People tend to assume that a national well-advertised company will always provide better service and pricing compared to a local vendor. This is often not the case. How do you decide?
Factors to consider:
Do they serve my marketplace?
Do they know my industry?
Do they know my needs?
Who will answer my questions?
Who will service my system?
Who will respond to problems in a timely manner?
Over the years we have seen a host of major telecommunications companies either over commit to clients, cut back on their services for financial reasons or ignore small to medium size businesses to concentrate on the largest of companies.
Case in point:
We recently invited a national broker of telecommunications to bid on work for a non-profit with over 200 locations across the country. The national broker initially seemed like the ideal fit to meet all their telecommunications needs. We told them that we needed one all-inclusive contract to cover for all sites for the following:
Internet Services
SIP (Voice over Internet), replacing analog or “copper” voice lines
Telephone Equipment
Cabling
Electronic Health Record Communications Infrastructure
In parallel, we approached a local vendor with a solid reputation for serving small businesses and gave the same requirements.
The local vendor was quick to respond and collaborate with us to better understand our needs. They offered several options for us to consider.
The national company, although slower to respond, offered a unique feature that the local company could not match.
Therefore, the final solution was a blend of two vendors to provide the client with the best possible outcome.
Telecom Strategies was able to help this client by leveraging our depth of knowledge of vendors, technologies and contract negotiation.
For further information, contact Telecom Strategies staff at:
