BUSINESS PROFILE Maintel shifts up a gear
Nine months after taking on his ‘job of choice’, Maintel’s Chief Operations Officer, Kevin Stevens, is up and running with a wide reaching customer care strategy having implemented, what is by any standards, a first rate service desk and system support operation.
W
hen Maintel’s new COO walked into the office for
the first time his mind was already set on implementing a support infrastructure designed to meet growing demand for end-to-end converged solutions. With a particular emphasis on customer service Maintel has been developing expertise in end-to-end solutions for some time and boasts nationwide resource for installation, project management, system design and implementation of solutions for customers across a range of sectors, including large scale contact centre implementations for household brands. Stevens noted: “Although many businesses have held back through the recession, developments in voice and data solutions have moved on with businesses wanting flexible SIP-based systems and a level of service that gives them business continuity.”
Stevens has a seasoned career in telecoms having worked with manufacturers and in distribution channels, and it was during this period that Maintel caught his fancy. “It seems a cliché, but Maintel was a company I’d always wanted to work for,” said Stevens. “I’d been a customer of Maintel’s in the past, and despite enjoying my job at Westcon Convergence when the call came I knew it was a great opportunity and
a 30 year career I’ve either done, or had influence over, most of the jobs people do in the organisation.”
Kevin Stevens
I knew this was a great opportunity
good career move. I believe I can bring a fresh pair of eyes to a company which has a great reputation and strong potential for growth.”
Career history
Stevens started his comms career at BT as an apprentice. After six years in engineering roles he moved to Siemens Communications where he operated as a support engineer. Following a six year stint at Siemens Stevens moved to Genesis Telecommunications, a small company with big
ambitions. He was a key part of the team instrumental in Genesis’ growth, and became managing director before the company was sold to Xpert Communications, a data-centric integrator. Continuing as Operations Director, Stevens gained much experience in data. Subsequently it was bought by Redstone and he remained as Operations Director until 2007. “Moving to Westcon was a complete change,” recalls Stevens. “The BT apprenticeship was a great start and through
Firm foundations Maintel enjoys a stable trading position (the company is well capitalised and has no debt) and has a geographic coverage with more than 100 engineers from Inverness to Truro. The company has shown sustained growth reporting first half results for 2010 of £1.35 million pre-tax profit, up from £970,000 in the same period of the year before. The development of Maintel’s new support mechanisms build on its pedigree in the break fix maintenance sector and complement its evolving professional services division. These developments have enabled Maintel to take advantage of the move from legacy technology to SIP networks and virtualisation.
The influencing factors shaping Maintel’s go-to- market strategy are based on changing technologies, backed by its skills set and ability to provide solutions that enable customers to change their businesses for the better. “We are focusing on change due to the rapid developments in technology and the importance we place on supporting customers in their future developments,” noted Stevens. “Flexibility will be key for all businesses and is what will give them a competitive edge.”
Maintel’s independent stance enables it to offer customers an integrated multi-vendor option focusing on Avaya, Siemens and Mitel. According to Stevens, Maintel is opening up new service opportunities for partners, enabling them to expand and cover technologies and geographical areas without further investment in people, by using its nationwide resources. “We can provide a complete rack of services around those solution sets,” said Stevens. “Because we have evolved from a maintenance service delivery background we have a wide in-house capability to support all kinds of services, legacy or new. We can support a customer with a legacy base through a seamless change to the latest technology.”
As technology develops and advances, Stevens forecasts that more customers will opt for SIP- based and hosted solutions, including virtual servers, enabling maintenance and software upgrades to be managed from a single point. “Technology is driving growth,” he said. “The market is picking up because the technology means you can gain real business benefits by implement a UC or contact centre architecture with the latest apps. It is about improving business processes and business performance, and staying as efficient and competitive as the rest of the world.” n
26 COMMS DEALER MARCH 2011
www.comms-dealer.com
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