INDUSTRY NEWS COMMENT: WHOLESALE LINES Colin Annette
THE UK support services market is forecast to be worth £500 million in revenue in the next three years with a CAGR of 43.6 per cent, and £274 million in revenue in FY 14/15 (Analysys Mason, June 2010). Market demand is being driven by residential and SoHo customers with low technical literacy and larger SMEs with overstretched IT resources and cost challenges. Customers are turning to Service Providers with requests
for additional non-traditional support. Around 20 per cent of customer support calls do not relate directly to any of the company’s services (Current Analysis, November 2010). SPs in a number of countries are already benefiting from
offering device, apps and content services to support their customers’ increasingly complex connected world. Satisfied customers are less prone to churn, more apt to recommend the SP to others and sign up for extra value added services. If we don’t respond to the UK market SPs will look
elsewhere for support services. We’ve been working on getting the first, core propositions ready to allow us to enter and compete in the market in 2011/2012. We’ve been testing the propositions and helped Hull- based Kingston Communications launch KC Care, a broadband and phone customer care service. And we’ve completed the trial of a home healthcheck/audit service called Network Connect. Our initial Smart Services will give us the building blocks to extend our reach into new areas for content, devices and connectivity. Our Apps-Based Service (ABS) programme and
predict-to-prevent capabilities will help us avoid cost by directly addressing the points of failure. By building up a suite of Smart Services for SPs to sell we can generate incremental revenue through increased ARPU and reduce churn on our core products.
Colin Annette, Director, BT Wholesale
Faster prices with 1Portal
RESELLERS have given the thumbs up to a new pricing por- tal developed by data network supplier Virtual1.
Called 1Portal, the system interconnects into the pricing systems of every carrier in the UK saving time and helping partners win more business. Business Development Dir- ector at IP Integration, Craig Joseph, commented: “1Portal has transformed the way we do business. The speed and accu- racy of its quotes has already saved me and the company more than 10 hours per week. “This free time means that we’ve been able to review our account management strategy. We have the freedom to pursue new business opportunities and dedicate more time to strength- ening the relationships we have with our existing customers.” Ben Le Feuvre at CCT On- line agrees that when it comes to providing quotes to custom- ers time is of the essence. He said: “When I need pric- ing I need it straight away. With customers demanding a quick turnaround on quotes I don’t have the time to research costs from every supplier for every opportunity. Virtual1’s 1Portal has provided a real solution.”
Tom O’Hagan
“With 1Portal, pricing is completed in real-time and delivered via email within seconds of completing the quotation.”
Virtual1’s MD Tom O’Hagan commented: “Pricing is an ardu- ous and time consuming task for resellers yet doing it thoroughly and accurately is essential to winning new and repeat busi- ness from customers. “With 1Portal, pricing is completed in real-time and delivered via email within sec- onds of completing the quo- tation. Partners can respond quickly to pricing requests from their customers and prospects. “We will shortly be launch- ing a white label version exclu- sively to our partners.”
SHORT CALLS
Datasharp has been shortlisted for the Employer of the Year Award in the 2011 Cornwall Business Awards. Jane Cockcroft, MD, said: “This is great recognition of our dedication to creating a happy and fulfilling work environment for our loyal staff. Datasharp is proud to be a lively and proactive company.”
TeleWare has launched Mobile Direct Connect (MDC), a service that connects Mobile Telephone networks to on-premise telephony equipment to deliver a mobile and fixed line call recording solution. MDC allows financial services organisations to meet the new FSA call recording rules governing conversations on mobile phones.
Kcom, part of the KCOM Group, has been appointed by Sentry42 to provide the comms services for its new colocation data centre in Norwich, over a three-year contract. Managing the LAN and the IP addressing for the data centre, Kcom is also providing all of the communications and direct Internet access services for Sentry42 and its customers.
Do you have used or excess stock? We will buy telecoms and now data equipment from anywhere in Europe.
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Bigger Margins - Better Service - Happier Customers 8 COMMS DEALER JUNE 2011
www.comms-dealer.com
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