval? • What content management features do you have for the administrators? Publish/unpublish content? Edit metadata? Promote content? Bulk-manage content? CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND TRAINING It is important to understand the level of customer support and training provided by a vendor for its applications. Ask how training is provided and through which medium: phone, email, online, or in person. You should also ask the vendor to clarify which training and support services are standard and whether there is a point at which these services will incur additional costs. Here are questions to ask about customer support: • How is customer support provided to users? • Through what channels does your support staff communicate with customers? • What is the average length of experience for your support staff in the area of streaming media and/or webcasting? • What factors are taken into consideration when establishing a service-level agreement? What is your process for handling support escalations? • What types of professional services are available to customers? Do your customers typically engage your professional services organization as a part of implementation or for ongoing services? • Who will be my contact person after purchase? • Is there an urgent live event support line? may have either a lump sum perpetual license fee with annual maintenance or an annual subscription system. Subscription pricing can fall under your operating budget rather than your capital budget. It usually gives you a lower entry point than a perpetual license, which could influence how you view subscription versus perpetual offerings. CDN costs can typically be built into the price or charged separately. “Per-viewer” fees may also exist. In order to make an informed decision, make sure to ask for detailed descriptions of all pricing options. Here are questions to ask about pricing: • What is the schedule of all applicable fees for a SaaS configuration and an enterprise installation configuration for a new customer? • Do you offer a subscription-based service for enterprise installation or is it one large fee upfront with annual maintenance? • What fees are associated with implementation, training, and maintenance? • What are some optional fees you feel we may need either during implementation or after? • Is there a pricing transition plan in place if we opt to implement additional features as our business grows? Conclusion Ultimately, keeping the big picture in mind during the selection process is essential to finding the webcasting system that best meets your company’s needs. Whether you are compiling an RFP or initiating a more informal process, careful research and thought invested early on will enable you to evaluate your options thoroughly and select a webcasting solution that fulfills your current and future organizational needs. Be sure to anticipate changes in direction. Take care not to base your purchasing decisions solely on the current state of your webcasting program. Instead, find a solution that adds value through scalability and allows your company to evolve from its existing program to the next level. This way, you can avoid constantly reinvesting in new systems as your organization becomes a more sophisticated webcasting user. Consider the webcast product selection process to be the foundation for the development of a true partnership. Investing your time with vendors, sitting in on product demos, and explaining in detail the intended uses of products and services will encourage vendors to open up and offer valuable information. The relationships established throughout the process will be a strong indication of what the partnership dynamics will be once the contract is signed. Though it’s likely that no vendor will meet every single requirement and expectation you have, one company has a product that will certainly come close. That is the vendor that should get your business. Here are questions to ask about training: • What training courses do you provide for customers? • What training would you recommend to allow us to sufficiently operate the webcasting system? • Do you offer any advanced training classes? • Do you provide training remotely, at the customer site, and/or at scheduled training centers? PRICING Vendors should provide a detailed pricing description that has been customized for your systems and anticipated requirements that includes realistic, concrete details about the size of the investment, technically as well as financially. This is another reason why it is important to give vendors specific information about the people who will be using your webcasting software and the types of presentations they will be producing. You may also want to ask the vendor to include a transition plan that considers future change and growth in your business along with the subsequent changes in your webcasting needs. Although there is a lot of variability in pricing, the most cost-effective way to get started is generally provided by the SaaS category. SaaS offerings are priced competitively on an annual subscription basis, preclude the need for any hardware or software installations, minimize IT resources, and are available for immediate ramp-up and usage. On-site webcasting systems, however, generally require additional hardware and streaming servers and 76 STREAMING MEDIA August/September 2008 Ysette Witteveen (ywitteveen@ivtweb.com) is the vice president of marketing for IVT, a company working to transform the reach and impact of company communications. Comments? Email us at letters@streamingmedia.com, or check the masthead for other ways to contact us.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Streaming Media - August/September 2008

Streaming Media - August/September 2008 Table of Contents No Doubt - Editor's Note Mo’ Videos, Mo’ Money: Solving the Problem of Network Cost Why Good Design Matters More Than Ever: Just. Press. Play. Technology and Business Trends by the Numbers High-Touch Encoding With Microsoft Expression Encoder 2 The State of the Content Delivery Market, 2008 Get a Life: New Tools Put Lifecasting Within Anyone’s Reach So Many Codecs, So Little Time: Comparing H.264 Files Using Codecs From Apple, Dicas, and MainConcept Writing an RFP for Maximum ROI: Things to Consider and Questions to Ask When Writing a Request for Proposal for a Corporate Webcasting System The Patent Wars Producing Screencams in Camtasia Studio Analyze That Using Video to Communicate Change for Business Success Intellectuals’ Property Rights

Streaming Media - August/September 2008

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