"From Copper to the Cloud

Transcription

1 "From Copper to the Cloud The Balancing Act of - - Controlling Recurring Costs, and - Ensuring Quality Technical Support Presented by Brian K. Erlichman President and Chief Telecom Geek

2 Subtitle: How to Deal with Telecom Carriers and Internet Providers Without Losing Your Mind, Getting Burned, or Going Broke!

3 First, just a little about Telecom Fitness We are trusted advisors that help our clients select, purchase, and implement the best phone system for their business requirements. We are telecommunications services experts that help our clients find and implement carrier services (lines, circuits, Internet, etc.) to provide the greatest value to our clients organizations. We are also objective telecom advocates who help our clients understand and improve their ongoing telecom operating costs We are old. Over 100 years of combined telecom and networking expertise including years on the inside at AT&T and other carriers. 3

4 Our Telecom Fitness Review We are best known for our unique TFR service that is completely risk-free, and has no upfront costs whatsoever. Yes, we do the boring telecom paper bill audits, but there s more! We also do physical onsite audits of lines and services. We do all the work so you don t have to do anything! We correct errors, eliminate unused services, get better rates, update contracts, and we even recommend cost-effective technology upgrades & enhancements (even if it cuts into our fees). We also go after refunds as far back as the law allows. Our typical results are an annual savings of 20% to 30%! 4

5 Now back to our show "From Copper to the Cloud The Balancing Act of - - Controlling Recurring Costs, and - Ensuring Quality Technical Support

6 The Balancing Act - There are always trade-offs in life (and technology), so make sure you trade-off wisely and understand the cost of what you give up. - Changing carriers is hard, so only change when it s too hard not to change, or when it s too hard to pass up the savings! - A good overall value is always better than the lowest possible cost - It s all about the relationships you have so make sure you have the right ones in place to properly support you. - Contract expiration dates are an opportunity for renewal, replacement, and in some cases, the restoration of credibility. - Never trust a telecommunications services salesperson when their mouth is moving. It could cost you dearly!

7 Let s start with the famous (or infamous) Brian Erlichman Quote of the Day:

8 Let s start with the famous (or infamous) Brian Erlichman Quote of the Day: All Carriers Suck... Some Just Suck Worse Than Others.

9 What Has Changed from Copper to the Cloud? Infrastructure No Man is an Island. No Datacenter is Disconnected. We all need the cloud or a cloud at some level to do business. Plumbing Fiber is almost everywhere, and if it s not, it soon will be. Copper is now a second class citizen, even when it s better than fiber. Bandwidth What is Kbps again? Mbps is getting cheap, Gbps is becoming more affordable, and Tbps is not too far behind. Bigger servers and bigger pipes mean faster response times, but it also means we are creating a generation of more impatient users.

10 What Has Not Changed is that

11 What Has Not Changed is that All Carriers Suck... Some Just Suck Worse Than Others.

12 So What Else Hasn t Changed? The Big Boys of Telecom Mergers, Acquisitions, and Consolidations The Big Get Bigger Sales Hype, Sales Promises, and Disappearing Sales Reps Confusion, Complications, Frustrations, and Repeated Mistakes Contracts, Ordering, Billing, Customer (No) Service, Poor Support Low Customer Satisfaction, Mediocre Results, But Record Profits We are all still very little fish in a very big pond when we choose to buy our telecommunications from any big telecom provider.

13 But there is hope there is another way!

14 But there is hope there is another way! No, this is not a veiled attempt to mask the ugliness of the telecommunications carrier world (not lipstick on a pig). These are real hybrid telecommunications organizations that actually focus on the customer relationship first, proper design & implementation of technology second, and the sale (contract signing) follows somewhere down the road after that.

15 The Good: They focus on Customer Centric Relationships that are usually managed by a local agent who has skin in the game for the life of your contract. Customer Service, including accurate billing, is truly important. You get direct access to engineers in their NOC when you have a problem. The Bad: They are more expensive - sometimes significantly more. They also have smaller staffs and potentially fewer resources, which may also limit the scope of what they are willing to provide. They also don t own all of the network that they sell, but then again, who really does? The Ugly: This is still telecom and it still gets messy at times. They can t always control the underlying providers who fail to meet delivery dates, screw-up installations, or just can t seem to get an order right.

16 The good news is that you now have more options! There are more carriers and providers with more solutions and options than ever before. And there are more ways than ever to deliver high-quality services. Big Telecom Carriers can still be a good option. Just make sure you have the right oversight, management, and a lot of patience to ensure success. Specialty Carriers are a great option if you don t mind paying a bit more to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond to get better customer service & technical support. No matter what, stay on top of your telecom by making sure you understand what you have, where it s installed, why you have it, how much it costs, and when your commitment ends to empower you to control your telecom costs. If you re unsure if you can do this all on your own, or if you simply want some help to get started, find a reliable and independent telecom expert (like us) that you can trust. It will pay great dividends in the end.

17 Thank You For Your Time Today! Call me anytime. Phone calls are free! Brian K. Erlichman President & Chief Telecom Geek Our offices are located at: N. Port Washington Rd, Suite 200 Mequon, WI