gy for expansion
it gives businesses the means to enable efficiency via remote working.”
But according to Gradwell the industry still has a job to do in educating the market in its use of VoIP. “We’re focusing heavily on looking at how our customers use VoIP and talking a lot more about customer stories, as well as messages that will increase customer confidence, such as security and reliability,” he said. “With the partner channel, it is about giving the tools to our partners and we have significantly grown the channel management team and focused on the partners keen and capable. We have also deployed a set of tools for their benefit, such as the Gradwell Approved Professional scheme, a formal training course that gives a telecoms engineer all they need to know about hosted VoIP and SIP trunking.”
Key partners Gradwell uses TalkTalk business to provide its data services and Three to support its mobile applications. Gradwell Mobile is a relatively new offer, essentially providing a landline on the move. “Our agreement with Three allows us to provide customers with Gradwell SIM cards, which are registered with a fixed-line geographic number rather than a traditional mobile number,” noted Gradwell. “The product was born out of research that found a distrust among consumers of businesses that only used mobile numbers. Of course, there is a genuine reason many legitimate firms, particularly micro- businesses and tradespeople, use a mobile handset rather than a traditional landline. Gradwell Mobile
allows these businesses to marry consumer confidence with practical need.”
The mobile market remains the biggest change for unified communications providers, believes Gradwell. Mobile has emerged as the central tool for business. “Firms aren’t looking for unified communications or convergence, rather one identity and one phone handset that enables one way of working,” he stated. “The launch of Gradwell Mobile has put us at the heart of the market, however we need to carry on combining our infrastructure and our suppliers in order to deliver a fully joined-up but simple and cheap product.”
In terms of technologies, Gradwell sees FTTC as an important market as it fills a gap between EFM and fibre. “We are working to develop a service offer which we hope to launch next year,” he said. “In line with our commitment to providing customers with a single, easy service, we are also looking to expand our product roadmap to offer cloud-based desktop services. While our services are of particular value to the smaller end of the SME market, our reliability and scalability means that we are well- placed to bring our services to the 50-250 segment. In the next 18 months we are looking to expand our market share across the SME sector.”
Another priority for the company is its approach to customer service. In recent years, Gradwell has established an effective connectivity strategy with its customers, harnessing a range of channels and networks, including social media, to establish a
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tight feedback loop. “Our online feedback platform, for example, is helping us to ensure our product development is driven by the needs of our customers,” he said. “We’ve recently implemented a range of service developments that were directly inspired by customer suggestions, the latest being a new facility that allows businesses to hot-desk more effectively. The new tool enables different employees to login and out of their personal extension using a VoIP phone at a hot desk location.”
Changing landscape Advances in consumer electronics are also changing the commercial landscape, believes Gradwell. “We used to have to go into work to get access to the latest technology, but the advent of smartphone hardware such as the iPhone and growth of online networks like Facebook have seen our personal lives become infiltrated with these innovations and tools. It is businesses that are having to play catch-up.”
He sees this trend as a key determining factor in the market. Another influence on how the market is shaping up is the pessimistic economic outlook, he believes, because businesses are unwilling to make capital investments. “If you own or are starting a small business today, then it is all about saving money and increasing flexibility,” he said. “Business is not in a position to make capital investments, so purchasing communications as a service is relevant. And of course, VoIP naturally provides a number of inherent cost savings which everyone appreciates.”
n Part of the Daisy Group plc COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2011 29
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