Today’s telecommunications marketplace has grown into a huge industry and one that is hugely complex as well. With all the options out there for handling your company’s telecommunications – including Voice, Mobile, Data & Cloud solutions – trying to find the right setup to grow your business can be extremely challenging.
That’s why more and more companies are turning to independent telecom agents to assist them with their telecommunications needs. But why, you might ask, should I pay extra money to someone when I can cut out the middle man?
We take look at the top reasons why we see this trend occurring in the marketplace today.
1.Single Point of Contact
Regardless of whether your Independent Telecom Agent recommends a single carrier solution or a multi-carrier solution for your company, you still have a single point of contact to deal with the person who knows your account best. During the pricing and evaluation process for new carriers, it is typical to request at least 3 bids and have at least two appointments with at least three carriers each. The number of appointments you schedule could easily surpass a dozen or more before an educated decision is made on your company’s communications. When you use a qualified Independent Telecoms Agent, you can spend a single appointment determining the best course of action for your company, and just one more evaluating the best options available in your market. Having a single point of contact is a huge time saver!
2.Person who understands your company, how you make decisions, and why.
Your Independent Telecom Agent acts as an assistant buyer for your company once he/she understands your business needs and preferences. He/she gets to know your organisation, information about your short and long-term goals, and why and how you make decisions. Why would you want to repeat that process every couple of years?
3. They’re working for YOU
Salesmen want sales. They generally don’t care how well the service performs after you sign on the dotted line. An independent telecom agent, however, remains in your employ past the initial signup. It’s in their own interests to ensure you have the best possible communications setup since it’s their job on the line if your communications fail.
4. No quotas
A telecoms company sales person will more than likely have a sales quota to fill. Once they have their sale clients are passed on to a separate team for customer services, difficulties and queries. An independent agent will not be working to a quota; they have an interest in keeping a customer base and finding the perfect deal for each company rather than pushing a specific deal.
5.Unbiased opinion of multiple carriers and their product lines
Based on where your business is heading, whether that will be expanding, streamlining, or downsizing, your Independent Telecom Agent can put you in the right situation. Just like buying an inexpensive phone system that can’t grow with you can create the need for a forklift upgrade sooner than expected, getting stuck with a carrier that can’t meet your future expectations can be crippling to any operation. Do they have an MPLS network to support VoIP? Do they provide SIP trunking? Can they offer an IP-VPN solution for your remote sites? Your Independent Telecom Agent understands the carriers products and limitations meaning they can put you in the right solution for your company.
6. Renegotiating contracts
Standard telecom contracts run for 36 months, and many businesses are too busy to be able to negotiate new terms, conditions or prices. As a result, business could end up paying more year after year and not getting the latest technology available. An independent agent can renegotiate these contracts on company’s behalf and where necessary switch service providers to the best deal for clients.
7. They understand Next Generation Technology
Independent Telecom Agents will typically be better versed in MPLS, IP-VPN, VOIP, hosted solutions, call centre applications, and SIP technologies since they need to understand multiple carriers’ offerings and have attended their training. Direct representatives will often know a few tweaks to their individual limited product line a little better than agents that do not exclusively sell their products, but they will not have the overall understanding of all that is coming with new technology. No carrier can be the master of all technologies and master of all niches. It’s a business impossibility. So it follows that it is nearly impossible for a direct representative to have the same breadth and width of exposure to the applications you are facing decisions on.
Conclusion
Business is fiercely competitive, and implementation of some of the newer technologies correctly can literally save larger companies hundreds of thousands of pounds annually. That may be the exact edge your company needs to gain the competitive edge in your marketplace for security, marketing, recruiting, or even retention. Likewise, implementing a bleeding edge technology that is not ready for prime time may cost you the same. Using an experienced Independent Telecom Agent who is looking out for your best interests may make all the difference.
To find out how Spectrum, an independent telecoms agent, could help your business save time and money contact our friendly team today on 0844 85 3301 or take a look at our case studies to see how we have helped other companies like yours.
