September Sales Engineering Braintrust

Check out the latest edition of our Sales Engineering Braintrust, which includes:

Win Wire: Learn how a TA landed a $60K+ MRC CCaaS deal with Genesys, utilizing support from Field Sales Engineer Chris Brennan
Engineering Spotlight: Meet Sarah Arnstein, focused on SD-WAN/SASE, UCaaS, and CCaaS
Pathfinder Updates: Explore the customer-facing Security Matrix 2.0, our completely overhauled Dynamic Matrix
AVANT Updates: Dive into our latest partner- and customer-facing content! Plus, learn more about the 40+ breakout sessions AVANT Engineers will be hosting at this year’s Special Forces Summit

Win Wire with Chris Brennan

The Breakdown

Technology Category: CCaaS
MRC: $60,407 MRC
Customer Type: Insurance
Industry: Finance
Winning provider: Genesys
Competitors: NICE CXone and Talkdesk

The Details

What were the drivers for the client?
The client was merging with another insurance organization and wanted a single unified digital platform. They were moving off a legacy premise system and wanted a proven and sustainable platform that would provide an exceptional experience to customers, both today and well into the future. Through this digital transformation, they wanted to establish themselves as the leading insurance company in Canada.

How did the Trusted Advisor close the deal?
The Trusted Advisor took the lead on the RFP (Request for Proposal) process. They first met with AVANT SE Chris Brennan to establish the client’s key business outcomes and project drivers, and worked with him to ensure the client had a comfortable understanding of the technologies they were considering. They also led the client through each step of the vendor selection process and pricing proposal with the help of the AVANT Engineer.

How did AVANT support the win?
Once Chris had a good idea of main drivers, he worked together with the Trusted Advisor. Here’s a breakdown of the different steps in the deal where Chris provided his support:

Crafting and validating three distinct use cases that solution providers would be required to demonstrate for the client in the selection process
Sharing his deep expertise, along with market insights and projections, to arm the client with the necessary CCaaS knowledge
Meeting with vendors to help prepare their presentation, confirming they focused on the client’s main requirements
Post-demonstrations, working with the Trusted Advisor and client to develop the client’s internal scoring matrix and come to a final vendor selection
Finally, helping the client understand the pricing proposal and making sure the correct parties were engaged throughout the redline contract process

When the dust settles, the phased growth approach will result in a 7-year contract and a $20M technology investment! Just like this Trusted Advisor, you can access our Sales Engineers’ deep expertise to help take your deals to the next level. Connect with the team here or fill out a solution IQA on Pathfinder to get started.

Engineering Spotlight

This month, we’re spotlighting Sarah Arnstein, a Sales Engineer focused on SD-WAN/SASE, UCaaS, and CCaaS

For the last 5+ years, Sarah has been involved in hundreds of UCaaS, CCaaS, SD-WAN, and SASE opportunities. She is instrumental at AVANT and with her Trusted Advisors, helping clients with their IT decision-making journey and educating them on cutting-edge technology. She also works to widely share her expertise with others in the industry through her blog, Get SASE with Sarah, where she boils down complex subjects and explains them in easy-to-digest posts.

At AVANT, Sarah has helped create and maintain five different Dynamic Matrices, most recently the SASE Portfolio and Technologies Matrix. She averages at least one (sometimes, two!) vendor certifications or deep-dive trainings each quarter. Her vast amount of knowledge in this space, along with her personable approach to discovery calls, is what makes her a showstopper in front of clients.

Outside of work, here’s a bit more about Sarah, in her own words!

Where are you located? Everson, WA

What is the best vacation you’ve been on? Scotland! I knew I’d fall in love with Edinburgh’s moody, gothic architecture, so that wasn’t a surprise. However, I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d adore Isle of Skye. The scenery was the most beautiful I’d ever seen. I also finished the Harry Potter series here, so that made it even more magical!

What is your favorite book? The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel. If you’re into historical fiction (WWII, specifically) to any degree, go buy it immediately. Trust me.

You can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn here!

Pathfinder Updates

After nearly a year of research and development, the expanded Security Matrix is now live on Pathfinder, covering 25+ security products across 45+ solution providers. Navigate the growing cybersecurity space with this industry-leading guide to ensure your customers are protected.
Don’t forget to check out our latest Ninja Notes on Cato Networks, eSentire, Flexential, Ontinue, Simeio, UbiStor, UpCurve Cloud, vMOX, and ZTNA.

AVANT Updates

Train with the best of the best at this year’s Special Forces Summit! Our AVANT Engineers are hosting 3 Main Stage Sessions, NEW AVANT Workshops where you can connect with them to work through complex business challenges, and 40+ breakout sessions, including
- ChatGPT & Highlights of a Modern Contact Center
- Intro to the Cyber Defense Matrix
- POTS of Gold: How to Get Rich Selling POTS Replacement

Grow your SASE expertise with AVANT SE Sarah Arnstein! In her latest blog post, she discusses the importance of adapting Security and infrastructure as remote work changes. Specifically, she explains the impact of SSE (Security Service Edge) and global points of presence (POPs) on employee flexibility and retention. Read more here and be sure to attend her breakout sessions at SFS!
Congratulations to AVANT Sr. Sales Engineer Dane Menke, who earned the prestigious CISSP certification in July! Obtaining this certification validates Dane’s advanced expertise of cybersecurity topics and his ability to navigate complex security challenges.