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1:Remote Installation and Configuration Services (RICS) is to be added to the Avaya acronym file. You've never seen it?
thread940-1765096
2: You won't be able to install IPOCC in the near future without co delivering it from Avaya or being completely certified...for an extra fee of course.
3: In the long term, they may relax this rule if their horse wins the Kentucky Derby, they buy low/sell high this coming Black Friday (Mad shopping spree in the US post Thanksgiving) or after 6 months, whichever comes last.
Q1. What is the new policy?
The new policy is that all orders for new (not add on) IPOCC on-premise and Customer Engagement on Avaya orders must be accompanied by the Avaya Remote Installation and Configuration Services (RICS) offer (details below).
Customer Success Teams will be assigned as needed for every deal to assist partners with RICS. This service will include complete pre-sales design and scoping through to actual implementation/custom scripting. Charges for these services may be passed through and will ensure success for all customer installs.
Q2. Why is this new policy going into effect?
The root cause is that market demand for advanced features and sophisticated customizations has led to a greater need for more extensive IPOCC expertise. Both our cloud and on-premise implementations – Customer Engagement OnAvaya and IPOCC - are affected, so we will be implementing Customer Success Teams, comprised of Avaya experts in the design, installation, and configuration of these customer engagement solutions to ensure all installs are completed successfully and to the end customers’ satisfaction.
In parallel, Avaya is revamping the Partner training and certification curriculum for IPOCC design, implementation and maintenance to address the specific configuration requirements and challenges relevant to an IPOCC install. Upon delivery of this new training program (target Q1CY2016), Avaya expects to increasingly rely on partners for end to end deployments, from scoping through to implementation.
In addition, Avaya will be enhancing the IPOCC itself with standard templates and reports in upcoming releases to continue to drive ease of use and ease of installation. Once partners complete the new training, partners will be able to independently design, configure and install IPOCC orders.
Q3. Is this new policy expected to be permanent or temporary?
This is expected to be a short term policy (~6 months) until Avaya makes available a new, more robust partner training curriculum for IPOCC and partners successfully complete this new curriculum. See training section below for more details. In addition, upcoming releases of IPOCC will include more default call flows, standard reports and other product enhancements designed to improve ease of design and use.
Q4. How will the ordering process change for IPOCC on-premise deals?
For IPOCC On-premise orders, Avaya will govern this short term policy of mandated RICS via a GQMS screening procedure. That is, orders will be placed by Distribution per normal process, however Avaya Product Ops will hold the orders until an SOW with the RICS team has been completed and signed. Distributors will ask partners to engage RICS per the below process for each order.
Also, to ensure Partners can prepare quotes at the front end to ensure the cost of RICS is considered by the end customer, Avaya will be implementing reminder alerts in the ASD configurator to include budgetary RICS pricing. Guidance on budgetary pricing can be found in the IPOCC RICS offer definition posted here to the Sales & Partner Portal.
Q5. Process steps for ensuring RICS gets ordered correctly.
1. Distributor will place the IPOCC product order via normal process and receive back an automated notification reminder of this new process. Distributor will share notification with the Business Partner for each order. The order is now in the GQMS queue.
2. After Business Partner gets notified from Distributor about the order in queue, Partner can either (i) go to sign in with a partner SSO and request Customer Success Team services or (ii) order directly from the Avaya Support Website as follows:
Access the Avaya Support Website and create a new Service Request. When selecting the type of Service Request, "I want to purchase Remote Implementation Configuration Support" should be selected.
When creating the Service Request, the following should be entered:
• A valid Business Partner sold to an End User Customer Sold to number
• A general description of the project requiring support to include; type of products, number of locations and proposed dates.
• The name, email address and phone number of the contact within the Business Partner that the RICS team should engage with to start the evaluation process.
For help with questions about the ordering process or the products supported, a Business Partner can send email to our RICS Mailbox psrequests@avaya.com (Proactive Support Request).
3. If this is an existing project, submit customer requirements.
4. If this is a new request, provide partner manager contact details so Customer Success Team can engage and begin finalizing designs.
5. Avaya will follow up to engage with the partner to schedule a design review workshop or assist the partner in developing a comprehensive set of requirements.
6. Upon finalizing a Statement of Work with the Customer Success Teams, the order will officially be released for processing.
Important notes:
• The RICS IPOCC Offer Definition contains budgetary pricing information for pre-sales purposes (link to offer definition)
• Detailed pricing will be provided only after ordering the RICS service via the Avaya Support web site (Link to “How to order”)
• Partner eligibility as described in the RICS IPOCC Offer Definition will be closely monitored.
• As stated in the RICS IPOCC Offer Definition: Avaya reserves the right to evaluate the requested date and time of support to determine resource availability before a Service Request for RICS is accepted.
• Once engaged via Service Request, RICS will ASSIST partners with every stage of the project from data collection, quoting, design, implementation and solution testing. (RICS collaborates with partners to complete tasks at the customer’s location to include site readiness: LAN / WAN / Firewall, Remote Access, endpoint and desktop application installation.)
Q6. How will the ordering process change for Customer Engagement on Avaya?
Orders for Customer Engagement on Avaya will continue to be placed via One Source Cloud. Partners will be able to place an order that includes the standard OnAvaya cloud services with or without a RICS SOW being included in the partner quote. However, RICS will be required for each project sold and the expectation is that Avaya Sales will work closely with the Partner on each deal to assess the scope of work required and to assist the Partner with providing budgetary pricing for the quote. Since RICS is not yet a standard item in the One Source Cloud system, Avaya Sales will work with Partners to ensure RICS is accompanied with each new order.
Q7. When will this new policy go into effect?
All IPOCC and Customer Engagement on Avaya orders are currently being screened as of early December 2015. The policy will be strictly enforced beginning January 14 to allow time for Distributors and Partners to understand the policy and ask questions.
Q8. What exactly will RICS team be delivering and how do I engage RICS for an IPOCC deal?
Details of the IPOCC RICS offer, including pricing and offer description, are posted to the portal at Click on ‘Collateral,’ then ‘RICS Offer Definition and Billing Policy IPOCC December 2015.’
Ordering process for engaging RICS is detailed in above question “How will the ordering process change for IPOCC on-premise deals?”
Please note that the RICS offer for IPOCC detailed in the above link is a more robust advanced service than RICS when sold with other Avaya products. That is, with IPOCC, RICS team is actually performing the design, configuration and installation work. This goes beyond the scope of RICS for other products where Avaya supports Partners or customers during installs when help is needed, but RICS team is not performing the end to end installation.
Q9. Will there be an Exception process for any Distributors and Partners to bypass the mandated RICS offer?
Yes. Avaya will consider prequalifying certain business partners to deliver IPOCC independently based on proven success in delivering Contact Center solutions in general and IPOCC specifically. Avaya expects this to be a very limited set of Partners with significant Contact Center practice experience.
To qualify, the delivery partner must (i) be an existing IPOCC Sales, Implementation and Maintenance certified partner, (ii) be able to reference at least five (5) successful installs of IPOCC to date, and (iii) demonstrate significant contact center practice experience, as evidenced by certifications to install, and experience installing, other Avaya Contact Center products or third party Contact Center Products.
Please contact Tim Richter, Product Management Director for IP Office Contact Center, trichter@avaya.com, for more information and to discuss whether an exception may be considered.
Any and all exceptions will be granted at Avaya’s sole discretion.
Q10. What is the new technical IPOCC training curriculum, when will it be available and what will it cost?
Avaya Design Training
New Training offer for Design, 3782C - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Advanced Design is a three day Instructor Led Training Course, available April 2016.
Pre-requisite to the Design training is the Avaya Midmarket Solution Overview (3720W)
Avaya Implementation Training
New Training offer for Implementation, Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration (code 7750C) is a 10 day Instructor Led Training Course, available April 2016.
Pre-requisite to the Implementation Training is the Design Training, 3782C.
Avaya Support Training
Technicians who would like to support the Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Solution require a solid understanding of the Avaya IP Office solutions. The support curricula require students to take the Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration (code 7750C) and the Troubleshooting Methodology for Avaya Midmarket Team Engagement Solutions class, a five day Instructor Led Training course (7820C) which is available today.
Basic knowledge of IP Office™ Platform is required for the Midmarket professional to be prepared to maximize product benefits within the solution architecture.
General Contact Center knowledge and experience is expected in order to install, configure and maintain IPOCC environments. Partners without contact center skills and experience are encouraged to leverage RICS or other certified partners for IPOCC design and implementation.
In gratitude for the efforts already expended to support IPOCC, Partners who have taken previous versions of IP Office™ Contact Center technical training, specifically, 8S00010C or 2252C, Avaya is offering the courses at no cost through the end of calendar year 2016. (Exam fees will still apply).
To register for Avaya IP Office Technical Enablement Retraining Offer, students should contact the Avaya Learning Help Desk.
• Step 1: Access Avaya Learning ( and select HELP then CONTACTS
• Step 3: Reach out to the ALC Help Desk via one of the local phone numbers for your location.
• Step 4: Notify the agent that you would like to take the 3782C and 7750C courses and are part of the IP Office™ Contact Center Technical Enablement Retraining Program.
Free training incentive will be in effect until end of calendar year 2016.
Q11. What will happen to my existing certification? If I am currently certified to install IPOCC, will I have to re-take the design and installation courses?
Students/Partners who currently hold IPOCC technical certifications will have to pass the exams for the new design and installation courses (per below) when their existing credentials expire. Students have the option to simply pass the exam for these courses and skip the classroom portion if desired. Upon passing the exams, credentials will be updated. Below is a summary of the new credentials that will be granted upon successful completion of new curriculum.
Avaya Professional Credentials for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center
In conjunction with the new and revised training offers for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center, new credentials for Technical Sales (Avaya Certified Design Specialist) and Services (Avaya Certified Implementation and Avaya Certified Support Specialist) are introduced.
Avaya Certified Design Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACDS - 3782) (available June 2016)
The Avaya Certified Design Specialist (ACDS) credential validates that the candidate has a level of technical proficiency necessary to create specific greenfield, upgrade and migration solution designs based on customer business needs for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
APDS - Avaya Midmarket Solutions (APDS - 2401) or
APDS - Avaya Midmarket Solutions (APDS - 3770)
and
3782X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Design Exam
Avaya Certified Implementation Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACIS - 7750)
(available June 2016)
This credential certifies that the candidate has a basic-to-intermediary level of technical proficiency necessary to install and implement Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
3782X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Design Exam
and
7720T -Avaya IP Office™ Platform Basic Integration and Configuration Test
and
7750X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration Exam
Avaya Certified Support Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACSS - 7894) (available June 2016)
This credential certifies that the candidate has an advanced level of technical proficiency necessary to deliver installation, configuration, administration, maintenance and troubleshooting support for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
ACIS - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACIS - 7750)
and
7893X - Avaya IP Office™ Platform Configuration and Maintenance Exam
The new release of ACSS - 7894 replaces the ACSS - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACSS - 3003) credential. Students holding the ACSS - 3003 today, will keep it until the expiration date reflected on their transcript.
While updating and refining training modules, Avaya will extend the credential expiration date for students holding the retired ASPS - 5001 Avaya IP Office Contact Center. Individuals currently holding ASPS - 5001 Credential that will expire before September 30, 2016 will have the expiration date extended to September 30, 2016. This change will be reflected in the Avaya systems by April 15, 2016.
'I want my hair back.' Says son at hairdresser.
1:Remote Installation and Configuration Services (RICS) is to be added to the Avaya acronym file. You've never seen it?
thread940-1765096
2: You won't be able to install IPOCC in the near future without co delivering it from Avaya or being completely certified...for an extra fee of course.
3: In the long term, they may relax this rule if their horse wins the Kentucky Derby, they buy low/sell high this coming Black Friday (Mad shopping spree in the US post Thanksgiving) or after 6 months, whichever comes last.
Q1. What is the new policy?
The new policy is that all orders for new (not add on) IPOCC on-premise and Customer Engagement on Avaya orders must be accompanied by the Avaya Remote Installation and Configuration Services (RICS) offer (details below).
Customer Success Teams will be assigned as needed for every deal to assist partners with RICS. This service will include complete pre-sales design and scoping through to actual implementation/custom scripting. Charges for these services may be passed through and will ensure success for all customer installs.
Q2. Why is this new policy going into effect?
The root cause is that market demand for advanced features and sophisticated customizations has led to a greater need for more extensive IPOCC expertise. Both our cloud and on-premise implementations – Customer Engagement OnAvaya and IPOCC - are affected, so we will be implementing Customer Success Teams, comprised of Avaya experts in the design, installation, and configuration of these customer engagement solutions to ensure all installs are completed successfully and to the end customers’ satisfaction.
In parallel, Avaya is revamping the Partner training and certification curriculum for IPOCC design, implementation and maintenance to address the specific configuration requirements and challenges relevant to an IPOCC install. Upon delivery of this new training program (target Q1CY2016), Avaya expects to increasingly rely on partners for end to end deployments, from scoping through to implementation.
In addition, Avaya will be enhancing the IPOCC itself with standard templates and reports in upcoming releases to continue to drive ease of use and ease of installation. Once partners complete the new training, partners will be able to independently design, configure and install IPOCC orders.
Q3. Is this new policy expected to be permanent or temporary?
This is expected to be a short term policy (~6 months) until Avaya makes available a new, more robust partner training curriculum for IPOCC and partners successfully complete this new curriculum. See training section below for more details. In addition, upcoming releases of IPOCC will include more default call flows, standard reports and other product enhancements designed to improve ease of design and use.
Q4. How will the ordering process change for IPOCC on-premise deals?
For IPOCC On-premise orders, Avaya will govern this short term policy of mandated RICS via a GQMS screening procedure. That is, orders will be placed by Distribution per normal process, however Avaya Product Ops will hold the orders until an SOW with the RICS team has been completed and signed. Distributors will ask partners to engage RICS per the below process for each order.
Also, to ensure Partners can prepare quotes at the front end to ensure the cost of RICS is considered by the end customer, Avaya will be implementing reminder alerts in the ASD configurator to include budgetary RICS pricing. Guidance on budgetary pricing can be found in the IPOCC RICS offer definition posted here to the Sales & Partner Portal.
Q5. Process steps for ensuring RICS gets ordered correctly.
1. Distributor will place the IPOCC product order via normal process and receive back an automated notification reminder of this new process. Distributor will share notification with the Business Partner for each order. The order is now in the GQMS queue.
2. After Business Partner gets notified from Distributor about the order in queue, Partner can either (i) go to sign in with a partner SSO and request Customer Success Team services or (ii) order directly from the Avaya Support Website as follows:
Access the Avaya Support Website and create a new Service Request. When selecting the type of Service Request, "I want to purchase Remote Implementation Configuration Support" should be selected.
When creating the Service Request, the following should be entered:
• A valid Business Partner sold to an End User Customer Sold to number
• A general description of the project requiring support to include; type of products, number of locations and proposed dates.
• The name, email address and phone number of the contact within the Business Partner that the RICS team should engage with to start the evaluation process.
For help with questions about the ordering process or the products supported, a Business Partner can send email to our RICS Mailbox psrequests@avaya.com (Proactive Support Request).
3. If this is an existing project, submit customer requirements.
4. If this is a new request, provide partner manager contact details so Customer Success Team can engage and begin finalizing designs.
5. Avaya will follow up to engage with the partner to schedule a design review workshop or assist the partner in developing a comprehensive set of requirements.
6. Upon finalizing a Statement of Work with the Customer Success Teams, the order will officially be released for processing.
Important notes:
• The RICS IPOCC Offer Definition contains budgetary pricing information for pre-sales purposes (link to offer definition)
• Detailed pricing will be provided only after ordering the RICS service via the Avaya Support web site (Link to “How to order”)
• Partner eligibility as described in the RICS IPOCC Offer Definition will be closely monitored.
• As stated in the RICS IPOCC Offer Definition: Avaya reserves the right to evaluate the requested date and time of support to determine resource availability before a Service Request for RICS is accepted.
• Once engaged via Service Request, RICS will ASSIST partners with every stage of the project from data collection, quoting, design, implementation and solution testing. (RICS collaborates with partners to complete tasks at the customer’s location to include site readiness: LAN / WAN / Firewall, Remote Access, endpoint and desktop application installation.)
Q6. How will the ordering process change for Customer Engagement on Avaya?
Orders for Customer Engagement on Avaya will continue to be placed via One Source Cloud. Partners will be able to place an order that includes the standard OnAvaya cloud services with or without a RICS SOW being included in the partner quote. However, RICS will be required for each project sold and the expectation is that Avaya Sales will work closely with the Partner on each deal to assess the scope of work required and to assist the Partner with providing budgetary pricing for the quote. Since RICS is not yet a standard item in the One Source Cloud system, Avaya Sales will work with Partners to ensure RICS is accompanied with each new order.
Q7. When will this new policy go into effect?
All IPOCC and Customer Engagement on Avaya orders are currently being screened as of early December 2015. The policy will be strictly enforced beginning January 14 to allow time for Distributors and Partners to understand the policy and ask questions.
Q8. What exactly will RICS team be delivering and how do I engage RICS for an IPOCC deal?
Details of the IPOCC RICS offer, including pricing and offer description, are posted to the portal at Click on ‘Collateral,’ then ‘RICS Offer Definition and Billing Policy IPOCC December 2015.’
Ordering process for engaging RICS is detailed in above question “How will the ordering process change for IPOCC on-premise deals?”
Please note that the RICS offer for IPOCC detailed in the above link is a more robust advanced service than RICS when sold with other Avaya products. That is, with IPOCC, RICS team is actually performing the design, configuration and installation work. This goes beyond the scope of RICS for other products where Avaya supports Partners or customers during installs when help is needed, but RICS team is not performing the end to end installation.
Q9. Will there be an Exception process for any Distributors and Partners to bypass the mandated RICS offer?
Yes. Avaya will consider prequalifying certain business partners to deliver IPOCC independently based on proven success in delivering Contact Center solutions in general and IPOCC specifically. Avaya expects this to be a very limited set of Partners with significant Contact Center practice experience.
To qualify, the delivery partner must (i) be an existing IPOCC Sales, Implementation and Maintenance certified partner, (ii) be able to reference at least five (5) successful installs of IPOCC to date, and (iii) demonstrate significant contact center practice experience, as evidenced by certifications to install, and experience installing, other Avaya Contact Center products or third party Contact Center Products.
Please contact Tim Richter, Product Management Director for IP Office Contact Center, trichter@avaya.com, for more information and to discuss whether an exception may be considered.
Any and all exceptions will be granted at Avaya’s sole discretion.
Q10. What is the new technical IPOCC training curriculum, when will it be available and what will it cost?
Avaya Design Training
New Training offer for Design, 3782C - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Advanced Design is a three day Instructor Led Training Course, available April 2016.
Pre-requisite to the Design training is the Avaya Midmarket Solution Overview (3720W)
Avaya Implementation Training
New Training offer for Implementation, Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration (code 7750C) is a 10 day Instructor Led Training Course, available April 2016.
Pre-requisite to the Implementation Training is the Design Training, 3782C.
Avaya Support Training
Technicians who would like to support the Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Solution require a solid understanding of the Avaya IP Office solutions. The support curricula require students to take the Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration (code 7750C) and the Troubleshooting Methodology for Avaya Midmarket Team Engagement Solutions class, a five day Instructor Led Training course (7820C) which is available today.
Basic knowledge of IP Office™ Platform is required for the Midmarket professional to be prepared to maximize product benefits within the solution architecture.
General Contact Center knowledge and experience is expected in order to install, configure and maintain IPOCC environments. Partners without contact center skills and experience are encouraged to leverage RICS or other certified partners for IPOCC design and implementation.
In gratitude for the efforts already expended to support IPOCC, Partners who have taken previous versions of IP Office™ Contact Center technical training, specifically, 8S00010C or 2252C, Avaya is offering the courses at no cost through the end of calendar year 2016. (Exam fees will still apply).
To register for Avaya IP Office Technical Enablement Retraining Offer, students should contact the Avaya Learning Help Desk.
• Step 1: Access Avaya Learning ( and select HELP then CONTACTS
• Step 3: Reach out to the ALC Help Desk via one of the local phone numbers for your location.
• Step 4: Notify the agent that you would like to take the 3782C and 7750C courses and are part of the IP Office™ Contact Center Technical Enablement Retraining Program.
Free training incentive will be in effect until end of calendar year 2016.
Q11. What will happen to my existing certification? If I am currently certified to install IPOCC, will I have to re-take the design and installation courses?
Students/Partners who currently hold IPOCC technical certifications will have to pass the exams for the new design and installation courses (per below) when their existing credentials expire. Students have the option to simply pass the exam for these courses and skip the classroom portion if desired. Upon passing the exams, credentials will be updated. Below is a summary of the new credentials that will be granted upon successful completion of new curriculum.
Avaya Professional Credentials for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center
In conjunction with the new and revised training offers for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center, new credentials for Technical Sales (Avaya Certified Design Specialist) and Services (Avaya Certified Implementation and Avaya Certified Support Specialist) are introduced.
Avaya Certified Design Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACDS - 3782) (available June 2016)
The Avaya Certified Design Specialist (ACDS) credential validates that the candidate has a level of technical proficiency necessary to create specific greenfield, upgrade and migration solution designs based on customer business needs for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
APDS - Avaya Midmarket Solutions (APDS - 2401) or
APDS - Avaya Midmarket Solutions (APDS - 3770)
and
3782X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Design Exam
Avaya Certified Implementation Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACIS - 7750)
(available June 2016)
This credential certifies that the candidate has a basic-to-intermediary level of technical proficiency necessary to install and implement Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
3782X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Design Exam
and
7720T -Avaya IP Office™ Platform Basic Integration and Configuration Test
and
7750X - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center Implementation and Expanded Configuration Exam
Avaya Certified Support Specialist - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACSS - 7894) (available June 2016)
This credential certifies that the candidate has an advanced level of technical proficiency necessary to deliver installation, configuration, administration, maintenance and troubleshooting support for Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center.
Earning the credential requires successful completion of the following:
ACIS - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACIS - 7750)
and
7893X - Avaya IP Office™ Platform Configuration and Maintenance Exam
The new release of ACSS - 7894 replaces the ACSS - Avaya IP Office™ Contact Center (ACSS - 3003) credential. Students holding the ACSS - 3003 today, will keep it until the expiration date reflected on their transcript.
While updating and refining training modules, Avaya will extend the credential expiration date for students holding the retired ASPS - 5001 Avaya IP Office Contact Center. Individuals currently holding ASPS - 5001 Credential that will expire before September 30, 2016 will have the expiration date extended to September 30, 2016. This change will be reflected in the Avaya systems by April 15, 2016.
'I want my hair back.' Says son at hairdresser.