A telecom broker is another name for an independent telecommunications master agent. These brokers are responsible for determining a company’s telecommunications needs and then finding the best products and services to meet those needs.
- Multiple Carrier Options: There are numerous telecom providers out there and they all want your business, whether they deserve it or not. A good Telecom Broker will learn how your business uses telecommunications and represent you to all the vendors that they know can meet your needs. You get to deal with just the broker rather than all of the sales people from all the companies that may or may not be able to meet your needs. A good broker will have contacts with many carriers and vendors which means he or she can quickly acquire quotes and information without you having to request it yourself.
- More Expertise: A typical telecommunications company can have as much as 50% sales staff turnover each year and end up hiring inexperienced sales people to fill positions. Telecom Brokers have had years of experience working with various telecom companies, they understand technology and are able to compare company A with company B.
- Satisfaction: Telecom Brokers long term success is dependent on the ongoing satisfaction of their customers. Each month, Telecom Brokers get paid a small (residual) commission to manage the telecommunication service of their customers. This ensures that Telecom Brokers/Consultants continue to provide clients with exceptional customer service for years.
- Vendor Access: The Telecom Broker works with the vendors everyday and has the contacts and back channel communication lines that are built over years of working with them.
- Industry Knowledge: Some telecom providers provide great pricing, but they take forever to install the services, others have poor billing or are unorganized. Good Telecom Brokers can explain the good and bad of each carrier and what to expect.
- No Sales Quotas: Many telecom providers put their sales people under unrealistic sales quotas and end up with pushy unprofessional sales staff and high turnover. Telecom Brokers have a vested interest in a customer’s long term success, helping customers make informed educated decisions without the need of sales quotas.
- Single Point of Contact: After the contract is signed, the real work begins; site visits, running cabling, hardware installs, training and vendor coordination all take time, effort and company resources. A good broker will shoulder the overall project management, escalate, troubleshoot or get resolutions resolved much faster than if you were dealing directly with a telecom provider
- Consolidation: Many companies with multiple locations and difference providers get multiple bills and need help consolidating services. Good Telecom Brokers understand “Telecom Aggregation” consolidating multiple services on one bill and providing a “one stop shopping” model that saves time and money.
Pricing and Support: In some cases Telecom Brokers have access to better rates than their customers might get by going directly to the telecom company. In fact, many Telecom companies, in an effort to reduce costs, have reduced their sales staffs and only work with “indirect” or Telecom Brokers.
