The Value-Added Way the SCTC VAC Supports SCTC Consultants

How Fran Blackburn’s Election to SCTC VAC Supports Consultant Collaboration Program (CCP) Premier Consultants

This year, Vertical’s V.P. of Consultant Marketing, Fran Blackburn, was elected as the SCTC VAC President. Congratulations, Fran! Many consultants focus on only the Consultant side of the SCTC and the value it brings to them. However, the Vendor Advisory Council (VAC) portion of the SCTC is also important to consultants. Let’s take a step back to see how the two parts of the SCTC work together to provide value to consultants and how Fran’s role will support consultants in new ways. 

Many consultants are members of the Society of Communication Technology Consultants (SCTC). They enjoy the opportunity of working together with other consultants on projects, furthering their education, and leveraging other consultant’s expertise. In addition to consultants working on behalf of their clients with other members of the SCTC, they are also briefed by vendor organizations, provide feedback on new product offerings, speak at industry events, publish industry articles, and even provide Expert Witness testimony at trials. 

As mentioned earlier, there’s also a second piece to the SCTC, the Vendor Advisory Council (VAC). The VAC is made up of Vendors who have applied to and been approved by the SCTC to become a certified SCTC Vendor Member. The VAC is a critical piece of the SCTC because it supports the efforts of the SCTC and provides valuable resources for consultants. Vendors that are VAC members are able to highlight additional educational resources for consultants, who can then use that same information to educate their clients. They’re able to showcase their skillsets and products, which consultants can assess before presenting to their own clients. VAC members also provide consultants with an inside track to their organizations; for instance, they help consultants learn who to call on their team with a product question or escalation issue. They are a consultant’s first point of contact for their company, helping them get the information they need, when they need it. VAC members are focused on connecting consultants to solutions. Over time, VAC-Consultant relationships founded through the SCTC are built, allowing the two parties to work better together and provide the consultant’s clients with the best set of technology options. 

Fran’s election into the role of SCTC VAC President is one more way that Vertical can support consultants. Fran’s role as VAC President allows her to better understand the goals and objectives of the consultants, offering support and ideas to meet the challenges of the SCTC.  Fran can continue her focus on customer service (for both Vertical and the SCTC), which helps consultants provide first class customer service to their clients. In short, Fran and the Vertical team now have an opportunity to lend additional support to consultants.

In addition to Fran’s role as V.P. of Consultant Marketing at Vertical, and SCTC VAC President, Fran also leads Vertical’s Consultant Collaboration Program (CCP). Vertical places high value on supporting consultants in the telecom industry. We understand the worth consultants bring to projects, their clients, and our industry. And most importantly, we recognize the importance of information for consultants, which is why the Consultant Collaboration Program (CCP) was created. The CCP provides additional resources to consultants, allowing access to information when and how they need it, along with avenues to continue their education about new technology offerings. Some of the resources include the opportunity to collaborate with Solutions Engineers on technology options, ongoing webinars to discuss the latest trends in the industry, and newsletters.  Fran’s actions as VAC President will also further support CCP members, as she is able to guide the VAC with consultant needs in mind.  At Vertical, we care about consultants. We recognize their ongoing commitment to their clients and the opportunities they bring to our team. That’s why we’re thrilled to continue to offer new ways to support consultants, including Fran’s role as SCTC VAC. If you want to learn more about Fran’s role, how the SCTC and SCTC VAC work together, or about how to become a CCP Premier Consultant, we can help. Contact us at ccp@vertical.com to learn more.