In today's complex (and sometimes confusing) world of telecommunications, it can be challenging for anyone tasked with selecting new and better business communications technologies. Gone are the days of separate voice and data infrastructures. It's all data today. The IT Manager of old has also become the "phone guy" now, like it or not.
Luckily, today's IP-PBX phone systems are basically another server on the network, and the software generally has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. However, when it comes to dealing with telecom carriers and/or service providers, these IT Managers are stepping into foreign territory-and the landscape can pretty rocky to navigate.
IT decision-makers need to have a clear understanding of their company's requirements as it relates to telecom and data access. Do they just have basic needs for phone lines with basic dial tone? Or, are their needs more complex, requiring enhanced call routing and call center functionality? Is Internet access used primarily for simple e-mail and basic web browsing functionality? Or, is the company using the Internet to access business-specific applications, requiring a higher level of reliability?
How these questions are answered determines which ultimate solution is right for your situation. Basically, it comes down to two types of providers: telecom carriers or service providers.
Telecom carriers base their service on the physical facilities they already have in place. If you call your local phone company (AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, etc.), they are going to offer an array of solutions geared around providing you with the access you need. What most customers will tell you is that if you just need access (i.e. dial tone), the carriers can deliver it, but they tend to fall short in the areas of client service and support.
This lack of customer focus comes, in large part, from the fact that their technology infrastructure has been in place for decades and has been paid for many, many times over. Carriers are so focused on their infrastructure that the solution is secondary, putting them behind in terms of developing anything truly innovative. It is not that they do not have the expertise or ability to fully embrace new technologies; they are just hamstrung by the glut of legacy systems they are forced to utilize to deliver their service.
Solution providers are not confined in this way. The service provider concept was born with the solution in mind, versus the physical medium through which it is delivered. In fact, most service providers can deliver their service over a variety of options. As a result, they are redefining the way businesses receive and utilize communications solutions. Voice is now delivered over business-class networks as streams of data, making it dynamic and yielding an extensible infrastructure. Service providers make the solution fit the customer's needs, instead of making the customer fit into an old technology.
Solution providers are also able to provide a much more comprehensive approach to solution delivery. By delivering advance communications applications like call center functionality, collaboration tools and network security as adjunctive services to the core telecom deliverables, their solution-oriented approach is more appealing to companies embracing this newer technology.
Another key factor attracting companies to service providers is their approach to serving the customer. Carriers still have a bad reputation of not making customers feel special or important. For the longest time, they were the only option, so they simply didn't have to. Logic would dictate that once they were faced with competition things would change, but I assure you it is no easy task to find big fans of the big carriers.
Service providers generally sell themselves as much on their level of service as they do on their technical expertise. Mainly because IT REALLY MATTERS! During a time of crisis, customers want to know that the service representative on the other end of the phone knows who they are as a customer and understands the importance of ensuring that their issue is resolved right away.
Clearly there are many factors to consider when selecting the best solution for your business. But selecting the right company to deliver that solution is perhaps the most important.
I am of the opinion that the service provider route is best, but I also work for one.
John Wesselman
