Save money on telecoms without compromise!

Times are tough, I think all would now agree.

Companies are quite rightly keen to keep re-occurring costs to a minimum by removing all overheads that are not critical and lower those that are still essential to a business.

Telecoms in the form of telephone systems and data access to the Internet is crucial to pretty much all business on the planet and hence there is no option as to whether it is required. However the question comes, can the costs be reduced?

I think there is mileage in reviewing your costs in this area but in our eyes quality is key and should not be compromised or else the outward impression of the organisation is substandard and portrays that you are willing to cut costs at any expense.

The fact of the matter is that you can find a point where you can reduce costs but still maintain quality. Unfortunately it is hard to find providers that deliver this balance!

VoIP is reducing costs as 'the last mile' is not metered and monopolised by the incumbent supply such as BT or cable companies. However it is still important to keep the quality of the service in the core of the provider. It can be done and is delivered but by business grade providers and unfortunately the 'proof of the pudding is in the eating'.

Many IT companies have turned their hand to telephone service and telephone service providers started playing in the world of IT, which is partially where the problem starts.

There are very few companies that truly have the skill set to recommend and provide services that will work day in, day out and provide business grade quality, but I reiterate, it is possible!

From a purchasing point of view I think the key is to strike a balance and respect that for such an important part of the business you must allocate a proportion of the budget!

At Alfred Ashley Group, we use lines with guarantees to provide the underlying infrastructure and then use business grade carriers as the next layer.

If a carrier is not delivering we have to demonstrate this on a technical level but we can then take them to task over it. The same is true of the underlying data line provider, as often they are not the same carriers as each carrier can provider a specialism.

It has taken a long time but products are now available that deliver business grade communication saving currently over 40% on call charges and approx 10% on line rental. We could push this further but the compromise becomes too much for our customers and our reputation.

However, the by-product is that we can allow companies to take their numbers to any new location have great Disarster Recovery plans and so much more, but there is still some cost involved in this essential part of your business!