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Good News for Companies with Finally the End of Rollover Telecoms Contracts

Posted on September 26, 2011

An East Anglian communications consultant has welcomed news that the telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is to ban broadband and landline contracts which automatically tie customers into long-term deals from December. “These Automatically Renewable Contracts (ARCs) kick in if customers do not actively opt out, and prevent businesses and consumers from having the freedom of choice to move to another supplier,” explained Karl Alderton from Norwich-based Comms Consulting.

“In many situations, these rollover contracts locked a customer into a service which was not best suited to their needs and was often more expensive than newer products, leaving them highly dissatisfied with their provider while blocking any opportunity to switch to an improved deal,” continued Mr Alderton who established his communications consultancy in Thorpe St Andrew in July 2010 to deliver communications cost management solutions to businesses and organisations across the UK.

At the end of each minimum contract period (MCP), an automatically renewing contract (ARC) rolls forward to a new MCP by default unless the customer proactively informs their communications provider to the contrary. BT is the largest communications provider currently offering this type of rollover contract. The sale of new automatically renewable contracts to residential and small business customers will be prohibited from 31 December 2011. Ofcom will also require communications providers to move all residential and small business customers currently on rollover contracts to alternative deals, and to completely remove rollover contracts from the market by 31 December 2012.

Telecoms Management

Most companies are either aware of or use external IT support. Many do not realise the same type of service can be found when it comes to business telecommunications.   

Company telecommunications is just as important as IT; if customers cannot call to speak to members of staff, or businesses cannot contact suppliers then business usually stops.  

By using Comms Consulting to manage your telecommunications, not only do we support you in making the right technology choices, we also make sure you are not being overcharged for it.   

The Comms Consulting team have extensive knowledge of the full spectrum of telecoms, from Mobile Phones, Landline Packages or Telephone Systems to more complex MPLS networks.  

Below is some advice based on some common mistakes we see regularly.   

Telephone Systems   

As most people are aware, there are thousands of companies that supply telephone systems to business. Whether you are a small business looking for a small business telephone systems or a larger business looking for something hi-tech, most suppliers proclaim to have the perfect solution for all. When choosing your supplier, check they are independent; most suppliers only work with one manufacturer meaning they only have one solution, is this the right one for you? Another common problem is that customers get overwhelmed when suppliers are talking about features. Most telephone systems have hundreds of features but ensure you choose your telephone system based on the the features you will use and not what the supplier wants to sell you. At Comms Consulting we have expert knowledge of some of the biggest telephone system manufacturers including CISCO, Mitel, Avaya and NEC. We support you in making the right choice for your business, not for the supplier.  

Call Packages 

 

This is one of the biggest minefields for customers, how do you know which one is the best? Most suppliers claim to be the cheapest, but not all businesses use their phones the same. How can any one company be the cheapest for all types of usage? From our experience of managing companies’ telecoms, we have to use various suppliers depending on our customer's usage, which we believe proves that not one company is the best. There are suppliers offering unlimited calls tariffs but most have 'fair usage policies'. 90% of the time our customers don’t need unlimited call offers as it is not cost effective. Comms Consulting can support you in sourcing the best package for your company based on your requirements not the suppliers’ sales agent targets.  

Line Rental 

There are only 2 main networks in the UK, BT Openreach and a cable network. The majority of customers use the BT Openreach network and the cable network. The biggest mistake made here, is buying from a supplier too far down the chain. Faults are not reported directly to BT Openreach, which directly impacts the response to any service issues you may receive. Whether you are using PSTN, ISDN2e or ISDN30 you can choose to opt for a higher level of Service Level Agreement (SLA). Some providers give customers an option to make a one off payment to get service issues attended to quicker.   

Business Mobile Phones 

One of the most common mistakes is choosing a network that does not have coverage in the area needed because the tariff suits! All network providers will offer you a sim card to test the network before purchasing, please take them up on this. Another issue we find is companies often use re-sellers to purchase their business mobile phones. The telecoms resellers are often making a considerable amount of commission on any contract they sell. Get 3 or 4 quotes and negotiate as much as you can. The reason Comms Consulting are successful in saving companies mobile expenditure, is because we don’t earn the commissions and pass the reductions to our customers. Business Mobile Phone contracts can also be a minefield because, like call packages, the sales agent may be targeted to sell iPhone one week and blackberry the next. When you need impartial advice on what is best suited to your business, their views could be swayed towards what they need to sell.

What is ‘Business Telecoms’?

 

A proper communications system is essential to maintain the business affairs of any company. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur or a fully fledged business giant with global dominance, proper business telecoms is an absolute necessity for the smooth functioning of your affairs. Business telecoms is the provision of connectivity solutions such as telephone lines, internet and internal networking to make sure that company data is shared with maximum efficiency.

What is a telecoms consultant?

 

A telecoms consultant is a business entity like us: we specialize in the provision of connectivity solutions for your company. These solutions are offered in the form of telephone lines and internet connections at their most basic forms. But business communications is a much broader term which offers a whole range of services that deals with a lot of issues related to communication.

What makes us rise above the other Telecoms Companies?

 

We are a company of telecommunications consultants. What makes us stand above other telecoms companies is the fact that we are independent and are not affiliated with any network providers. This fact alone has the ability to save a great deal of money for our valued customers. Since we are more concerned about saving our customers’ hard earned money, we make sure that all of our resources and expertise are directed towards the achievement of that purpose.

In addition, we always strive to make sure that all of your networks are always properly managed and maintained flawlessly. If ever you require any clarifications or have any queries or grey areas, our efficient support will always make sure that you get the best results and responses every single time.

Our services as Telecommunications consultants

 

When it comes to telecoms solutions we are the best in the trade. What we are offering you is a way to minimize your operational costs. We start our services by carrying out a complete analysis of your infrastructure and operational methods before we determine the ideal telecoms solutions for you. We are fully aware that each and every telecom assignment is different and that the solution to each situation also has to be different and perfectly suited to the situation.

As high quality telecom consultants, our job is to make absolutely certain that the assignment provided to us is handled from the inception stage all the way to completion. When you strike a telecom services deal with us, you will have many benefits and all the free time to maintain your business affairs.

The many benefits of a telecom consulting package with us

 

We always guarantee your complete satisfaction with our dedicated staff and years of expertise as telecommunications consultants. Feel free to browse through our clients’ comments and testimonials about our services to offer you more information to base your final decision on. Since we are not affiliated with any networks providers, our full range of services are offered to you with the best of your interests in mind.

Telecoms expense management and telecom cost management

 

Our telecom services are much more advanced and go way beyond providing telephone lines. Our services package expands in to offering advice about minimizing your costs as well. Whether you come to us in search of an all new networking solution or a modification to the existing network, we are able to provide you with the necessary advice to make sure that you will be well aware of the methods of saving money.

Since we are not affiliated with any networks providers, our customers are always our primary concern. This is why we pay extra attention to telecom cost management as well as telecoms expense management to ensure that you are never burdened with any unnecessary costs.

Telecoms support and telecoms consultancy

 

Our telecoms consultancy services extend to after service support. If a client is ever to face a difficult situation or an error of some kind, we are always willing to offer our advice and full support. We can proudly state that we will take excellent care of your telecom services network to make sure that you are not burdened with dealing with any repairs.

Telecom services to another level

 

We provide a full range of services when it comes to telecoms consultancy. What we will always ensure is the worry free operation of your business communication affairs. This is why we are always one step ahead of other telecoms companies. Apart from managing your networks at an optimum level, we also maintain the financial dealings such as telecoms billing, telecoms expense management as well as telecom cost management, all to save more money for you.

What we provide is a chance for you to completely commit to your business deals. Since we handle all of your telecom billing issues and any arising problems, you will have a free reign to focus on your business and to make the most of your valuable time. From the planning stages to the completion of the assignment, we will make it absolutely certain that you receive the right advice as well as the guidance to make the right decisions.

Comms- Consulting is a company that is fully concerned about the clients’. This is the most important part of the advantageous package you will receive from us.

Telecom solutions for the future

 

We make it a point to offer tailor made services to every single one of our clients. Whether they are large scale companies or small scale companies, we customize our services to fit their requirements exactly as we are well aware of the fact that the best results will be obtained that way.

However, our services are not only targeted towards your current business status. We also make sure that our services take all of your aspirations for the future in to account. All of your future plans on expansion, relocation or improvisation will also be taken in to account as we provide our telecom consulting services to you. For instance, if you are planning on relocating you office to a bigger space where you are planning to add more employees, we can make sure that your current plan allows plenty of room for expansion. But we will make sure that you will not have to face any unnecessary additional costs.

The best telecom consultants you will ever find

With all the information we have provided, it is definitely clear that we highly professionally capable at our trade of telecom consulting and will make sure that none of your requirements will go overlooked when we design your ideal solution. You can place your full trust in us as we are fully equipped to provide you with the telecom consulting services you need.

Apart from a full range of services form telephone lines and internet connections we will also offer you valuable advice whenever you feel the need. In other words, in addition to the best services, you will also receive the absolute best telecoms support as well.

We always stay true to our mission, which is to fill the gap between supplier and customer to make sure that they have a complete understanding between them. As a reliable and experienced telecoms consultant we strive to keep our promise to bridge the gap between service provider and services receiver.

So, call us up the next time you are in need of the aid of experienced telecom consultants to improve your business dealings and to save time and money.

Comms Consulting