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.

Unified Communications and Security

We often hear about security issues on our facebook or twitter account, but what about the security and potential risks within your own business. Truth is, it’s not a common topic of discussion unless it’s the foremost concern for a reason (security breach or malfunction) and/or you are designing a new data/information system specific to your business. Either way, a solid plan can only be accomplished if both you and your Telecom Broker are working together to prevent potential risks or keep some from never occurring…again.

If nothing has ever happened, it can give you a false sense of security and just because you have an updated Unified Communications system, doesn’t mean you are protected. There is always some level of risk, but you must decide what is acceptable for your business. Everyone must be on board; Business owner, IT Manager, Telecom decision makers, CIO, and anyone else who might be able to communicate to your Telecom Broker the best Unified Communications plan for your business. Telecom brokers can help you decide who has access to what information, who has limited access, what data is monitored and managed by who.

It is typical for a Telecom Broker to offer you solutions, but you need to offer information about your enterprise’s specific risks and issues. Doing so will put your bsuiness at a lower level of risk. It only takes one time; security issues can wreak havoc on a business. Ask a Telecom Broker at NWMAP about including VoIP and SIP trunking in your network security policies.

sources: http://unified-communications.tmcnet.com/unified-communications/departments/articles/114537-sip-trunking-unified-communications-security-what-need-know.htm