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To give you more understanding, similar to the 2020 award, Continuant was again in the running with thousands of nominees in over 100 countries for this award. And while we shared the podium this year with the likes of Accenture-Avanade, Cognizant, EY, KPMG, and PwC, we know for a fact that what has gotten us to this extraordinary point are our customers—who trust us to work side-by-side with them to solve complex communication challenges.
This particular story starts with a customer that has human care at its very center, Parexel. Headquartered in Durham, NC, Parexel delivers lifesaving treatments to patients battling rare or incurable diseases. They’re also one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations (CROs), providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services—collaborating with partners worldwide.
With a team of more than 21,000 professionals spread across 40+ countries their need for reliable communication is mission critical. Patients’ lives are at stake, as Parexel’s mission to push treatments forward in development relies on their ability to communicate, collaborate, and engage throughout each phase. When these systems are lagging or fail, it can be detrimental to their end users.
A patchwork of aging communication systems failed to keep pace with modern workplace needs. This led to frequent user frustration and inefficient workflows. Additionally, the company’s video conferencing solution was experiencing widespread connectivity issues and was not user-friendly. The telephony infrastructure was also confusing due to disparate systems including analog devices and independent meeting applications. Solving this challenge would require a technology upgrade across their entire global network. But the larger question that was obvious to all: If cloud was the logical next step, could they integrate and unify all these pieces? And did they have the resources to put the puzzle together? This is where a certain company near Seattle steps into the picture. This is where a certain company near Seattle steps into the picture.
If you guessed Microsoft, you would be partially right, however, as another Washington-based company, Continuant, we specialize in cloud migrations with unparalleled expertise in Microsoft Teams phone. For Parexel, there was much complexity to this assignment and, with our help, they soon realized it would not be as simple as purchasing an out-of-the-box Microsoft calling plan. A migration of this size would require thoughtful planning, documentation, and management throughout every stage. In the Discovery phase of our 3-part framework, we learned that several regions overseas had diverse levels of connectivity and even various regulations depending on the nation. We also learned a portion of their team would need to remain on a previous PBX system while still accessing cloud-based collaboration. For Parexel, it appeared to not be as turn-key as they would have hoped…Or would it?
Our engineering team dove into their first order of business, learning Parexel’s business transformation goals and unique legacy requirements. Through a previous deployment of a Microsoft Teams direct routing solution with Adient, (a massive project that earned us our first Global Partner of the Year award), we learned how crucial winning Continuant the Global partner of the Year in 2020, our relationship with Microsoft was rock solid. Now, it was time to use our careful approach through our Discover, Develop and Document framework to build relational bridges with Parexel in order to grasp their unique mission, goals, and communication needs.
A Microsoft Teams migration takes careful planning, and to ensure we get it right every time, we take a calculated approach. In the Discovery phase of our 3-part framework, we learned that several regions overseas had diverse levels of connectivity and even various regulations depending on the nation. We also learned a portion of the Parexel team would need to remain on a previous PBX system while still accessing cloud-based collaboration. A hybrid approach needed to be considered.
After several months that included careful planning, scheduling, a scoping workshop, onsite assessments, conceptual designs (with both hybrid and full cloud solutions) the deployment was then initiated. Over 16,000 users in over 40 countries would, for the first time, have a unified communications platform. Also, to ensure minimal business disruption, our engineers designed a Cloud Video Interop solution to deploy Teams Meeting Rooms in EMEA and upgraded Parexel sites with Microsoft Teams Rooms. This allowed seamless connectivity while meeting the region's needs. Next, we deployed Teams Phone with Direct Routing for Parexel's locations worldwide, ensuring full compliance with federal laws on emergency services. As a direct result, productivity skyrocketed 40%. To date, Parexel is experiencing a cost savings of over $360,000 annually—and IT teams can spend time on other digital transformation initiatives. This also allows the company to stay focused on their primary mission of human-care for those in need.
"Along with successfully implementing a complex Teams Calling solution install, my team has relied on Continuant to deploy over 100 Microsoft Teams Rooms. Continuant also provided managed services for Teams Calling and Teams Rooms. Account Management and Day 2 engineering have been a lifeline for my team to maximize our critical communication systems infrastructure."
Sean McNamara
Senior Unified Communications Architect | Parexel
For almost 30 years, Continuant has empowered enterprise through voice support at every stage and age. We have built long-lasting customer relationships through not only designing and deploying cloud-based voice systems and AV solutions, but also through our world-class Day 2 support desk. Continuant’s ability to provide around the clock support, serving both cloud and legacy voice customers, is unmatched in the industry. Our highly customizable solutions and commitment to customers presents a clear picture of a company that values real relationships.
From clients to end users, like Parexel, we also keep people at the center of our focus. And by delivering real results that are felt for years to come, we serve as a source that propels your organization forward through reliable communication and collaboration systems. We believe that flexibility, trust, service, and follow-through are all essential to building dynamic, results-driven relationships, so we set these as our baseline. This is what Parexel needed to help their team and their patients, and it also happens to be our secret to being voted Global Partner of the Year by Microsoft a second time.
Considering cloud-based communication for your company? Continuant can take you there.
Learn more about the adoptions data and key drivers in migrating to cloud calling:
