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Company: Windstream Enterprise, Little Rock, AR
Company Description: Windstream Enterprise offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the US. The company also provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network and 5G fixed wireless service to consumers and small and midsize businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states.
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Telecommunications - Service
 Nomination Title: Windstream Enterprise WE Will Commitments
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated new or new-version product or service, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: If this is a brand-new product, state the date on which it was released. If this is a new version of an existing product, state the date on which the update was released:
Windstream Enterprise unveiled the WE Will service commitment on Feb. 24, 2021.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the features, functions, and benefits of the nominated product or service (up to 350 words):
Total 346 words used.
Just as employees are fueling a Great Resignation by asserting their right to a better workplace experience, so, too, are businesses asserting their right to a better experience from their technology vendors. They expect to be treated not as an anonymous commodity but rather as a true business partner, no matter their size or the depth of their pockets. It was in this spirit of partnership, and after careful assessment of what businesses value most in their tech vendors, that Windstream Enterprise (WE) introduced the groundbreaking WE Will commitment. Developed from thousands of interviews with customers, analysts, employees and partners, WE Will redefines what a communications provider can and should do for its customers. Essentially it’s five guarantees in one:
- WE will guarantee customers succeed in any economy. When they upgrade to Windstream’s unified communications (UC) and SD-WAN services, WE will lock in their rates for the life of their agreement.
- WE will guarantee customers’ complete satisfaction. If they’re not satisfied with Windstream’s SD-WAN Concierge and OfficeSuite UC solutions within the first year, no future obligations or fees apply.
- WE will guarantee customers’ services are up-to-date and future-ready. When the next generation of technology becomes available, SD-WAN Concierge and OfficeSuite UC customers can upgrade at no cost.
- WE will guarantee customers’ network and critical application reliability with 100% uptime for those with both OfficeSuite UC and SD-WAN Concierge. If they experience anything less than 100% uptime, WE will credit their account, no questions asked.
- WE will guarantee that our industry-leading UC and network solutions deliver added value. Customers that bundle SD-WAN Concierge with OfficeSuite UC services get up to the first five months of those services free. Those purchasing SD-WAN Concierge, OfficeSuite UC or Managed Network Security also get credits for free professional services (network/security assessments, design, installation and engineering support, etc.).
By helping customers cost-effectively future-proof their business, and guaranteeing them full connectivity to support the remote working and digital customer journeys on which they rely more heavily today than ever, the We WILL commitment embodies our belief that when our customers succeed, WE succeeds.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Outline the market performance, critical reception, and customer satisfaction with the product or service to date. State monetary or unit sales figures to date, if possible, and how they compare to expectations or past performance. Provide links to laudatory product or service reviews. Include some customer testimonials, if applicable (up to 350 words):
Total 349 words used.
It was no coincidence that Windstream Enterprise chose to unveil the WE Will service commitment to its customers at a time of profound business uncertainty, as worker shortages, supply chain bottlenecks, a persistent pandemic and other factors hampered their ability to deliver on their mission, and in some cases, threatened their very existence.
Businesses entered 2022 facing an unprecedented level of volatility. In introducing WE Will in 2021, and in pledging to continue it throughout 2022, Windstream Enterprise is giving customers what they need most in such a business environment: certainty, consistency and the best possible support to preserve business continuity.
Customers clearly are embracing — and reciprocating — the commitments Windstream Enterprise is making with WE Will. Indeed, the guarantees embedded in WE Will led directly to multiple new customers moving to Windstream Enterprise solutions in 2021, including:
• In a highly competitive RFP, WE Will was the deciding factor in a major 250-store national specialty/import/home furnishings retailer committing to a five-year contract with Windstream Enterprise for SD-WAN Concierge, Managed Network Security and dynamic IP at all retail locations.
• A national financial services firm opted for Windstream Enterprise’s SD-WAN Concierge, Managed Network Security, OfficeSuite, Cloud Connect and LAN services over competing bids, in large part due to WE Will guarantees.
• A national chain of 440+ women’s clothing boutiques chose Windstream Enterprise’s SD-WAN, Managed Network Security and LAN services, naming WE Will’s future technology and rate lock guarantees as a key factor in its decision to sign a five-year contract with Windstream Enterprise.
The analyst community also is taking notice of the WE Will commitment. One prominent analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan, said of Windstream Enterprise, “Future unified communications as a service success is likely to be boosted by the ‘WE will’ campaign which demonstrates Windstream’s commitment to customer value through high service availability, free professional services, and locked-in prices for the contract duration, and other guarantees.”
In naming Windstream Enterprise’s unified communications (UC) solutions to its prestigious “Magic Quadrant” for 2022, Gartner specifically noted WE Will as among the strengths of the company’s UC offerings.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 37 words used.
Link to more info and videos about WE Will: windstreamenterprise.com/wewill
Link to Gartner 2022 Magic Quadrant selections: https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-27OFYAFI&ct=211018&st=sb
Attached Frost & Sullivan UCaaS Radar Report 2021, which references our WE Wll Commentments.
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