Questions to Ask When Choosing a Telecom Broker

Outstanding  customer service is what a Telecom agency should be all about. Telecom Agents/Brokers can possess impressive telecommunications verbiage and tech speak, but experience and customer service dedication outweigh tech speak any day. It’s like judging a book by it’s cover- don’t be fooled. The telecom business is crawling with sales agents and each one wants to impress you with their spiel. How do you make a wise decision without being persuaded by a well-articulated tech spiel about products and/or services you don’t need?

Believe it or not, being aware about customer service practices and your expectations is more important than being tech savvy when choosing a  Telecommunications Broker. Another helpful tip; Choosing your Telecom Agency (MasterAgency) should be done prior to deciding on which Unified Communications/ Telecom Carriers you are interested in. Questions to ask yourself and a Telecom Broker:

  1. How much experience? How long has the Telecom Agency been in business and also how long have the Master Agents been working there?
  2. Are they concerned with providing a specific plan for YOUR business?
  3. When I have an issue, who will be there to answer my questions?
  4. In what part of the process is my Telecom Broker involved in?
  5. Do I have to pay for a quote from the Telecom Broker?

These questions will give you an optimal head start. Because there are so many consistently new Unified Communications products and services available to your business, the determining factors for where you take your business and who you trust comes down to experience and superb customer service.

NWMAP offers free quotes, customer service first promise, and agents with 20+ years experience individually.

Don’t Just Guess! Get the Right Phone System and Internet Services For Your Business

When you guess, you lose money. Creating the most efficient phone system or internet service plan for your business should involve less time spent on guesswork and more time on enjoying the bottom line rewards a specifically designed plan can bring in.  The communications system within your business is it’s lifeline; it keeps everyone, employees and customers, connected and informed. How fast and efficient that system is greatly depends on how specific it is to your business requirements.

Questions to ask yourself before purchasing Unified Communications products and services are as follows:

  1. What is the latest technology in Unified Communications?
  2. Will your business benefit from an updated system?
  3. Does the service provider offer free quotes, installation, 24 hour support, packages tailored to benefit your company, ability to upgrade when needed?
  4. How concerned are you and/or the service provider with adhering to a lean budget and absolutely getting the biggest bang for your buck?
  5. Will the system and products be user-friendly for ALL your employees who will be using it regularly?
  6. How much time do you have to shop around? You can be assured that every other company is working on a better telephone solution for their office.

If you don’t know all the answers to these questions, don’t feel overwhelmed, because there is an EASY solution. The reality is you can certainly lose money on the Unified Communications purchase itself and in the long run as well. However, telecommunications agents at NWMAP can answer all your phone system and Internet/Ethernet questions, save you money, offer you more options, and provide full service form start to finish, and on-going. No guesswork.

Get More For Your Money By Using a Telecom Broker

Not many businesses, in the current economic climate, have extra money to put towards expanding their technology. Even though this single aspect is proven to improve business and the bottom line, they may feel overwhelmed or misguided by the choices and direction technology is headed towards. A Telecom Broker will pinpoint your specific needs and save you money.

What you should look for when choosing a Telecom Broker:  

  • How long the person has been a broker for their current company. Their is a high turnover rate in Telecom sales/agent positions. If a person’s position is completely dependant on the sales than they will be highly motivated to sell you products you don’t need.
  • How long the Telecom Broker has been in the business. In this business, expertise and ongoing relationships with carriers is crucial to saving your business money.
  • Help you consolidate your current phone systems and business Internet/Ethernet. Just as you may save money by bundling your cable and phone bill at home, you can do the same for your business. Don’t just pay the monthly bills, contact a broker to help you find ways to save money by consolidating services.
  • Search for ways to save you money. A Telecom Broker should never convince you to use products that don’t absolutely make sense specifically for your company.
  • Ongoing relationship with you. Telecom Brokers should always be available to meet your needs and answer questions. They should also provide a simple billing system.

 

NWMAP has Telecom Agents that will meet and exceed your expectations.

Building Redundancy Into Wide Area Network (WAN) with MPLS

Whether your business is large or small, you realize business is still running even in the off hours, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the internet. The need for continuity and availability is crucial for success. Building a redundant network is one of the smartest strategies you can use to combat unexpected issues, such as inopportune site maintenance or other unforeseen down time and failures within your network.

Many vendors, or carriers, offer a variety of products to implement into your existing network. Even if you have a plan for creating a redundant network, ordering through a vendor can be tedious and time consuming, especially if you don’t know exactly what you want. There really isn’t any wiggle room for mistakes because, as I mentioned above, business is running constantly. The Telecom Brokers at NWMAP will listen to your needs, orders products specific to those needs, and install, as well as maintain this more efficient way of keeping your business competitive.

For many, the choice of redundant networks is a MPLS (Multiprotocol Label System). MPLS can be the best resource for building network redudancy in a wide area network (WAN) for several reasons. First, better security and survivability during those unexpected events we discussed above. MPLS offers hands-down better performance for your buck. It’s smart- yes, it’s true MPLS uses class of service and priority queuing, which means it recognizes your most important traffic and prioritizes it. Other benefits include consolidations and simplifications, which to a business translates into lower overall cost and increased efficiency- all in a day’s work.

Telecommunications Broker Vs. Buying Direct

After years of working for a well-known Telecommunications vendor, I know firsthand why business consumers should choose a Telecommunications broker for their business phone system needs.

I want to share with you the advantages of using a  Telecommunications broker.

  • A Telecommunications Broker is different than a Sales Rep. If you buy direct, you’ll be dealing with a Sales Rep who may sell you unnecessary technology and not consider your specific phone system needs.
  • Telecom Brokers are always there for you- any questions, any time.
  • They offer you solutions and resolve business phone system issues.
  • They are present every step of the process, from seeking the best deal to implementation, installation and ongoing maintenance.
  • They shop around for you. Sales Reps will only sell you their dealer’s product.
  • Telecom Brokers have extensive knowledge and experience working with several types of businesses and Unified Communication vendors.
  • Customer service first. Sales Reps work directly for the vendors and once they’ve sold you their product, they drop you like a bad habit.