Freelance Telecom Brokers: Top Ten Reasons Businesses Use Them
Increasingly, companies are choosing to obtain their telecommunications services from independent agents rather than outright regrets. We look at the top 10 reasons why we see this change happening in today’s market.
1. Fusions and acquisitions
Selling is already known as a high-turnover profession, but the recent wave of M&A in telecommunications makes it highly unlikely that the representative who signed you on your term contract will be there to help you within a year. After getting through the bankruptcy phase after deregulation, the next phase is mergers and acquisitions. In recent years, some of the major mergers include Level3 / Broadwing (Focal), XO / Allegiance, ATT / SBC / Bell South, MCI / Verizon, Paetec / US Lec, and Time Warner / Xspedius, among many others. By using an Independent Telecommunications Agent, you can be assured that regardless of ongoing bankruptcy or merger activity, your Independent Telecommunications Agent will continue to have the same contact phone number and email address. He / she will not be fired or fired, and will continue to provide you with all the options you need.
2. Single point of contact
Regardless of whether your Independent Telecom Agent recommends a single carrier solution or a multi carrier solution, you still have a single point of contact to deal with the person who knows your account best. During the evaluation and pricing process for a new operator, it is typical to get at least 3 offers and have at least two appointments with at least three operators. The number of appointments you need to schedule could easily reach a dozen before an informed decision is made about your business communications. If you use a qualified Independent Telecommunications Agent, you can dedicate one appointment to determine the best course of action and just one more appointment to evaluate the best options available in your market. Having a single point of contact is a huge time saver!
3. Person who understands your company, how you make decisions and why.
Your independent telecommunications agent acts as a buying assistant once they understand your business needs and preferences. He / she gets to know your organization, its long-term goals and needs, and how it makes decisions and why. Why would you want to repeat that process every two years?
Four. You hear the truth!
Maybe this should be # 1! When you use an experienced Independent Telecommunications Agent, you take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience of someone who has been in the field for many years and, most likely, with multiple operators. Usually your broker will have experience dealing with multiple traders in your market and can tell you how Really to carry out. It is not the rosy picture that everyone wants to paint you. Who has the most reliable network? Who has billing problems? Who is going bankrupt? Who can set the desired installation date? By using an independent agent, you do not need to listen to “The Story of the Company” for each operator, as they always tend to disguise their shortcomings. You get to hear the truth.
5. Impartial opinion of multiple carriers and their product lines
Depending on the direction of your business, whether it is expanding, streamlining or contracting, your Independent Telecommunications Agent can put you in the right situation. Just like buying an inexpensive phone system that can’t grow with you and may create the need for a forklift upgrade sooner than expected, getting stuck with an operator that can’t meet your future expectations can be crippling to your operation. Since most carriers have reached term deals in the T-1 era of communications, establishing an carrier that suits your needs is key. Do you have MPLS? Do you do SIP trunking? Can you offer an IP-VPN solution for your remote sites? Your independent telecommunications agent knows the products and the limitations of the operators and can offer you the right solution for your business.
6. Agents invest in your long-term success
This is an incredibly important concept to understand when choosing to use an Independent Telecommunications Agent! When you work with a direct sales rep for a telecommunications company, one who may be here and disappear tomorrow (rep or company), they get paid just to make the sale. As we all know in the corporate sales world, compensation plans drive behavior and sales reps are specifically reported on., “If the customer has a problem, send it to the help desk. Don’t get involved. You are paid ONLY to bring in new business.” There is absolutely no motivation, despite the direct rep’s best intentions, for him to ever speak to you again after you sign the dotted line. It’s sad but true. On the other hand, because Independent Telecommunications Agents are based solely on commissions and residuals, and earn a small percentage of the monthly bill, in many cases it takes them up to 24 months to collect what will be paid to the direct representative in number of month. one after sale. Tea all the motivation for someone who even becomes a freelance telecommunications agent it is build a happy customer business book that they don’t have to find someone new every two years to deal with. This relationship only makes sense to the agent if you stay with them for more than 24 months, so they have EVERY motivation to help you solve any service issues you may have. A good Independent Telecommunications Agent is not just another business partner; they become part of your team.
7. They don’t have a fee to do
One of the biggest problems I have with local RBOC / ILEC is that if you call the call center to request a new service, you will only be informed about what THEY want to sell you. NOT what is best for you. Everyone LOVES to sell telecom packages, but let me ask you this. Why do you need Centrex call or voicemail features on your alarm or elevator lines? Do you need call forwarding or remote access for call forwarding on every line in your hunt group and on your fax lines? Do you have mystery items on the back of your web hosting bill or other items that you are afraid to unplug in case you actually use them? When I call ILEC / RBOC directly from the agent channel, they offer me different packages and more attractive packages than those I receive by phone through the call center. It is very common for independent telecom agents to discover up to 10-20% pure confusion on your bill during the audit process. Why did this happened? Simple. The direct reps you buy from have a fee to make and will often sell you what is good for them, not what is good for you. They are ordered to sell what is profitable for the operator they work for and are paid accordingly based on their ability to do so. The best independent telecommunications agents, almost without exception; they do not carry fees with any carrier. Because they have no quotas, you won’t find yourself being pushed towards a solution that doesn’t feel entirely right just to meet your numbers. Be frank and ask your Independent Telecommunications Agent if they have quotas with the proposed operators. If they have a quota, be sure to ask enough questions about the solution they are suggesting to make sure it is the right one for you.
8. Additional incentives and promotions
The telecommunications industry is increasingly moving towards the independent agent channel. In fact, last year, a local ATT / SBC agent manager said that the agent channel gained more business through its Winback agent program than it did with its direct Winback program. Even they were shocked! There are many reasons for this. Independent telecom agents tend to be more knowledgeable, better trained, set appropriate expectations with customers, their customers tend to remain customers longer (as the right program was sold to them), and it is more profitable for operators to deal with the agents. They do not pay base salaries or benefits, in addition to commissions. Interestingly, where I have seen this customer benefit the most is in the form of special incentives and promotions that are offered only through the Agent Channel. It is not uncommon for agents to compete head-to-head with a direct representative of one of the carriers they are presenting. It is also not uncommon for the agent channel to have promotions or incentives that the direct rep has not given to the customer, and the agent will typically win over the customer because of that fact. If direct reps have promotions available, they often receive additional compensation if they don’t use them. Independent Telecommunications Agents will make all available promotions available in an effort to earn your business in the long term, as they are not normally incentivized or penalized for the use of promotions.
9. Same price
Exactly the same standard price is used in the agent channel and in the direct channel. Despite all the additional knowledge you can take advantage of with independent agents, you can be sure that you will not be charged any additional fees for it. For large projects, there are special prices available for both the Agent and the direct channels for the same amounts. It is an incredible model that helps the client and agent win, and ensures that all clients are treated equally.
10. They understand next-generation technology
Independent telecom agents will typically be better versed in MPLS, IP-VPN, VOIP, hosted solutions, call center applications, and SIP technologies as they need to understand the offerings of multiple carriers and have attended their trainings. Direct representatives will often know some adjustments to your individual limited product line a little better than agents who do not exclusively sell their product, but will not have the general understanding of everything that comes with new technology. No operator can master all technologies and dominate all niches. It is a business impossibility. Therefore, it is almost impossible for a direct representative to have the same breadth and breadth of exposure to the applications on which they are faced with decisions. Businesses are tremendously competitive, and the correct implementation of some of the new technologies can literally save large companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. That may be the exact advantage your business needs to gain a competitive advantage in your market for security, marketing, recruiting, or even retention. Likewise, implementing cutting-edge technology that isn’t prime-time ready can cost you the same. Using an experienced independent telecommunications agent who is looking out for your best interests can make all the difference.