There are several aspects to this question that should be considered. The most basic is the cost of the parts ie. call rates, rental etc which while important is unfortunately the limit of consideration of some businesses and is often looked at in insufficient detail.
Another aspect is the cost (time) of managing the service provided, particularly if something were to go wrong. In this respect having the cheapest deal you can find from someone far away is no better than having the dearest close by, as neither is likely to provide a business with the balanced requirements that they really should need. Easy reliable contact from a value for money provider should be factors.
At its simplest level, telecoms expenditure consists of fixed telephone lines, call rates, the telephone system, handsets and any maintenance ; broadband, wifi and router ; mobile phones and tariffs which should be considered as a whole to ensure best value is obtained at appropriate cost. Given that these are now an essential set of tools required for the operation of any business, considering them together is a key aspect of achieving cost effectiveness.
Even so, businesses usually have a fragmented and uncoordinated approach that has evolved over time to include multiple suppliers ; a mixture of consumer and business grade products ; incompatible contract periods ; selection by personal rather than corporate criteria and with no real sense of purpose or strategy.
In addition, they only ever consider the elements and their costs separately ; normally at contract renewal when it is too late and they are rushed to do nothing much more than tweak what they already have without realising the options that might be available to them. There are usually considerable advantages to be gained in bundling requirements together with one supplier, using sharer packages for business mobile phones for instance and ensuring an overall view of business communication needs is always considered. This also provides the advantage of a single point of accountability ensuring compatability and removing interface difficulties.
Finally, if a business can then ensure it also receives regular proactive advice to always be informed of appropriate technology for them , then the cost of not missing or delaying an operational benefit ( and how many businesses include this in their desire to reduce costs ? ) will also be covered.
For further details and advice for business owners on smart business telecommunications to both reduce your costs and operate more effectively, contact Roger Whittaker of Pink Connect
