BUSINESS TELECOMS
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Buying featureS you don’t need It is often tempting when you hear of new technology to think, “I must have that!” Look at the rush to have an iPhone 4. However, many firms do not stop to think if it suits their business needs and then find there is an even better way to use telecoms enabling them to leapfrog their competitor. And remember it is unlikely that one supplier has all the options.
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Sign long term leaSeS to get new technology and Smart featureS Many people want the latest features and think that the only way to avoid a high upfront cost by signing a long lease. However, telecoms technology changes about every 15 months, so signing a lease for five or more years could mean committing to expensive upgrades or working with obsolete technology. One solution being adopted by a
number of estate agents is hosted VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) which gives more flexibility without the long term commitment. It is very good for start-ups or those moving to new premises. Homes One of Kensington and Seymour Green of Wimbledon are two agencies that found by using the technology they could keep their up front costs to a few hundred pounds when setting up new offices. It also gave them business features like call divert and forwarding, call transfer, call waiting, click to dial and built in business continuity. It also means as they expands and open further offices calls between them will be free and can be transferred without telling the customer to redial.
CASE STUDY
Craig Sheehan is a West London agent. They were concerned about their telecoms costs and wanted to support the expansion of their property services company DUIT to over forty sites in the next five years. They were spending £2,000 a year on calls. By replacing their existing system with a Hosted VoIP solution, this will reduce to £1,250. The upfront cost will be recovered within months. As new sites are added for as little as £200 each, calls between them all will be free and the call centre functionality will ensure that calls are never missed. To complete the solution the tradesmen within DUIT have been equipped with ruggedised mobiles that will survive being dropped and trodden on. Craig Newell, a director, said, “The new technology has enabled us to cut costs, gain some great new features and support expansion of our DUIT business.”
18 OCTOBER 2010 PROPERTYdrum
Call recording options now cost very little and can act as a means of dispute resolution.’
can your cuStomerS reach you?
All estate agents want their clients to be able to contact them easily. Some use non geographic numbers such as 0800 and 0845. Originally created to reduce the calling in cost, the advantage has started to be eroded with so many people using their mobile and these type of calls are expensive to call. Does your solution allow you to
transfer/divert calls when leaving the office? Do you know much each such call costs? Some suppliers charge diverts and don’t include them in capped or bundles tariffs. Features like this can be added sometimes without changing systems but through the network.
7 Is your web site generating calls for you?
Using the same approach as Rightmove for a few pounds a month, you can assess how many calls come from your website, newspaper adverts etc. It will also report on unanswered calls and supports call forwarding if lines are busy. The same feature also enables remote diverting of calls if people are unable to get to work due to weather or transport issues. Finally, call recording options that
several years ago would have cost tens of thousands now cost a few tens of pounds per month. These include can improve customer service and acts as a means of dispute resolution.
Unfortunately, because of the recession
could i have got a Better deal? Every agent will believe they are good negotiators, but how many really know what is the best telecoms deal? Depending on the size of company, calls to local and national numbers are now down to around 1p a minute, less for those with large call volumes. Calls to mobiles can be obtained for around 7p to 7.5p a minute and will fall further following recent Ofcom announcements on interconnect fees.
some firms have reduced their workforces. How many have remembered to check to see if they can reduce the number of connections to their premise as fewer calls being made. A recent survey showed one in seven companies had more connectivity than they needed.
Summary Buying a house is the largest transaction most people make so they have surveys, use lawyers to ensure it all goes smoothly and there are no nasty surprises. Estate agents would be well advised to apply similar rigour to their telecoms to ensure they get the best deal and do not have to repent at their leisure.
Dave Millett owns Equinox, an independent consultancy and brokerage. He has previously worked in senior European roles for some of the largest companies in the telecoms industry. Equinox will provide a free review to the first 100 readers of PROPERTYdrum to get in contact. Call 0208 912 0845 or visit
www.equinoxcomms.co.uk.
Add your own tips and techniques online at:
www.propertydrum.com/articles/equinox
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