There are two costs associated with Telecom ( Phones and Internet)
The first cost is the usual one…i.e. the cost of the service. Reduce the cost of equal or better service and you have a winner. All businesses should, and many do, monitor their telecom costs and make changes when a savings is obvious. Some do not however. For whatever reason…the chaos of day-to-day survival, nobody assigned to look into it, not knowing there are choices…etc. many businesses overlook this sometime hidden cost and “bleed” “leak” “spew”…fill in the blank…revenue unnecessarily by paying too much for telecom and Internet. Prices have come down in the past several years. If you haven’t checked your rates against all the competing carriers recently you should do so at once. I’ve seen many businesses paying 20%-30% more than the going rate without even knowing there were competing carriers and better deals available.
There are “Dealers” around who can shop your service to ALL the available carriers and get you the lowest and best bid available for your location(s) You can also call the carriers directly yourself for quotes…if you have the time and/or personnel to spend on this. Going with a dealer gets you the same or better rate however and saves you the trouble and time.
The other “cost” associated with Telecom is what you are NOT doing. Technology you are not taking advantage of is probably costing you money each and every month and quarter. Here’s an example: Small business with 20-30 employees has a basic phone system but does not have an “Auto-Attendant” feature. A receptionist or rotating employees answer the phone for the business and route and handle the calls. Many of these calls are routine inquiries or requests to talk to a specific employee, get directions to your office, ask for your fax number etc. etc. The man-hours wasted by having a salaried or hourly employee do these tasks is costing this small business $400-$500 per month. Many small business owners cling to the idea that having a live person answer the phone communicates a higher level or higher quality of service to their customers. In actual fact, in today’s world it is more likely a negative message to the client base. An efficient “auto-attendant” built into the phone system can say more about your commitment to the latest innovations as well communicate the value of your time. A good system will get the caller to the right person faster too.
Having the phone system “follow” you when you’re away from the office…if you so choose. Being on an extension to your office phone when at home or traveling…setting up remote workers (http://www.goccsg.com/virtualoffice.php). Sending and receiving fax’s from your desktop and direct line. Being able to record calls either on-demand or globally. (handy for sales training, monitoring customer service, legal issues…etc.). These are just a few examples of how today’s phone systems can reduce “costs” by taking advantage of technology.
A good office systems consultant can help you understand these capabilities and their ROI. Educating yourself online is another way to begin the process of understanding where and how you can Lower your Overhead!
David LaCroix is a Nashville based Telecom and Marketing Consultant
Twitter: http://twitter.com/david_lacroix
Plaxo: http://www.plaxo.com/profile/show/206159364466?ppk=eb5d09e47ba0037cfe2a3bd79ae611ef5fcc05e2
