The first half of 2006 has been busy for VITAL. We have turned up a number of new customers for the services we introduced in 2005, we have increased our integration, maintenance and network management sales by over 50% compared to the first half of 2005 and we have doubled the number of customer networks managed by VITAL.

Toward the end of last year, VITAL introduced two new services – our Managed Broadband VPN (BBVPN) service and our IPT “Day 2” Management service. These services have been extremely well received by our customers. By the first quarter of 2006, we had completed the implementation of four Managed BBVPN projects. The largest of these project, for a high-end German automobile manufacturer, entailed the turn-up and ongoing operation and management of over 200 dealership locations throughout North America. The process went smoothly and the auto manufacturer is extremely pleased with the success of the project and the cost savings they are realizing as a result. We are currently in the process of implementing BBVPNs for two supermarket chains - each with over 250 locations. The IPT “Day 2” Management service has also proved successful with 6 new customers spanning a variety of vertical markets including Legal, Government, Food and Beverage, Real Estate, and Technology. VITAL is proactively managing these customers’ Cisco IPT networks, providing 24x7 remote technical support, and performing critical patch updates. Additionally, VITAL is providing remote MACDs and onsite field support for some of these customers.

I have always been a firm believer in improvement. That is why VITAL is launching a new online customer satisfaction survey in August. I ask that if you have any feedback for us, good or bad, please share it with us - either in one of our customer satisfaction surveys or by contacting me or another member of VITAL's management team. Your feedback is extremely valuable to our company.

Finally, as many of you are aware, VITAL has recruited Steve Triplett, a former Avaya VP, to serve as VITAL’s VP of Field Operations. This is the first of many enhancements you will see within our field service organization over the coming months.

Thank you for your business. We look forward to continuing to serve your needs.

Does VITAL perform integration services for your company?  If so, you have probably worked with one of VITAL’s installation planners.  Meet Cindy, Steve and Sunny… 

VITAL’s installation planners are responsible for ensuring your installation goes as smoothly as possible.  To achieve this, our installation planners are involved in coordinating every aspect of the installation.  They coordinate the arrival of the equipment (if required) and the onsite field technician, they provide the onsite technician with the necessary information about the installation including location, equipment, configuration and testing requirements, and they maintain communication with our customers to ensure they stay informed throughout the entire process.
   
Meet Cindy Suggs. Cindy has worked for VITAL as an installation planner since August of 2002.  Outside of work, Cindy enjoys gardening and home improvement projects.  Watch out Ty Pennington, Cindy recently remodeled her entire kitchen from floor-to-ceiling including new paint, cabinetry, countertops, and appliances. 
   

Meet Steve Winton. A 20-year veteran in the IT industry, Steve has been working with VITAL for the past year.  In his spare time, you will most likely spot Steve out on the golf course.  Steve is a member of Clearwater Country Club and has an 8-10 handicap.
   

Meet Sunny King.  Sunny joined VITAL’s installation planning team in August of 2005.  In her spare time, you will rarely see Sunny sitting by idly.  Sunny enjoys organic gardening, organic kosher cooking and herbal medicine.  She is an avid reader and speaks 3 languages: English, French and Spanish.  Sunny is currently studying her 4th language – Biblical and Modern Hebrew.

VITAL has created a new maintenance service designed to speed the recovery time for Cisco IPT customers.  With the company’s new SafetyNet IPT Maintenance service, VITAL offers customers a 24x7x365 maintenance solution to support their Cisco AVVID environment.  When a problem occurs, the customer can turn to VITAL for 24x7 remote technical support, parts dispatch under the customer’s SMARTnet contract, and onsite field support.  By employing robust tools, a well-defined troubleshooting and dispatch process, and knowledgeable technical and field support personnel, VITAL’s SafetyNet IPT Maintenance service speeds the problem identification and resolution process for Cisco IPT customers.

For customers with a mission-critical converged network that cannot tolerate downtime, VITAL offers an IPT Management service.  This service offers proactive fault and performance management for the entire IPT network, remote telephone support and critical patch updates.  Remote moves/adds/changes/deletes (MACDs) and onsite field support are also available in conjunction with this service.

Contact us if you would like more information about either of these services.
 

VITAL is launching a new type of customer satisfaction survey.  Beginning in August,  VITAL is replacing its traditional telephone surveys with online surveys.  Each month customers who have used VITAL’s installation, maintenance or network management services will be randomly selected to provide feedback on their experience with VITAL by completing an online customer satisfaction survey.  The feedback VITAL receives from its customers will play an important role in the development of VITAL’s processes, systems and service offerings.  If you are selected to participate in one of VITAL’s online surveys, you will receive an e-mail containing a link to the survey. 

“As a service-focused company, it is important for us to receive feedback on the service we are delivering to our customers,” said Leslie Rudolph, director of customer support for VITAL.  “By sending our satisfaction surveys out via e-mail, our customers can provide feedback to us when they have time.  Best of all, the feedback can be viewed by the entire executive management team for analysis and continuous improvement.”

In addition to participating in our online surveys, please remember you may contact a member of VITAL’s management team at any time to discuss feedback you may have for the company.  Additionally, you may complete the online customer feedback form located on VITAL’s Web site to provide comments and suggestions.