| Alternatives to Telstra can gain competitive advantages, there are many providers, but how to choose whether to stay with Telstra or choose one of the many other options is a dilema many business owners find themselves facing.
For a long time, many have complained about the standards of customer service, high costs and lack of functionality the big phone companies provide. Then when a decision to choose a smaller vendor is taken, it was fraught with dramas!
Having over 19 years in the communications industry, well before the Internet was even officially born, I have learnt that in Australia we live a sheltered Telecommunications environment and are not always up to date on technology. You see, technology SHOULD make our lives easier, not harder.
At Keep it Simple IT, we have developed strong partnerships with 5 major providers of communications services, this includes everything in the Telecommunications industry. All partners have been in operation for some time in Australia, ran by Australian staff and yes, they have Australian's providing customer service.
I believe it is important to outrightly state that for a few, remaining with Telstra or Optus might be the right business direction for them, but for many it is not.
We have all heard of VOIP and the benefits that have been provided, along with a lack of reliability is the traditional view held by many. However, in the last 5 years the reliability factor of providing IP phone services has seen exponential growth. The majority of the phone calls go already over this infrastructure. What is very relevant is that for the last 2 years the "VOIP" market has evolved and now a new buzz word is being thrown around "IPTEL". IPTEL utilises VOIP technology, but sets standards of what is acceptable and what is not. This is a very key point to understanding why maybe making a change now is critical to your business.
Can you imagine selling a product, developed 35 years ago, with a few components developed 10 years ago and selling this for a premium price, when your competitors sell for half for an even better product? This is EXACTLY what has been happening in the Australian phone services industry. For example ISDN, a digital phone service primarily designed for businesses, is practically phased out in the USA and the rest of the world, yet we continue on with it? Why? Because there is too much profit being made on old technology to get rid of it. Last point before I move on, if the major phone companies have been getting rid of employees all the last 5 years as reported, how many of those are the key staff behind maintaining these older technologies? I would say alot are no longer with us, so the question needs to be asked, who is maintaining these systems now?
The alternatives to Telstra are many, though the first real key question is, what do I want to do with my communications that will ensure I have a competitive advantage over my customers and cost no more than what I am paying now? In short, you need communication systems that are built on at least today's technology and is very easily able to be updated at any point in the future. You don't want physical hardware onsite that will drop in value within 6 months of pruchasing and you want communication systems that intregrate into your computers and even can display when your client rings you!
In summary, Keep it Simple IT is focused on reviewing your phone communications and providing a fair and neutral written report as to what you have and what could be possible. At no point do we just recommend one of our 5 partners, because our integrity is more important to us than just a few extra clients. However after many years of research and months of negotiation, Keep it Simple IT has chosen the top 5 providers in the alternatives to Telstra. Not only will the functionality and cost complete surprise you, it is when I tell you that I can provide greater reliability that what Telstra can provide and a significant jump in customer service that the real prize can be seen. |
