Archives for June 2012

The growth phase of any business is like walking a tightrope, with an owner or manager struggling to maintain their footing and balance high in the air. A steady and sustained uptick in sales used to necessitate the immediate hiring of additional sales and support staff, which meant a corresponding increase in overhead. Thanks to today’s technology, that’s no longer the case.  Here are three examples of technology that can help a business take steady forward steps through a growth process and beyond:

Expanding Business Reach with Remote Access Tools

 The range of services now available remotely means businesses are no longer tied to a brick and mortar location, and they offer owners or managers the flexibility of working whenever and wherever they choose. Technology can make growing a business and staying on top of day-to-day tasks completely painless – CRM software, HD voice, computing in the Cloud, video conferencing options and a remote workforce not only help a business operate smoothly, they provide scalable, cost-saving options.

Customer Relationship Management Made Easy

Staying on top of an expanding list of customers has never been easier, thanks to CRM software, and it’s a vital tool for any business focused on growth. Today’s CRM options go far beyond managing existing clients and suppliers, and allow an owner or manager to monitor marketing initiatives, track prospects and dissect past sales to predict trends. As a business expands, a CRM can be integrated with tools to streamline the sales process such as time-saving click-to-dial and email tracking, which also make it easier for management to run detailed reports and analyze sales data.

Outsourcing Inbound Calls

As a business grows, a major concern is not having the staff necessary to handle inbound inquiries and service calls, which creates the risk of missing out on potential sales or losing existing customers. Call center services offer the ideal way to ensure that new and current customers reach a live person and the response they expect. If an expanding business decides they want to amp up their outbound marketing, an experienced call center staff can also translate a sales script into prescreened prospects.

Increased efficiency, reduced stress and lower overhead are just some of the benefits that technology brings to a growing business. Has your business experienced its own painful growth phase recently? What steps did you take to get through it unscathed?

A fire destroys your business. Burglars break into the warehouse and hijack your valuable inventory. You’ve probably taken steps to guard against these kinds of threats. However, the misappropriation or destruction of financial records, client files or other sensitive and confidential information can have a significant impact on your ability to continue to serve your customers. It may also harm your reputation and result in loss of future business.

 Here are some simple actions you can take to better protect critical electronic data.

Don’t Ignore Software Updates

It never fails – you’re under a deadline and that pesky little “Updates Are Ready” bubble pops up on your computer screen. While it’s tempting to click the “Remind Me Later” button, this can expose your data to damage or loss. Many updates counter security threats discovered by the software vendor. Be especially careful to promptly install updates to your anti-virus software. It’s like checking the oil level in your car. By taking a couple of minutes now, you may be preventing a serious problem later on.

Back Up Your Data

No system is completely safe from hackers or power failures. Consider what you’d do if you couldn’t retrieve critical files promptly after a system failure or other event. Could your business survive? Remarkably, many businesses store all their data on desktop PCs or a single server – that’s a recipe for disaster. Whether you use your own on-site backup system, an offsite vendor or a cloud solution such as Dropbox, having a backup system in place will ensure that a system crash won’t cause the loss of essential files.

Internet Security

Don’t skimp when choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Good ISPs have robust systems for protecting data sent via the Internet. While everyone is trying to save on expenses these days, a low cost ISP may have outdated or weak security features. You need a provider with a demonstrated commitment to protecting its subscribers’ data. Any additional cost is likely to be very small in comparison to the cost of a data breach.

You’re committed to providing the best service to your customers. In today’s electronic environment, with millions of pieces of data flying through cyberspace every day, your dedication to quality and integrity must extend to the security of sensitive data.

What additional actions has your business taken to protect against loss of or damage to important data?

Real estate agents work in one of the most competitive sales fields in the country. Being successful requires a singular dedication to providing the best possible outcome for their clients.

A similar situation exists in the telecom services industry. It is also highly competitive with telecom agents vying against the telecom giants for clients. Telecom agents can be successful by utilizing the same customer focused approach used by successful real estate agents. The following three benefits used by successful real estate agents will also differentiate the superior service provided by telecom consultants versus their large corporate competitors:

The Unvarnished Truth

Almost every independent telecom agent has worked for one of the large service providers. As such, they have an intimate knowledge of every carrier’s products and services. Just as realtors understand the intricacies of buying a house, a telecom agent understands the drawbacks as well as the advantages of each telecom provider and their specific telecom packages. This knowledge equates to a wide range of options for your company that will exactly meet your needs in the most affordable manner.

Independent, Unbiased Advice

A realtor doesn’t care which house you buy as long you buy one. Similarly, a telecom agent typically has no loyalties to a particular carrier. Most do not have to meet a monthly sales goal which means they do not have to push a particular telecom product or service. Just like buying a house, you get an unbiased opinion on the various options available and are free to make an informed decision.

Same Person, Every Day

Realtors work with you until you find the perfect home because they want to sell you your next home as well. A telecom agent has the same mentality and looks towards your long term satisfaction. If any questions or problems arise, the same agent will be there every time to answer or resolve the issue. Simply put, they want to be part of your team as your telecom expert.

Just as every 4-bedroom house is not identical, there are many intricacies to finding the right telecom services plan. Finding a knowledgeable and unbiased telecom consultant is the first step in getting the best value in your telecom services. If you have any comments on this subject, we’d love to see them below.

The combination of traditional forms of communication with the newest technologies forms the basis for Unified Communications (UC). An excellent example is the latest generation of “smart” phones. Some of the time, you will use it in its traditional capacity as a voice communicator but, most of the time, it will serve as a link to emails, text messages and online information. This fact makes UC incredibly important to businesses because it increases a company’s efficiency, availability and marketability.

Sales Efficiency

Trying to do more with less is the essence of UC and efficiency. Less time, less resources and less money to accomplish the same or better goals means a strengthened bottom line. In addition, real time feedback allows an ongoing monitoring and adaptation of the processes and procedures.

More importantly, this process is proactive and iteractive. Sales goals such a number of calls made, time spent per call and objections noted can lead to immediate steps to strengthen the sales process. In addition, time saving expedients such as click-to-dial features can save precious minutes on every sales call.

UC also offers the opportunity to collaborate and sell via video. This feature offers all the benefits of face-to-face conversations without the attendant travel expenses and administrative headaches.

UC and 24/7 Availability

Everyone and everything is connected in the UC world. Whether you’re on a business trip in South America and merely tending to some personal business, you are only an internet connection away from being at a business meeting in any part of the world at any time of the day or night. In addition, there are a host of options that afford a professional look and feel to any business communications.

Looking Good – Perception is Everything

The latest generation of consumers expects a company to continually embrace the latest advances in communications technology. Ignoring this expectation imperils the entire success of your company as it leads to decreased marketability. For example, many “next generation” users do not have a traditional fax machine and are unreachable in this manner unless you have an eFax solution. Unified Communications offers solutions to this minor matter and ones of far greater import as well.

In short, it is very wise for a company to appear technologically capable and to effectively grasp the basics of UC. Employing the capabilities of UC in your business will bring endless benefits.

In today’s increasingly connected world, your business’s telecom systems are more important than ever. Many businesses deal directly with the large telecom carriers, thinking that having a relationship with the “biggest and best” is the key to success. Building a relationship with a telecom consultant or agent, though, is often a better way to go.

For most businesses, working with a smaller and more nimble organization is the best option. Telecom agents and consultants typically net you better telecom service, lower cost and more personalized attention. Here are some of the many reasons that great telecom solutions come from working with an agent:

Telecom agents get to know your business. As a small organization that is close to your business, your telecom agent has the time and inclination to get to know you and your needs. This high level of understanding helps them to find the right package of services from the right vendor to keep your business online and successful.

 Telecom agents work for you, not for the carrier. A telecom carrier’s sales force has to sell that carrier’s products to remain employed by them. Most agents work with a large number of carriers for you, their client. This gives you more options and a greater chance of finding the right telecom carrier.

 Telecom agents know the industry. Since they spend all of their time in the market, they know which carriers have the best coverage and service in your area. This gives them a leg up in recommending the best vendor to you.

 Telecom agents solve problems. How much time would it save you to have a single point of contact for everything pertaining to your telecommunications? Imagine having someone whose job it is to wait on hold to get an outage resolved. Telecom agents sit between you and your carrier’s bureaucracy.

 Telecom agents care about your business. Because they are small, you represent a meaningful piece of their overall sales and they will work hard to retain you as a client. Your business is much less important to a large carrier, meaning that they will work less hard to take care of you.

Big carriers do a great job of running a telecommunications network and moving vast quantities of data. Telecom agents do a better job of providing you with unbiased and supporting customer service. They are the best way to buy communications for your company.

Almost no one is fond of visiting the doctor for their annual physical exam. Most people want to consider an annual checkup as a waste of time, hoping against hope that nothing is wrong. Still, if you asked, most people state unequivocally that there is tremendous value in catching any health problems very early in the cycle. In every case, people ignore their annual checkup at their own peril.

Telecom is the Life Blood of Your Business

While one’s health is of paramount importance , the analogy holds for a wide variety of applications including the telecom services of their business. To further the analogy , these services are the life blood of your business and without them, your business will die, perhaps slowly, an inexorable death.

An annual audit or “checkup” of your company’s telecom services by a qualified independent telecom consultant can identify any technical or financial problems with your telecom system and, more importantly, delineate any potential opportunities.

The Benefits

In short, a properly functioning telecom system will, in general, deliver better customer service at a cost-effective price with minimum aggravation for your technical team. In particular, an annual telecom audit will provide the following benefits:

As rates and services are constantly changing and improving, a savvy business owner should always avail himself of the best possible choices. An annual telecom audit will give you the right information to make an informed decision. This decision keeps your company at the right level of service for your needs.

It is readily apparent that technology is evolving at an ever growing pace. Most businesses are too busy with their own core competencies to evaluate all the newest innovations in telecom services. A telecom consultant, however, is fully aware of these developments. For instance, a telecom consultant can advise the best methods of incorporating the latest and greatest in cloud-based architecture and in mobile technologies.

Business is about results. Don’t get caught with adequate, but inferior, telecom technology. It is, simply, far cheaper to adjust every year than to play “catch up.” The financial health and continued prosperity of your business demand that you reassess your telecom needs every year. Utilizing a telecom consultant is the proactive approach and will save money in the long term.