The Battles Group, LLC

Mr. Battles has over 30 years of telecommunications consulting and industry experience in direct voice and data telecommunications evaluation, technical and project consulting, and applied market and subject research with an additional five years’ experience in direct sales, marketing, and territory management.  He has voice and personal computer-related consulting experience that includes requirements analysis, needs projections, RFP preparation, proposal evaluation, technical evaluation and support, and project management.  Mr. Battles is a recognized expert in the field of Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and a Past President (2006-2008) of The Society of Communication Technology Consultants, International (www.sctcconsultants.org ), a professional association of independent information technology and communications (ICT) consultants.

• Identified unified communications (UC) requirements and developed comprehensive managed services RFP for international banking organziation with over 25,000 users and nearly 200 international offices.  Requirements included fixed mobile convergence (FMC) for highly mobile users, enhanced and varied collaboration needs, video conferencing, centralized management and administration, integration with incumbent systems, and emergency/E911 for large campus with multiple buildings.
• Conducted baseline assessment and requirements analysis activities for large municipal government (14,000 lines, 788 locations), including police, fire, and emergency dispatch call centers.  Determined needs for 911 configurations, facilities, and integration with cellular triangulation, computer-assisted dispatch, and digital recording system.
• Led strategic, financial, space, scheduling, and ROI aspects for multiple internal and patient-oriented services for healthcare call center, including implementation of intelligent console technology.
• Managed project for new museum building to insure all components were on schedule for beneficial and final occupancy:  overall planning, application development, physical infrastructure, network design, data center commissioning, implementation of IP telephony system, interactive exhibit systems testing and deployment, equipment and staff move into the new site, and general oversight and coordination.
• Prepared telecommunications strategic plan for quasi-government organization with 33 sites and 8,500 stations.  Compared potential technical architectures:  CENTREX®, PBX-based, and IP-based solutions.  Developed business case for implementation costs, 10-year operational costs, and “payback” point.
• Managed requirements analysis, system design, and procurement activities for county-based organization with six sites and approximately 2500 stations.
• Developed telecommunications strategic plan for a major state university from a life cycle management perspective that included recommendations to establish a department-wide telecommunications program.
• Designed and managed implementation of multiple telecommunications systems networking for two major metropolitan newspapers that included remote business units and locations; implemented advanced applications based on CTI and IVR technology to avoid costs, generate revenue; and present a seamless enterprise network that customers and callers perceive as a single entity. 
• Identified opportunities to reduce telecommunications costs for hospital consortium members, by examining the member hospitals’ network-related telecommunications costs and developing RFP to solicit proposals for long distance and local services.
  
  Mr. Battles earned his Master of International Management (MIM) degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ; his BA is from Austin College in Sherman, TX.