Cisco 700-038 Practice Test Questions, Cisco 700-038 Exam Dumps

Passing the IT Certification Exams can be Tough, but with the right exam prep materials, that can be solved. ExamLabs providers 100% Real and updated Cisco PSACAFE 700-038 exam dumps, practice test questions and answers which can make you equipped with the right knowledge required to pass the exams. Our Cisco 700-038 exam dumps, practice test questions and answers, are reviewed constantly by IT Experts to Ensure their Validity and help you pass without putting in hundreds and hours of studying.

Selling the Big Picture: Architectural Strategies from the 700-038 Exam

The 700-038 Exam, known as the Advanced Collaboration Architecture for Account Managers (ACAAM), was a certification that represented a significant step up in the world of technology sales. It was designed not for selling individual products, but for selling a holistic, integrated vision. This exam has since been retired, but its core philosophy—the discipline of architectural selling—is more crucial today than ever before. The 700-038 Exam challenged sales professionals to think like business consultants, understanding the entirety of a customer's communication and collaboration needs and designing a comprehensive solution that addressed them all.

This series will delve into the strategic principles that were the foundation of the 700-038 Exam. We will use the concept of a collaboration architecture as a framework to explore how to engage customers in more strategic, high-level conversations. We will begin by examining the on-premises architectures of the past, composed of distinct but interconnected pillars like voice, video, and contact center. We will then trace the evolution of this approach to the cloud-native, all-in-one platforms that define the market today. The skills required to pass the 700-038 Exam are the very skills that transform a salesperson into a trusted strategic advisor.

What is a Collaboration Architecture?

A central concept for the 700-038 Exam was the idea of a collaboration architecture. This is fundamentally different from a collection of standalone products. An architecture is a deliberately planned ecosystem of technologies that are designed to work together seamlessly. It encompasses all the ways that people in an organization communicate and collaborate: real-time calling, video meetings, persistent team messaging, formal contact center interactions, and the physical devices used in meeting rooms and on desktops.

The power of an architecture lies in its "connective tissue." This includes a common management platform, a unified security policy, a consistent user identity, and an intuitive user experience that flows naturally between the different modes of communication. Instead of having five different vendors for five different tools, the customer has a single, cohesive platform from a strategic partner. The 700-038 Exam required account managers to be able to articulate the profound business and technical advantages of this integrated approach over a piecemeal, multi-vendor strategy.

The Value of an Integrated Approach

Why is an integrated architecture so valuable? The answer, a key part of the sales pitch for the 700-038 Exam, can be broken down into three main areas. First and foremost is the user experience. In a fragmented environment, users have to constantly switch between different applications with different logins and interfaces, which is inefficient and frustrating. An integrated architecture provides a single, seamless experience. A user can escalate a chat message to a phone call and then to a multi-party video meeting with a single click, all within one application.

Second is the benefit to IT. Managing, securing, and supporting a dozen different communication tools from different vendors is a nightmare. An integrated architecture provides a single administrative portal for management, a unified security framework to enforce policies, and one vendor to call for support. This dramatically simplifies operations and reduces administrative overhead. Third is the financial benefit. By consolidating vendors and leveraging enterprise-wide licensing agreements, organizations can significantly lower their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for collaboration technology.

The On-Premises Pillars of the 700-038 Exam Era

To sell an architecture, the 700-038 Exam required a deep understanding of its core components as they existed at the time. The foundation of the on-premises Cisco collaboration architecture was Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM). This was the enterprise-grade IP PBX that provided robust and scalable call control for all voice and video endpoints. It was the rock-solid foundation upon which everything else was built.

Connected to this foundation were the other key pillars. Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX) or Enterprise (UCCE) provided the advanced routing and agent management capabilities for the customer's contact center. The TelePresence portfolio, including immersive endpoints and the on-premises video infrastructure (VCS, MCU, TMS), delivered high-definition video conferencing. Finally, the Webex platform, even then, provided the critical link for web conferencing and collaboration with external parties. The skill was in weaving these powerful, but distinct, pillars into a single, cohesive story.

From Product Peddler to Business Consultant

The 700-038 Exam marked a clear dividing line between a product salesperson and a true business consultant. A product seller focuses on a single transaction, selling a specific solution to a specific departmental need. An architectural seller, the role the 700-038 Exam was designed for, engages in a long-term, strategic conversation with the entire enterprise. Their goal is not just to solve one problem, but to help the customer develop a multi-year technology roadmap that aligns with their overarching business objectives.

This requires a different set of skills. It requires business acumen to understand the customer's industry and competitive landscape. It requires financial literacy to build a comprehensive TCO and ROI model for a large-scale transformation. It requires political savvy to navigate the complex stakeholder environment of a large enterprise. And it requires the credibility to advise a CIO on the future direction of their communication strategy. This consultative approach is what builds deep, lasting partnerships with customers.

The Strategic Conversation Starter

How does one initiate an architectural sales conversation? It begins by asking bigger, more strategic questions. Instead of asking, "Do you need a new phone system?" you ask, "What is your company's strategy for enabling a more flexible and productive hybrid work environment?" or "As your company expands globally, how are you planning to maintain a cohesive corporate culture and ensure seamless collaboration across time zones?" These questions elevate the conversation above a simple technology refresh.

The goal is to uncover broad, enterprise-wide challenges and initiatives that cannot be solved by a single point product. This approach, which was essential for success in the 700-038 Exam, positions you as a partner who is interested in solving their most important business problems. It opens the door to a much larger and more strategic discussion about how a unified collaboration architecture can be a key enabler of their corporate strategy, driving agility, innovation, and employee engagement.

Conducting a Full Collaboration Audit

The first step in any architectural sales cycle, a core discipline for the 700-038 Exam, is to gain a deep understanding of the customer's current state. This is achieved by conducting a comprehensive collaboration audit. The goal is to identify and document every single communication and collaboration tool currently in use across the entire organization. This often reveals a surprising and chaotic landscape known as "collaboration sprawl," where different departments have adopted different tools without any central strategy.

The audit might uncover that the marketing team uses one messaging app, the engineering team uses another, the sales team uses a third-party video tool, and the contact center is running on a legacy system from a different vendor. The audit should document not only the tools themselves, but also their costs, their usage levels, and the business processes they support. This detailed map of the current environment is the essential starting point for building the case for consolidation and a unified architecture.

Identifying the Pains of a Disparate Environment

Once the collaboration sprawl has been identified, the next step is to quantify the pain it is causing. This was a critical skill for building the business case in a 700-038 Exam sales scenario. The pain manifests in several ways. For end-users, it is the pain of a disjointed and frustrating experience. They waste time switching between apps, re-entering login credentials, and struggling to collaborate with colleagues who are on different platforms. This friction directly impacts productivity and employee satisfaction.

For the IT department, the pain is the complexity and risk of managing a fragmented environment. They have multiple vendor contracts to manage, multiple security vulnerabilities to patch, and no centralized way to enforce corporate policies. For the finance department, the pain is the high cost of paying for multiple, overlapping services, many of which may be underutilized. By identifying and quantifying these pains, the account manager can build a powerful story about the need for change.

Mapping the Enterprise Stakeholder Landscape

An architectural sale is an enterprise-wide decision, which means it requires buy-in from a wide range of senior stakeholders. A key part of the sales strategy for the 700-038 Exam was mapping this complex stakeholder landscape and understanding the unique motivations of each individual. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is often the primary sponsor, focused on the overall technology strategy, simplification, and TCO. The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a critical influencer, whose primary concern is the security and compliance of the platform.

Beyond IT, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is increasingly influential, as they are focused on the employee experience and enabling a flexible hybrid work culture. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will need to approve the business case and will be focused on the ROI and the shift from Capex to Opex. Finally, the leaders of the major business lines (e.g., Head of Sales, Head of Operations) are key, as they must be convinced that the new platform will improve their teams' productivity and effectiveness.

Aligning with the Customer's Business Strategy

The most effective architectural sellers, the type of professionals targeted by the 700-038 Exam, align their proposals with the customer's highest-level business objectives. This requires research and discovery to understand the company's strategic priorities for the next three to five years. Is the company planning to grow through acquisitions? If so, a unified collaboration platform will be essential for quickly integrating new employees. Is the company focused on improving customer satisfaction? Then a modern, integrated contact center is a critical enabler.

Is the company trying to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market? A flexible, best-in-class collaboration platform that supports hybrid work is a key part of a compelling employee value proposition. By tying the collaboration architecture directly to these top-level strategic goals, the project is elevated from a simple IT upgrade to a critical business transformation initiative. This ensures executive sponsorship and makes the project much more resilient to budget cuts.

Developing a Multi-Year Collaboration Roadmap

An architectural transformation is not a "rip and replace" project that happens overnight. It is a journey. A key deliverable from the sales cycle, and a concept central to the 700-038 Exam, is a co-created, multi-year collaboration roadmap. This roadmap provides a phased plan for migrating the customer from their current fragmented state to the future-state unified architecture. It breaks down the journey into manageable steps, each with its own set of deliverables and success metrics.

For example, Phase 1 might focus on deploying the core meeting and messaging platform to a pilot group of users. Phase 2 could involve migrating a business unit from the legacy phone system to the new platform's calling capabilities. Phase 3 could be the migration of the contact center. This phased approach de-risks the project for the customer, allows them to realize value early, and provides a clear and predictable path forward. It turns a daunting project into an achievable and logical progression.

From Tactical Problem to Strategic Opportunity

The essence of the sales methodology behind the 700-038 Exam is the ability to reframe the customer's thinking. The customer may come to you with a tactical problem, such as, "Our phone system is going end-of-life and we need to replace it." An average salesperson will respond with a quote for a new phone system. An architectural seller will use this tactical problem as a trigger to open up a much more strategic conversation.

They will respond by saying, "Replacing your phone system is a great opportunity to step back and look at your entire communication strategy. How does calling fit in with your video, messaging, and contact center plans? By looking at this holistically, we can design a solution that not only replaces your phone system but also fundamentally improves how your organization collaborates and serves its customers." This reframing is the pivot point that turns a small, transactional deal into a large, transformational partnership.

The Central Role of CUCM as the Foundation

In the on-premises architecture that was the focus of the 700-038 Exam, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) was the undisputed core. It was the call control and session management engine that provided the dial tone for the entire enterprise. Any architectural design had to start with a properly sized and resilient CUCM cluster. This involved calculating the total number of users, endpoints, and expected call volume to determine the required server capacity. The design also had to account for high availability and redundancy to ensure the service was always on.

CUCM's role went far beyond basic telephony. It was the central hub for user and device registration, managing everything from a physical desk phone to an immersive TelePresence system. It provided the unified dial plan that allowed seamless calling between all devices and locations. It also served as the key integration point for all other applications in the collaboration stack. A deep understanding of CUCM's capabilities and its central role in the architecture was a non-negotiable prerequisite for any 700-038 Exam candidate.

Integrating Voice, Video, and Presence

A key part of the integrated value proposition, and a core design concept for the 700-038 Exam, was the tight integration of voice, video, and presence. CUCM, in conjunction with the IM & Presence Service, provided a unified experience for users. From a single client application, a user could see the presence status (e.g., Available, In a Meeting, On a Call) of their colleagues. This simple piece of information dramatically improved efficiency by allowing users to choose the best way to communicate at any given moment.

The integration also meant that voice and video were not separate, siloed applications. A user could start a simple voice call and then escalate it to a high-definition video call with the click of a button. Video endpoints, from the desktop to the boardroom, registered to CUCM just like a phone, making them a natural part of the communications workflow. This seamless blending of different communication modalities into a single, intuitive user experience was a powerful differentiator for the Cisco architecture.

Connecting the Contact Center for a Unified Customer Experience

The contact center is the front door for many businesses, and integrating it into the broader collaboration architecture was a critical design task for the 700-038 Exam. Cisco's contact center solutions, UCCX and UCCE, were designed to integrate deeply with CUCM. This integration allowed for advanced call routing scenarios. For example, a customer call could be routed not just to the next available agent, but to a specific subject matter expert anywhere in the organization, based on their presence status.

This integration also improved the internal collaboration experience for contact center agents. An agent handling a difficult customer inquiry could easily see which experts were available and initiate a chat or call to get help, all while keeping the customer on the line. This ability to break down the walls between the formal contact center and the rest of the enterprise resulted in faster problem resolution, higher first-call resolution rates, and ultimately, a much better customer experience.

Bridging Islands with Video Infrastructure

The on-premises video infrastructure, including the Video Communication Server (VCS), MCU, and TMS, played a crucial role in the overall architecture. While many video endpoints could register directly to CUCM, the VCS was essential for advanced video capabilities and interoperability. A key function of the VCS, and a topic relevant to the 700-038 Exam, was its ability to facilitate secure communication with external organizations that might be using non-Cisco, standards-based video systems.

The VCS acted as a secure gateway, allowing seamless video calls between companies without compromising the security of the internal network. The MCU provided the bridging capability for large, multi-party video conferences, while TMS integrated with corporate calendaring to make scheduling these meetings simple and intuitive for end-users. Together, these components formed a powerful video backbone that was a fully integrated part of the overall collaboration architecture.

The Importance of Unified Licensing

Selling a complex, multi-pillar architecture could have been a licensing nightmare. A key innovation that simplified this process, and a critical piece of knowledge for the 700-038 Exam, was Cisco's Unified Workspace Licensing (UWL). UWL moved away from a-la-carte, device-based licensing to a more flexible, user-centric model. With UWL, a customer would purchase a single license per user, and that license would give the user access to a bundle of collaboration capabilities, such as voice, video, and web conferencing.

This model dramatically simplified the purchasing process and provided customers with greater value and predictability. It also encouraged adoption, as users had access to the full suite of tools from day one. For the salesperson, it simplified the quoting process and made it easier to sell the entire architecture rather than just individual components. Understanding the different tiers of UWL and positioning the right one for the customer's needs was a key sales skill.

Positioning the Architectural Advantage

With a complete on-premises architecture designed, the final step was to position its unique advantages against the competition. The key message, central to the 700-038 Exam sales philosophy, was the power of the single, integrated platform. While a competitor might offer a best-of-breed point solution for contact center or video, only Cisco could offer a complete, end-to-end architecture where all the pieces were designed to work together from the ground up.

This message would be tailored to the different stakeholders. For the CIO, the advantage was the simplification, security, and lower TCO of a single strategic partner. For the IT team, it was the ease of management and support. For the end-users, it was the seamless and intuitive experience. This architectural advantage was the ultimate differentiator, moving the conversation away from a feature-by-feature comparison and towards a more strategic discussion about the value of a true enterprise-wide platform.

Market Forces Driving the Cloud Transition

The highly integrated on-premises architectures, which were the focus of the 700-038 Exam, were powerful and reliable. However, the world of business and technology was undergoing a seismic shift. Several market forces began to push organizations towards cloud-based solutions. The rise of mobile devices and the expectation of being able to work from anywhere created a demand for services that were not tied to a physical office. The financial appeal of shifting from large, upfront capital expenditures (Capex) to predictable, monthly operational expenditures (Opex) became increasingly strong.

Furthermore, the pace of innovation in the cloud was intoxicating. Cloud providers could roll out new features and capabilities on a weekly basis, a feat that was impossible for on-premises systems that were only upgraded every few years. This desire for greater agility, accessibility, and continuous innovation created an unstoppable momentum that drove the entire collaboration industry towards a cloud-first model. A modern architectural seller must be an expert in navigating this new landscape.

The Evolution to a Cloud-Native Platform: The Webex Suite

Cisco's strategic response to this market transition was the transformation of Webex from a meeting application into a comprehensive, cloud-native collaboration platform. The Webex Suite is the modern, architectural answer to the questions that the 700-038 Exam sought to address. It takes all the core pillars of collaboration—calling, meetings, messaging, and contact center—and delivers them as a tightly integrated service from the cloud. The goal is to provide a single application and a single platform for all of an organization's collaboration needs.

This new architecture is built on a common foundation called the Webex Platform. This provides shared services for all the applications, including security, compliance, management, and analytics. It also includes a layer of AI and machine learning that is infused throughout the suite, providing intelligent features like noise cancellation, real-time translation, and meeting summaries. This cloud-native, AI-powered architecture represents a fundamental leap forward from the on-premises world of the 700-038 Exam.

The Hybrid Architecture: Bridging Two Worlds

For many large enterprises with significant investments in on-premises infrastructure like CUCM, a wholesale move to the cloud overnight was not feasible. To address this, Cisco pioneered the concept of a hybrid architecture. This model, a critical concept for any modern architectural seller, allows customers to connect their on-premises systems to the Webex cloud, getting the best of both worlds. For example, a customer could keep their CUCM for rock-solid on-premises call control but connect it to the Webex cloud.

This connection allows their on-premises phones and video devices to seamlessly call cloud-based users and join Webex meetings. It also allows the customer to manage their entire system, both on-premises and cloud, from a single cloud-based portal. This hybrid approach provides a practical and graceful migration path to the cloud. It allows customers to move at their own pace, protecting their existing investments while still taking advantage of the innovation and flexibility of the cloud.

Reframing the Value Proposition for the Cloud

The shift from an on-premises architecture to a cloud platform requires a corresponding shift in the value proposition. The conversation, which for the 700-038 Exam was about control and reliability, is now about agility and experience. The primary value of the cloud architecture is the ability to deliver a seamless collaboration experience to any user, on any device, anywhere in the world. It is about empowering a flexible, hybrid workforce and attracting top talent.

Another key value proposition is the speed of innovation. With a cloud platform, the customer is always on the latest version, benefiting from a continuous stream of new features and AI-powered enhancements that are delivered automatically. The financial value proposition is also different, focusing on the benefits of an Opex model, which reduces upfront costs and provides predictable monthly expenses. The modern architectural sale is about selling a subscription to an ever-improving service, not a one-time purchase of a static system.

The Role of APIs and Programmability

A key advantage of modern cloud architectures that was not a major focus in the 700-038 Exam era is their programmability. Cloud platforms like Webex are built with a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These APIs allow customers and third-party developers to integrate collaboration capabilities directly into their own business applications and workflows. This opens up a world of possibilities for automation and customization.

For example, a company could use APIs to build a bot in a Webex messaging space that automatically pulls sales data from their CRM system. A healthcare provider could embed a secure video consultation button directly into their patient portal application. This ability to embed communication into the flow of work is a powerful differentiator. It transforms the collaboration platform from a set of standalone tools into a programmable service that can be tailored to the unique needs of any business process.

Selling a Single, Integrated User Experience

Ultimately, the most powerful message for the modern collaboration architecture is the single, integrated user experience. In a world of application overload, the value of having one application for all communication and collaboration needs cannot be overstated. With the Webex App, a user can make a phone call, send a persistent message, join a video meeting, and even interact with contact center features, all from a single, intuitive interface that is consistent across their laptop, tablet, and smartphone.

This is the modern fulfillment of the architectural promise that the 700-038 Exam was built around. It is the culmination of the journey from a collection of interconnected on-premises servers to a single, intelligent, cloud-native application. The core sales skill remains the same: to lift the customer's gaze from their immediate, tactical needs and show them the transformative power of a truly unified and seamless collaboration experience.

The Rise of the Enterprise Agreement

The licensing model for modern architectures has evolved just as the technology has. The modern equivalent of the Unified Workspace Licensing (UWL) from the 700-038 Exam era is the Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA). An EA is a comprehensive, multi-year licensing agreement that provides a simpler and more strategic way for customers to procure and manage their collaboration software. Instead of buying licenses for individual products, a customer can purchase an EA that gives them access to the entire Webex Suite.

This model has huge benefits. It provides customers with predictable, fixed pricing for their collaboration needs. It gives them the flexibility to deploy any workload from the suite at any time, which encourages adoption of new technologies. For the salesperson, the EA is a powerful tool for selling the entire architecture. It moves the conversation from a transactional, product-by-product sale to a single, strategic, enterprise-wide agreement. Mastering the art of selling EAs is a key skill for a modern architectural seller.

Selling the Future of Work

The conversation around collaboration has been elevated. It is no longer just about communication tools; it is about enabling the "Future of Work." This is a strategic C-level conversation about how to redesign work, the workforce, and the workplace for the new reality of a hybrid, globalized world. An account manager operating at the level once certified by the 700-038 Exam must be able to lead these conversations. This involves discussing topics that go far beyond technology.

It includes talking about how to create an inclusive culture for a distributed workforce. It involves discussing how to redesign the physical office to be a hub for collaboration rather than a place for individual work. It even touches on issues of employee well-being and preventing burnout in an always-on digital world. The collaboration architecture is positioned as the foundational technology platform that enables this new way of working, making it a critical component of the customer's overall business and talent strategy.

Addressing Modern Architectural Objections

With any large-scale architectural sale, there will be objections. However, the objections in the cloud era are different from those in the on-premises world of the 700-038 Exam. A common objection is the fear of "vendor lock-in." Customers may be hesitant to commit to a single platform. The best way to address this is to highlight the platform's commitment to open standards and interoperability. Show how it can still seamlessly connect with users on other platforms and how its rich set of APIs allows for integration with a multi-vendor ecosystem.

Another objection is the perceived complexity of migrating from an existing on-premises environment to the cloud. This is addressed by presenting the hybrid architecture as a phased and manageable migration path. You can also leverage certified partners who have deep expertise in managing these migrations. By showing the customer a clear, de-risked path to the cloud, you can build their confidence and overcome their inertia.

The Importance of Customer Success

In a subscription-based, architectural sales model, the role of customer success is paramount. The sale is not complete when the EA is signed. In many ways, it is just beginning. The long-term success of the partnership depends on the customer's employees actively using and getting value from the platform. This is a major shift from the on-premises model of the 700-038 Exam, where the focus was on the initial deployment.

The modern account manager must work hand-in-glove with a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM). Together, they are responsible for driving adoption, sharing best practices, conducting user training, and ensuring the customer achieves their desired business outcomes. A successful customer is one who will not only renew their agreement but will also expand their usage over time. This focus on the entire post-sale lifecycle is the key to sustainable growth in a recurring revenue business.

Conclusion

While the specific technologies and product names have changed dramatically, the core philosophy of the 700-038 Exam is more relevant than ever. The discipline of architectural selling—of looking beyond point products to solve enterprise-wide business problems—is the hallmark of an elite sales professional. The ability to engage in strategic conversations with senior executives, to build a compelling financial business case, and to co-create a multi-year technology roadmap are timeless skills.

The modern collaboration market, with its complex and powerful cloud platforms, demands this consultative approach. The best account managers are not just selling technology; they are selling business transformation. They are helping their customers navigate the complexities of hybrid work, improve employee engagement, and create a more agile and innovative organization. This strategic, value-driven approach is the enduring legacy of the 700-038 Exam and the definitive blueprint for success in modern technology sales.

Choose ExamLabs to get the latest & updated Cisco 700-038 practice test questions, exam dumps with verified answers to pass your certification exam. Try our reliable 700-038 exam dumps, practice test questions and answers for your next certification exam. Premium Exam Files, Question and Answers for Cisco 700-038 are actually exam dumps which help you pass quickly.

Hide