Understanding Telecoms: An Interview With Joe Trower

Communication is key. If you’re a business owner, you don’t need us to tell you that. However, despite most people knowing this fact, you’d be surprised by the number of businesses that still operate on an outdated system with old processes, old costs and old levels of productivity.

We are advocates for a streamlined, digital system to help businesses manage their day to day operations effectively. We know first-hand the positive impact that a tailored telecoms solution can have on an organisation and today, we wanted to share our expertise.

Joe is our telecoms consultant and all round telecoms guru. Over the last 6 months he has been at the forefront of offering telecoms solutions. We could think of no better person to talk to about the world of telecommunication and all of its features.

Take it away Joe…

What's the easiest way to explain what telecoms is?

Put simply, telecoms is the use of technology to exchange information over a significant distance, whether it’s using words, voice, data or video.

What would you say are the key benefits in using a streamlined telecoms system?

Really, the benefits of using a telecoms system are endless but a few key things that I always point out to our customers are:

• Flexibility - allowing for communication in the office, at home or on the road using a variety of devices.
• Simple integration – integrate your telecoms system with key business applications such as Office 365 and salesforce.
• Advanced features – maintain an expert level of customer service with call queue functions, call reporting and an effective contact centre including live chat.
• Scalability – add or remove extensions and users easily depending on the requirements of your business.
• Simple maintenance – nobody likes complicated so creating an interface that is user friendly is one of the main benefits of a telecoms system.

What would you say is the biggest concern for the customers you speak to about moving to 3cx?

The resistance that comes up a lot is that the migration of a new phone system is going to cause disruption to their business. With so much to do day to day, I think people are less inclined to make changes in case it has a negative impact.

...and what do you tell them?

Netmatters understand the need for productivity and getting things done so our experienced engineers have a tried and tested method for seamlessly migrating to the new hosted telephone service, a timely migration whilst preventing disruption to your business is our priority. 

We manage the set-up from end to end, starting with pre configuring the whole of the 3CX solution within a test environment based on the customers’ requirements to the porting of your business numbers from the current provider, ensuring we're in a position to make the port on the day of switching over.

How would you determine the best telecoms system for each individual business?

Initially, it’s about understanding the business as a whole, how it operates and its communication requirements. We do this through a series of consultative meetings and provide demonstrations where needed. We would also conduct an audit of the existing network to discover what works well for the business and areas that could be improved.

From this we'll have a clear picture of the best solution for the business, which features would enhance their operational and customer experience, whilst remaining financially viable.

What does the process look like to move to 3cx?

After looking at the existing system and gathering the customer requirements, the first stage is to provide an estimate detailing the most suitable solution for the business. Once agreed, a survey of the relevant sites will be conducted and work will begin on building the tailored solution.

We'll begin to prebuild the system based on the customers’ requirements in a test environment, ensuring it is fit for purpose prior to going live. This includes setting up extensions, call routing and opening hours. Number ports will also be arranged accordingly.

Once the phones are ready, we deliver and install them on site, testing them as we go to iron out any configuration issues and giving training to the staff to ensure complete understanding of their new system.

This makes the transition as smooth as possible from the old system to the new.

What would you say is the overall impact of not moving to a 3cx system?

The largest impact is that the failure to move to a flexible, feature rich solution such as 3CX can have both a financial and operational impact on your business. If your business is continuously growing, you need the most cost effective method to add new extensions, regardless of the number, as opposed to paying per user like other systems.

If you remain restricted by the limitations of a legacy system or an inflexible hosted alternative you will not be operating at maximum capacity, this can put you in a compromised position against your competitors.

Equally if you have an unstable or aged physical system in place this may be a ticking time bomb, of which when failure occurs can result in downtime and a loss of revenue.

If someone is tied into a contract, how can they move to a telecoms system?

We're always open to have a conversation around the customers’ requirements even if they're currently in an existing contract.  If viable we can often buyout the remaining term of the agreement, whilst remaining competitive against current costs.

Anything else in the telecoms world that we should look out for?

As telephone systems now are primarily software based, we'll begin to see advanced developments in the software used. Specifically a potential move towards AI in unified communications, this could be anything from command and control, caller identification or virtual assistance.

The development of communication software is really limitless and with our house of advanced developers, Netmatters are in a prime position to lead the front on this.

If Joe has convinced you that a tailored telecoms solution is right for you, we encourage you to get in touch with us using the contact form below. Alternatively, you can call Joe directly on 01603 515007.