Picking the best telecom for your business
Meg P. wrote in to Ask FSB for advice on picking a telecom for a small business. What's your advice?
From Jason Peters, Louisville Ky Greetings!
I am Jason Peters with Aelatis Technology out of Louisville, Ky. We are in the business of cost cutting and representation of who's who in the telecom industry. It really depends on the application to really say what is best. For some customers VoIP is a great deal if they do a lot of Long Distance or if they just need local service for 1-4 lines, then for $100 (plus those pesky taxes) I can deliver them 4 analog lines with long distance at 5.5 cents a minute.
If you have a business that has multiple locations (or teleworkers), in a wide geographical area, I promise VoIP is the way to go. We work with a vendor that offers a hosted platform so the only hardware to buy is the phones and if your business location is already wired for a data network you are all set and ready to go! This would allow 4 digit dial and no long distance charges between your locations. Not to mention we can also give one location the abiity to have phone numbers covering a number of area codes. You can be clear across the US and give your customers local numbers. This creates a feel of local presence and reduces the cost of toll free numbers.
This also allows for quick and easy recovery in a disaster. Anywhere you have adequate Internet access you can have your business phone.
What I would warn against VoIP though, is stay away from the likes of Vonage and the residential based services. They tend to offer little in Quality of Service and are typically oversubscribed. More of your commercial providers even have Internet providers that they work with to engineer the ideal environment for your business so it is a good idea to speak to the provider (or your sales agent) first to help them with the rest of the puzzle.
With that said, sure, centrex or other circuit options are available. Something new to hit the market are called Dynamic T1's where you have your phone lines, but when they are not utilized you have the full use of the T1 for data. We have a few customers with phone systems on Dynamic T1's and they have some of the most clean calls ever.
So it just depends on the size of your business, your budget, and if you want your own phone system. Typically, if you have a 1 to 1 ratio, a hosted product will work. If you have something like 5 to 1 (5 people to 1 phone line) a phone system will be your better option as you can better balance out the incoming phone lines.
With a national footprint, we deliver a wide range of data and voice services and have the understanding to combine the two together.
Give us a call today, 502.851.1134 and we would be very happy to answer any questions that you may have — even to help with a baseline in getting quotes from providers in your area.
Jason Peters
Aelatis Technology Inc
502.851.1134
From Cedar Key , Florida Warning VOIP services are not the best small business solution with low cost providers. I've been in the Telecommunication business since 1981 and prefer to tell my clients that IP Voice & Data is pretty much not appropriate for small business needs. Look at Centrex services from your local provider LEC. Centrex service will provide the functions most small businesses need with little capital outlay. Long Distance is at a very low costs theses days running off T1's or Centrex services for under three cents per minute. Make sure all billings is done with a incremental billing package to save on short period calls less than a minute. I advise my clients to look at phone systems and services that address the needs of running the business not buying future technology like VOIP. I encourage clients to ask questions regarding customer service and billing which most carriers do poorly. Look at PRI T1's if your a firm uses over 100,000 minutes of LD or local calling.
Never consider theses services at any level if you bill less than the above minute range for a PRI T1. Plain Old Telephone Service maybe the best route POTS lines. Stay away from bundled services they provide no real savings. Clarity is not a issue with the major providers. For consulting help feel free to contact UTA ,Inc Helping The World Communicate Tel: 908-916-7758
All questions will be answered regarding your Voice or Data networking needs.
Lawrence S. Feldman President
From Greg Gutos Cherry Hill NJ My name is Gregory Gutos, GM of USA Phone.com, which is a 27 year old installationa and consulting firm in Cherry Hill NJ. USA Phone.com provides you with a review of your current services, including hardware, voice and data services. Our IEL Certified approach is designed to "IMPROVE Efficiency, ENHANCE your Communications and LOWER your Costs.
If you are NOT sure what you want, need or how you could benefit with new technology…don't guess, give us a call! http://www.usaphone.com
From Dave Rusin, Rochester, NY You get what you pay for … assuming that the services you buy are a commodity is a big mistake. Be more concerned with on-time delivery and network reliability. Can you afford to be down when all your applications run over 1 path?
One major point missed in this article is understanding who physically owns the network your purchased services are running over. Regardless of brand, 94% of the time the underlying carrier will be Ma Bell. If you like Ma Bell, why switch? If not, you need to find the 6% of carriers out there who don't rely on Ma Bell for ANYTHING.
Go to our website and download my White Paper on the "12 Steps to Avoid Network Failure. It clearly spells out what to ask and look for when buying services from anyone. It is is layman terms and devoid of telco speak.
If you are tired of feeling less than adequate when the carrier sales person shows up … read my paper first.
If you like the paper, let me know and tell Oprah!!
Dave Rusin
Founder & CEO
American Fiber Systems, Inc.
Rochester, NY
http://www.afsnetworks.com
From Juan Gonzalez, Miami Florida Hello,
My name is Juan F. Gonzalez, and I'm an Account Executive with ISN Telcom, a leading provider of VoIP for small and medium sized businesses in Miami, Florida.
I share my experience from actually consulting and installing VoIP services to small and medium sized businesses in South Florida.
With so many providers to choose from, it could make the decision making process much more confusing.
When it comes to traditional voice services and DSL, it could be easier to make a decision with any of the major companies. But, with VoIP, be careful with start-ups providing this service. When choosing a provider for these service make sure to ask for:
Years in Business?
Total Business Installs to date?
Reliablity and QoS?
Customer testimonials?
My advice for a New Business Opening up, is to consider a Hosted ip PBX Solution. Why? A business can save money by reducing the capital investment in on-premises hardware. The initial investment would be the LAN and the individual IP Phones.
DSL or T1? I recommend DSL for Home Users or a Business considering up to 2 VoIP Phones max.
For a small business with multiple computers and multiple phone lines, a package with local, long distance, and high-speed internet access delivered by a T1 is probably the best way to go.
Last but not least, if the company has a local representative that is able to visit your location, it is a pretty good sign for better service and support.
Yours for business success,
Juan F. Gonzalez
http://www.juanfgonzalez.com
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My name is Eric Blaier and I also (like all the rest here) work in the industry.
There are some very good points made above in response to the article.
In my opinion, the best way for a business to select a provider is based upon the company's size and the need for data applications. Does the business have 4 employees or 140? There are very different access solutions for each of those scenarios, both fulfilling the same need in scope.
The market today is geared for excellent, low-cost converged solutions that provide data, voice and video connectivity to even small business.
Eric Blaier
Integrated Business Services, Inc.
http://www.integratedbusinessservices.net