Ever increasingly, businesses are choosing to get their
telecom services from GO2Networks instead of direct sales representatives. We
look at the top 10 reasons why we see this shift occurring in the marketplace
today.
1. Mergers and Acquisitions
Sales is
already known as a high turnover profession, but the recent rash of mergers and
acquisitions in telecommunications makes it increasingly unlikely the representative who signed
you to your service agreement will still be there to assist you with any questions now.
After making it past the phase of bankruptcies following deregulation, the current
phase is mergers and acquisitions. In the past couple of years, a few of the
major mergers include Level3/Broadwing (Focal), XO/Allegiance, ATT/SBC/Bell
South, MCI/Verizon, Paetec/US Lec, and Time Warner/Xspedius among many others.
By using GO2Networks, you can be sure that regardless of
continued merger activity or bankruptcies, we will
continue to have the same contact phone number and email address and will continue to supply you all of the options you
need.
2. Single Point of
Contact
Regardless
of whether we recommends a single carrier solution
or a multi-carrier solution, you still have a single point of contact to deal
with the person who knows your account best. During the research, evaluation, and pricing
process for a new carrier, it is typical to get at least 3 bids and have at
least two appointments with at least three carriers. The number of appointments
you have to schedule could easily reach up to a dozen before an educated
decision is made on your company's communications. Using GO2Network allows you to spend your time with a single unbiased partner to determine Having a single point of contact is a huge time
saver!
3. Person who understands your company, how you make
decisions, and why.
GO2Networks acts as an assistant buyer once we understand your business needs and preferences. We get to know your organization, your goals and long range needs, and how you make decisions and why.
4. You get to hear the
truth!
When you use an experienced GO2Networks,
you tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience. We have years of experience in both enterprise and carrier market place. We have experience dealing with multiple carriers and can
tell you how they are performing. Not the corporate picture they
paint for you. Whose network has proven reliable? Whose billing system has issues? Who
has financial concerns? Who can make the desired install date? When using GO2Networks, you don't have to listen to "The Company Story" for each
carrier, as they always tend to dress up their deficiencies. You get to hear the
truth.
5. Unbiased opinion of multiple carriers and their product
lines
Based on where your business is heading, whether that be expanding, streamlining, or contracting, GO2Networks can put you in the right situation. Just like buying an inexpensive phone system that doesn't scale with you needs, and 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 your operation. Since most carriers have gone to term agreements in the T-1 age of communications, it's key to get set up with a carrier that can move with your needs. Do they have MPLS? Do they do SIP trunking? Can they offer an IP-VPN solution for your remote sites? GO2Networks knows the carriers' products and their limitations, and will put you in the right solution.
6. We are invested in your success long
term and the long term success of our community.
This is an incredibly important concept to understand and to consider when choosing to use an Telecom provider! When you work with a direct sales representative for a telecom company, one that may be here and gone tomorrow (rep or company), they are paid only to bring in the sale for their organization. As we all know in the world of corporate sales, compensations plans drive behavior, and sales representatives are often told, "If the customer has a problem, send them to the Help Desk. Do not get involved. You are paid ONLY to bring in new business." There is absolutely no motivation, despite the direct representative's best intentions, for them to ever speak to you again after you sign the dotted line. It's sad but true.
7. We don't have a quota to
make
One of the
biggest issues I have with local RBOC/ILEC, is that if you call in to the call
center to order new service, you will only be told about what THEY want to sell
you. NOT what is best for you. Everyone LOVES to sell bundles in telecom, but
let me ask you this. Why do you need Centrex calling features or voice mail on
your alarm or elevator lines? Do you need call transfer or remote access to call
forwarding on every line in your hunt group and on your fax lines? Do you have
mysterious items in the back of your bill for web hosting or other items you are
afraid to disconnect in case you actually use it? When I call the ILEC/RBOC
directly from the agent channel, I get offered different packages, and more
attractive packages, than I get over the phone through the call center. It is
very common for Independent
Telecom Agents to uncover up to 10-20% of pure fluff on your bill during the
auditing process. Why does this happen? Simple. The direct representatives you
buy from have a quota to make and will often sell you what is good for them, not
what is good for you. They are directed to sell what is profitable for the
carrier they work for, and are paid accordingly based on their ability to do so.
Top Independent Telecom Agents, almost without exception; do not carry quotas
with any carriers. Because they do not carry quotas, you will not find them
pushing you towards a solution that doesn't feel quite right just to meet their
numbers. Be frank and ask your Independent Telecom Agent if they carry quotas
with the carriers proposed. If they do carry a quota, be sure to ask enough
questions about the solution they are suggesting to make sure it is right for
you.
8. Extra Incentives and
Promotions
The Telecom
Industry is moving increasingly towards the Independent Agent Channel. In fact,
last year, a local ATT/SBC agent manager said the Agent channel gained more
business through their agent Winback program than they did their direct Winback
program. Even they were shocked! There are several reasons for this. Independent
Telecom Agents are typically more knowledgeable, better trained, set proper
expectations with the clients, their clients tend to remain clients longer
(since they were sold the right program), and it is more cost effective for the
carriers to deal with Agents. They do not pay base salaries or benefits, in
addition to commissions. Strangely enough, where I have seen this benefit the
customer most, is in the form of special incentives and promotions offered only
through the Agent Channel. It is not uncommon for agents to compete head to head
with a direct representative for one of the carriers they are presenting. It is
also not uncommon for the agent channel to have promotions or incentives that
the direct representative has not been given for the customer, and the agent
will typically win the customer because of that fact. If the direct
representatives have promotions available, they are often compensated extra if
they do not use them. Independent Telecom Agents will pull out any available
promotions available in an effort to gain your business for the long haul, as
they are typically not incented or penalized for use of
promotions.
9. Same
Pricing
The exact
same standard pricing is used in the Agent Channel and the direct channel. In
spite of all of the additional knowledge you can tap into with Independent
Agents, you can be sure you are not charged any extra for it. For large
projects, special pricing is available to both Agent and direct channels at the
same amounts. It's an incredible model that helps the customer and agent win,
and insures all clients are treated equally.
10. They understand Next Generation
Technology
Independent
Telecom Agents will typically be better versed in MPLS, IP-VPN, VOIP, hosted
solutions, call center applications, and SIP technologies since they need to
understand multiple carriers' offerings and have attended their trainings.
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
product, 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. Business is fiercely
competitive, and implementation of some of the new technologies correctly can
literally save larger companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. That may be
the exact edge your company needs to gain the competitive advantage 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.