Best Practices Award Template - Sprint Business · 2019-07-25 · FROST & SULLIVAN BEST PRACTICES AWARD Product Leadership 2019 ... Workers are comfortable with their own smartphones,

FROST & SULLIVAN BEST PRACTICES AWARD

Product Leadership 2019ENTERPRISE BYOD SOLUTIONS - NORTH AMERICA

BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH

© Frost & Sullivan 2019 2 “We Accelerate Growth"

Contents

Background and Company Performance .................................................................................... 3

The Enterprise BYOD Solutions Industry ............................................................................. 3

Product Family Attributes and Business Impact .................................................................... 4

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 7

Significance of Product Leadership ............................................................................................ 8

Understanding Product Leadership ............................................................................................ 8

Key Benchmarking Criteria ............................................................................................... 9

Product Family Attributes ................................................................................................. 9

Business Impact .............................................................................................................. 9

Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices ..... 10

The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ................................... 11

Research Methodology .................................................................................................... 11

About Frost & Sullivan ........................................................................................................... 11



Background and Company Performance

The Enterprise BYOD Solutions Industry

The BYOD (bring your own device) phenomenon remains strong in North America, with the

Frost & Sullivan 2018 Mobile Business Solutions Survey revealing that a majority (66%) of

U.S. and Canadian companies currently support an environment where employees use

their personally-owned mobile devices for work-related communications. These support

levels remain consistent across all company sizes.1

Two major drivers behind instituting BYOD are:

Worker convenience: Employees have become more insistent about satisfying their

own needs. Workers are comfortable with their own smartphones, and they simply do not

want to have to carry an additional work-only device.

Company cost savings: The employer views BYOD as a way to save money by not

having to purchase devices, keep track of devices, manage the life cycle of the devices,

handle repair and end-of-life, etc.

While these two drivers are compelling, there are challenges inherent to dual-use

situations that must be addressed and neutralized by businesses and BYOD solution

providers. Too often, companies allow BYOD but do not offer a clear arrangement for how

to govern work versus personal use. The lack of a wireless communications policy and a

solution that addresses evolving security, operational and legal considerations can present

a number of business challenges, including:

Ensuring communications privacy and security: Violating regulatory requirements

around communications privacy and record-keeping can result in fines and other serious

penalties. There can be legal, financial, and marketing repercussions. Leading providers in

this product sector furnish enterprise-grade security and give customers the control they

need to ensure employees are following the law.

Creating a clear process for reimbursement accounting: Without proper

management tools, a clear and fair process for reimbursement accounting is difficult to

achieve. This can turn into an expense nightmare for both the employee and the

accounting organization.

Providing solution affordability: “Lack of budget” is a typical North American purchase

barrier when evaluating mobile solutions. Companies that are adopting a BYOD policy are

saving money by not having to purchase new hardware; however, leaders in this space

understand that the pricing model for the BYOD communications and management

solution must also be affordable.



Prioritizing ease of use: Overly complicated, hard-to-use mobile apps are unacceptable.

Workers rebel and customers churn as a result. Product leaders design solutions that work

smoothly with the employee’s device. They also ensure that their solutions are easy to

administer and work seamlessly with any related company or third-party systems.

Maintaining company control of the customer interface and relationship: Using the

employee’s personal phone number for work communications could put ultimate control of

the customer relationship in the hands of the worker. If the employee leaves the

company, it can be very easy for him/her to take the customer and their contact

information with them. Also, answering a business call on a personal number can just look

unprofessional, negatively impacting the company’s image and brand as a result. Product

leaders recognize the need for a dedicated work phone number that is controlled by the

company, not the end-user.

Businesses that are contemplating implementing a BYOD policy cannot decide to manage

blind and ignore these issues. A hands-off strategy puts brand, clients, security, and

compliance all at risk. Instead, companies are encouraged to take the time to conduct a

thorough internal inventory of personal devices and how they are being used, to define

goals and clarify risks, and to evaluate current potential enterprise BYOD communications

and management solutions.

In summary, in today’s BYOD environment, businesses are challenged to optimize and

manage communications and work flows on personal mobile devices while also meeting

the privacy needs of their worker and the compliance and financial requirements of the

company. Product leaders in this market are those who are customer-focused, capable of

creating enterprise-grade solutions, and not afraid to innovate.

Product Family Attributes and Business Impact

In the enterprise BYOD solutions market, Sprint has distinguished itself by developing a

best-in-class product—Sprint MultiLine--that ably satisfies the needs of both the worker

and the employer regardless of which carrier they are using for their personal phones.

Unlike other major carriers, Sprint is facing the bring-your-own-device phenomenon head-

on and is focused on prioritizing enterprise-quality communications and administration,

ease of use, and high-value integrations. As a result, Sprint stands out as the product

leader in this market.

Key success factors for Sprint in the enterprise BYOD solutions category include the

following:

Unique solution that directly addresses unmet customer needs: With 66% of North

American businesses reporting that they support BYOD, there is a clear and growing need

for secure, enterprise-level communications for the worker and straightforward

management and billing capabilities for the employer. Sprint is the only major U.S. carrier

proactively offering a BYOD communications and management solution designed expressly



for businesses. The carrier views BYOD—the use of personal mobile devices for work

purposes—as a business reality that needs to be addressed in a direct, secure, user-

friendly way. Its Sprint MultiLine solution was launched in January 2018 and is an all-in-

one downloadable application for business use on an employee's personal smartphone,

regardless of carrier. The app creates a second phone number and business area on the

employee’s existing mobile device. Sprint MultiLine deploys as an over-the-top (OTT)

service with carrier-grade VoIP and time-division multiplexing (TDM) for enterprise-grade

voice and text capability.

Sprint’s unique standing in this sector cannot be overstated and is illustrated by the

actions of other major U.S. carriers. These carriers have taken a step back from offering

or proactively promoting their own dual-persona BYOD solutions for the enterprise.

Instead, they are either offering limited consumer-grade products or are encouraging

customers to work directly with Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) providers

regarding mobile device management requirements.

Innovative and user-friendly product design: Overly-complicated, difficult-to-use

product design can be a major app-killer. With MultiLine, Sprint has taken great care to

create an application that prioritizes both ease of use and ease of administration.

For administrators:

o The solution is carrier-agnostic, deploying across all domestic carriers and allowing the

customer to work within a single contract rather than requiring multi-vendor procurement.

o There is also a cloud-based management portal that allows administrators to easily

manage a pool of business phone numbers, including reclaiming and reassigning the

numbers to new employees as needed. The portal also delivers granular visibility to

business line metrics, enabling review of detail records and usage statistics in real time.

o Sprint also recognizes the limited value of siloed BYOD solutions and understands that

significant value-add is achieved by MultiLine being able to integrate with other apps and

systems. These other systems might be internally-designed legacy solutions or purchased

third-party products. Whatever the situation, employees interface with these systems on a

regular basis and need them to work smoothly and seamlessly with their BYOD solution.

To meet this need, Sprint makes APIs for business integration available. The carrier is also

partnering on adding out-of-the-box integrations (for example, with popular CRM

systems).

For users:

o Ease of use for the employee begins with an easy download process. Once available,

Sprint MultiLine is multi-modal, providing high-quality calls over cellular voice, cellular

data, and WiFi.



o Sprint MultiLine also provides full work phone functionality, including: carrier-grade voice

and text communications; call recording and text logging at individual and group levels; a

separate dialer, contact list, voicemail messaging, caller ID, Do Not Disturb, auto-

attendant, transfer, three-way calling, and scheduler; the app works on both iOS and

Android smartphones.

Powerful focus on satisfying vertical-specific requirements: In a still-early market,

enterprise BYOD solutions naturally tend to be horizontal in nature. As a result, however,

these solutions’ capabilities can be less than optimal in certain industries. Responses to

the 2018 Frost & Sullivan Mobile Business Solutions Survey indicate that businesses

recognize this drawback and have designated vertical-specific expertise as a top selection

criterion when evaluating potential mobile business solutions partner. Sprint has taken a

leadership position in responding to this dynamic. The carrier has quickly penetrated the

Financial Services sector—a demanding market segment that is highly focused on

compliance with both security and privacy regulations. Sprint is working closely with major

Financial Services companies to deploy Sprint MultiLine and to develop additional product

capabilities that are especially needed in that industry. These include text opt-in and

redaction features.

Working closely with specific industries to address their BYOD needs not only

demonstrates a keen willingness on Sprint’s part to identify and meet vertical-specific

requirements, it also produces new capabilities that may be of interest to the broader

MultiLine customer base and constitute a new revenue stream. For example, after

succeeding in the financial services segment, text opt-in and redaction are now available

to all customers as a Sprint MultiLine add-on.

Partnering for comprehensive data security: Sprint MultiLine works seamlessly with

leading EMM platforms to protect the data (company information, contacts, etc.) residing

on the second number.

Prioritizing solution affordability and value: In addition to the general benefits of

BYOD—avoiding hardware, asset management and depreciation costs—Sprint MultiLine’s

web-based reporting and EMM integrations enable companies to more accurately track and

reimburse business usage on the employee’s personal smartphone.

The carrier also promotes affordability with its subscription pricing model, which charges a

monthly per-phone-number rate for the app. The monthly price point for Sprint MultiLine

is reasonable and predictable. Add-on features are also available and growing in number,

including data analytics and the popular mobile recording option.

Dedicated support to enterprise customers: Strong post-sale support to customers

can provide a number of significant benefits both to the customer and the BYOD solution

provider. These benefits include:



o Reducing churn: Unaddressed implementation difficulties can result in the customer

churning out. Providers must stay in touch and make sure that customers are satisfied

and that the solution sticks.

o Improving the product: Customer feedback can result in a better offering.

o Increasing revenues: Post-sale contact can unearth additional sales opportunities and use

cases.

Sprint MultiLine customers receive the support of the carrier’s business care team. Each

business works with a designated and extensively trained care representative who assists

with implementation, activation, and ongoing project management. This assigned support

is part of Sprint Business’s Bend-Over-Backward™ customer service and is focused on

enterprise accounts. It includes in-region tech support and a single point of contact for all

account needs.

In summary, Sprint has expertly leveraged a long list of success factors to achieve a true

product leadership position in the enterprise BYOD solutions market.

To access Sprint's MultiLine Content please visit

https://business.sprint.com/solutions/sprint-multiline/

Conclusion

The enterprise BYOD solutions market is currently in flux, with the future of Bring-Your-

Own-Device still a contested outcome. Frost & Sullivan research indicates strong business

support for personal devices in the workplace and a sizeable market opportunity for

communications and management solutions that address the risks inherent in these dual-

use environments. Sprint has surveyed the market, recognized its potential, and created

an affordable and unique way to provide enterprise-grade communications, simplified

management, accurate user reimbursements, and communications privacy and security.

With its strong overall performance, Sprint has earned Frost & Sullivan’s 2019 Product

Leadership Award.

1 North American Enterprise BYOD Solutions Market, 2019. Frost & Sullivan, April 2019.

https://business.sprint.com/solutions/sprint-multiline/



Significance of Product Leadership

Ultimately, growth in any organization depends on customers purchasing from a company

and then making the decision to return time and again. A comprehensive product line

filled with high-quality, value-driven options are the key to building an engaged customer

base. To achieve and maintain product excellence, an organization must strive to be best

in class in three key areas: understanding demand, nurturing the brand, and

differentiating from the competition.

Understanding Product Leadership

Demand forecasting, branding, and differentiating all play critical roles in finding growth

opportunities for your product line. This three-fold focus, however, must be complemented

by an equally rigorous focus on pursuing those opportunities to a best-in-class standard.

Customer communication, customer feedback, pricing, and competitor actions must all be

managed and monitored for ongoing success. If an organization can successfully parlay

product excellence into positive business impact, market share will inevitably increase.



Key Benchmarking Criteria

For the Product Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated 2

key factors—Product Family Attributes and Business Impact—according to the criteria

identified below.

Product Family Attributes

Criterion 1: Match to Needs

Requirement: Customer needs directly influence and inspire the design and positioning of

the product family.

Criterion 2: Reliability and Quality

Requirement: Products consistently meet or exceed customer expectations for

performance and length of service.

Criterion 3: Product/Service Value

Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar

offerings in the market.

Criterion 4: Positioning

Requirement: Products or services address unique, unmet needs that competitors cannot

easily replicate or replace.

Criterion 5: Design

Requirement: The product features an innovative design, enhancing both visual appeal

and ease of use.

Business Impact

Criterion 1: Financial Performance

Requirement: Overall financial performance is strong in terms of revenue, revenue

growth, operating margin, and other key financial metrics.

Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition

Requirement: Product strength enables acquisition of new customers, even as it enhances

retention of current customers.

Criterion 3: Operational Efficiency

Requirement: Staff is able to perform assigned tasks productively, quickly, and to a high

quality standard.

Criterion 4: Growth Potential

Requirements: Product quality strengthens brand, reinforces customer loyalty, and

enhances growth potential.

Criterion 5: Human Capital

Requirement: Company culture is characterized by a strong commitment to product

quality and customer impact, which in turn enhances employee morale and retention.



Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching,

Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices

Frost & Sullivan analysts follow a 10-step process to evaluate award candidates and

assess their fit with select best practices criteria. The reputation and integrity of the

awards are based on close adherence to this process.

STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT

1 Monitor,

target, and

screen

Identify award recipient

candidates from around the

world

Conduct in-depth industry

research

Identify emerging industries

Scan multiple regions

Pipeline of candidates that

potentially meet all best-

practice criteria

2 Perform

360-degree

research

Perform comprehensive,

360-degree research on all

candidates in the pipeline

Interview thought leaders

and industry practitioners

Assess candidates’ fit with

best practices criteria

Rank all candidates

Matrix positioning of all

candidates’ performance

relative to one another

3

Invite

thought

leadership in

best

practices

Perform in-depth

examination of all candidates

Confirm best practices

criteria

Examine eligibility of all

candidates

Identify any information gaps

Detailed profiles of all

ranked candidates

4

Initiate

research

director

review

Conduct an unbiased

evaluation of all candidate

profiles

Brainstorm ranking options

Invite multiple perspectives

on candidates’ performance

Update candidate profiles

Final prioritization of all

eligible candidates and

companion best practices

positioning paper

5

Assemble

panel of

industry

experts

Present findings to an expert

panel of industry thought

leaders

Share findings

Strengthen cases for

candidate eligibility

Prioritize candidates

Refined list of prioritized

award candidates

6

Conduct

global

industry

review

Build consensus on award

candidates’ eligibility

Hold global team meeting to

review all candidates

Pressure-test fit with criteria

Confirm inclusion of all

eligible candidates

Final list of eligible award

candidates, representing

success stories worldwide

7 Perform

quality check

Develop official award

consideration materials

Perform final performance

benchmarking activities

Write nominations

Perform quality review

High-quality, accurate, and

creative presentation of

nominees’ successes

8

Reconnect

with panel of

industry

experts

Finalize the selection of the

best practices award

recipient

Review analysis with panel

Build consensus

Select recipient

Decision on which company

performs best against all

best practices criteria

9 Communicate

recognition

Inform award recipient of

recognition

Present award to the CEO

Inspire the organization for

continued success

Celebrate the recipient’s

performance

Announcement of award

and plan for how recipient

can use the award to

enhance the brand

10 Take

strategic

action

Upon licensing, company is

able to share award news

with stakeholders and

customers

Coordinate media outreach

Design a marketing plan

Assess award’s role in

strategic planning

Widespread awareness of

recipient’s award status

among investors, media

personnel, and employees



The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best

Practices Awards

Research Methodology Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research

methodology represents the analytical

rigor of our research process. It offers a

360-degree view of industry challenges,

trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of

Frost & Sullivan’s research methodologies.

Too often companies make important

growth decisions based on a narrow

understanding of their environment,

resulting in errors of both omission and

commission. Successful growth strategies

are founded on a thorough understanding

of market, technical, economic, financial,

customer, best practices, and

demographic analyses. The integration of

these research disciplines into the 360-

degree research methodology provides an

evaluation platform for benchmarking

industry participants and for identifying

those performing at best-in-class levels.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, helps clients accelerate growth and

achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's

Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's growth team with disciplined

research and best practices models to drive the generation, evaluation, and

implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages nearly 60 years

of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the

investment community from 45 offices on 6 continents. To join Frost & Sullivan’s Growth

Partnership, visit http://www.frost.com.

360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN THE CHAOS

http://www.frost.com/

Documents

Best Practices Award Template - Sprint Business · 2019-07-25 · FROST & SULLIVAN BEST PRACTICES AWARD Product Leadership 2019 ... Workers are comfortable with their own smartphones,