Moving forward, businesses will need to consider their carrier’s ability to support IP Convergence across landline and wireless networks. Without a carrier-provided IMS-enabled convergence offering, the deployment of popular unified communications services will force companies to invest greatly in their landline infrastructure. When a business decides to integrate mobile devices into their enterprise voice network, it requires upgrades to both PBX and landline network capacity.

IMS-enabled wireless carriers who can communicate via SIP with their corporate clients offer a great advantage over their competitors. SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol, is used for routing real time IP services, such as VoIP. Wireless carriers who have deployed IMS can communicate with their customers’ IP PBX. By exchanging routing and signaling data, the carrier can switch the calls for their business customer without taxing the landline voice network or PBX resources. All that is required is an 8KB signaling path instead of two (2) PBX ports, in some cases, and 100KB+ of bandwidth for each call the corporate PBX would otherwise have to make.

In addition to offloading their customers’ networks, carriers with IMS can present a single corporate phone number or extension in place of the actual mobile number, making the “one number” for all devices seamless. Business end-customers would only see the mobile employee’s corporate DID when that employee places a call from their cell phone or PDA. It is important to note that mobile numbers do not have to be SIP-enabled if the same wireless carrier provides the MPLS circuit to the business.

The increase in accessibility and productivity is driving companies to a unified communications platform. A carrier’s ability to offload all of the traffic this would generate and provide routing intelligence as part of their wireless offering will likely be worth a lot more than an additional $50 handset discount.

For more information about fixed mobile convergence and implementing a network worthy of the next generation of communications services and applications, feel free to contact us.

Longboat WAVE Introduction Video

Longboat Mobility provides U.S. businesses with the cutting edge products, solutions and services from the best national wireless carriers and application vendors.

Businesses who adopt a netbook strategy for their mobile workers gain a lot with very little.

For as little as $125, businesses get a lot of value:

> Highly mobile and light-weight laptop

> Windows XP Operating System

> 1.60 GHz Intel® Atom processor

> 160GB of storage

> 1GB of RAM

> Embedded (or modular) Wireless Broadband included

> Wi-Fi access

Assuming you are paying for mobile employees’ home broadband, Wi-Fi hot spots or wireless broadband already, this is a compelling investment.  For $60 per month, businesses keep their employees connected anywhere they go, increasing productivity.

The case for wireless broadband

The slightly higher cost for wireless broadband is offset by the increase in productivity and decrease in administrative hassle. 

The case for netbooks:

Moore’s Law states that things get less expensive and twice as powerful over time.  It is reasonable to guess that new netbooks can be upgraded for even less expensive, yet more powerful options within 2 years.  That’s two netbooks still at a fraction of the cost of a single laptop. 

Are you interested in netbooks for your business?  Contact us today.  Business netbooks start at $124.99.

About Longboat Mobility

Longboat Mobility provides U.S. businesses with the cutting edge products, solutions and services from the best national wireless carriers and application vendors.  With Longboat, you gain access to:

• A huge selection of wireless PDAs
• Wireless broadband netbooks
• Multiple wireless providers
• Wireless cost management and mobile billing analysis
• GPS applications
• Wireless management software
• Custom wireless recycling solutions
• Project management and consulting

BJ Higgins - Longboat Mobility

Do small companies provide better customer service?  A recent article by the Harvard Business Review suggests that small companies demonstrate greater empathy and commitment (Why Small Companies Are Better at Customer Service - Anthony Tjan, Harvard Business Review, Sept 19, 2009).  Here is a small business’ take on the issue together with ideas on how big companies can structure their customer service strategy.  Having personal experience across the spectrum of ‘consultant-to-enterprise,’ this is what I have learned from many overwhelming and underwhelming moments in my career.

Customer commitment, competence and availability are a few of the primary factors in delivering quality support.  Consultants often rank high in competence and commitment, but are not always available.  Conversely, enterprise call centers often lack competence and commitment, but they are almost always available. 

Competence aside, the example provided in the Harvard Business Review suggests that small companies demonstrate a stronger commitment to their customers.  I wholeheartedly agree.  Consider, though, that very small businesses and independent agents don’t always have the staff resources to be available on demand.  Availability is important too.   

The Sweet Spot – The Small Business

Commitment

When was the last time you called an 800# customer care line? Did you find yourself sifting through time consuming, automated routing options and confusing calling trees, only to reach a policy-driven, under appreciated rep who was more concerned with completing the call than providing you with good service?  Welcome to big company ‘customer service.’  In fairness, not all big companies are like this.

Small companies care more because your business means more.  It’s that simple.  The CEO down to the janitor (often also the CEO) knows that relationships with customers are the currency that keep the small company and its staff alive.  All members of most small businesses likely understand that the business relationships are the fuel that keeps the company and its staff going.  Without good customer service, a company misses the key ingredient to success.  It is, after all, a partnership where money is exchanged for what’s often a commodity others can provide.  Without commitment to the relationships for which companies compete, organizations find themselves simply filling a never ending hole of lost customers and cease to grow.  Without customer commitment, we lose the essence of what makes a good company better than most. 

Availability

Have you ever had that sales rep or agent who you enjoy working with but can never reach?  Independent consultants can be experts in their field and completely committed to helping you, but working with them is pointless if they are always too busy and rarely available when you need them.  Consultants and very small businesses are often the most competent and most committed to their clients, but lack the availability clients need.  Problems don’t arise on a convenient schedule and customers need a solution now.  Conversely, large enterprise organizations offer 24 hour call center support.  While the quality of the support is often questionable, large companies typically have staff on hand around the clock.  

Conclusion 

Bigger is not better.  If you are bigger than small, then find ways to stay small minded.  At least when it comes to customer service.

Strategy?

The large and centralized customer service center is the product of economies of scale.  Being one member on a team of 1,000 is simply not the small company way.  Small groups with account assignments, client retention responsibility and empowerment cost a little more to support, but well worth it.  Do away with policy flow charts and talk about being reasonable and solving issues from the customer’s perspective.   These smaller groups with assigned accounts will remember your name and make you part of the family.

'Small' is definitely better for wireless support

For many industries, smaller companies excel in customer service but lack when it comes to pricing and selection of the goods or services they offer.  Wireless carriers recognize that smaller partners are better at ‘outside-of-the-box’ solutions, customer commitment, personalized service and flexibility.  Hence, national carriers in the U.S. have leveled the playing field between partners and direct representatives.  The national carriers allow for collaboration and dual compensation between business wireless partners and direct sales staff.  Partners have access to the same business contracts, device pricing, inventory, special discounts and sales concessions.  At the same time, partners can offer more client-focused support such as wireless cost management, help with mobile billing challenges, device staging, project planning, etc.  Is this a paradigm shift for business in general?  We hope so.

BJ Higgins

Longboat Mobility

For questions or interest in Longboat Wireless Support Services, visit our home page.

What’s the incentive?

Our experience shows that companies, on average, save themselves over 25% when they undergo a thorough bill review.

What can I do?

1. Optimize. Ask your carrier partners to have a plan optimization delivered by a certain date. It is important that you keep the tone serious and they know you are considering options to consolidate. This will inspire action from your sales rep.
2. Shop around. See if you can get other business rate plan options from a third party to ensure you are getting full disclosure. There are many wireless third party organizations that would love to have your business and they will share this with you readily.
3. Eliminate zero usage lines of service. Plan optimization is not always enough. Many companies have unused lines of service due to employee turnover. See if you can get electronic billing data and compare the last three months and identify all lines where there was no usage. For larger companies, you might want to cross-reference with HR records to verify these lines have not been re-assigned.
4. Text Messaging (SMS) Costs have been climbing as more people use this medium to communicate with friends, loved ones and co-workers. Decide what your corporate policy is here and change your plans accordingly. If you wish to allow it, you will need to monitor the plans and adjust them on a regular basis. If you decide against it, ask your wireless carrier to add a SMS restriction to your lines effective immediately. (Fees will be prorated and your next bill might be a bit crowded, but it will save you possible overage charges.)
5. Using email or surfing the web on your cell? You need a data plan.  Find those users and add a matching data plan. This seems obvious, but often we see a few phone lines that are missing a data plan, yet data is being used
6. Is your plan outdated? Make sure you are on updated, promotional rates if available. If applicable, review your contract for discounts.
7. Directory Assistance. Encourage your team to program Google 411 into their speed dial (1-800-GOOG-411, or 1-800-466-4411). This is a free service and beats $1.79 per minute.
8. International Service This is a big expense for many companies that travel worldwide. Whether you are making international calls or roaming internationally, there are many solutions out there that reduce your cost by 50% or more. International SIM card vendors are a dime a dozen and provide you with access to the very same networks that U.S. carriers utilize. They typically bundle a U.S. forwarding account (local or 800#) that travelers can reference on their voicemail when going abroad. If you wish to forward your cell number, keep in mind that the carrier does charge a forwarding rate, but this is typically still much less than paying up to $3.99 per minute in some countries.

If you are really serious about staying optimized and organized, look into expense management software. The ROI is a no-brainer.

Saving money saves jobs.

These are easy to implement and well worth the time! If you manage wireless for your company, think as if you were the CEO. A few hours of your time can save thousands of dollars to the company’s bottom line!

It wasn’t that long ago that the only way to access the internet away from your home or office was to find a dedicated “Wifi Hotspot” such as those found in most Coffee Shops and Cafes. While these hotspots were a welcome option; they were rarely private or convenient and for the frequent user were often expensive.

Eventually Cell phone providers started offering data on an array of phones and PDAs. Again a welcome option, but there is only so much you can do on a two inch screen. Then came data cards, also referred to as connection cards or aircards. These useful devices slip into your laptops PC slot and allows you the flexibility of data service virtually everywhere you have cell phone coverage. Consequently, wireless data cards have become essential productivity tools for many mobile workers and reduce the IT hassle of setting up remote broadband connections for SOHO (small office, home office) employees. While wireless broadband speeds continue to increase, there have been compatibility issues because the laptop industry has not dictated a standard. IT purchasers have had to make sure that the embedded wireless broadband modules support the carrier they use or that the wireless data cards fit into the type of slots certain laptops have available.

Now Novatel has taken this technology forward with the introduction of the Mifi 2200 available on Sprint and Verizon Networks. This little device about the size and thickness of a few stacked credit cards is not just a connection card. It is a full blown wireless router! No need to install connection manager software on your laptop. No need to contact your IT department to get admin rights to install drivers. Just turn it on and you’re connected; and you can connect 5 devices or users at the same time. The router functionality can easily be accessed to allow others to use it, such as when traveling with a business partner. It can be left open or locked down with a password; you can even create one time access passwords.

We all know someone who has fallen on hard times in the current roller-coaster economy. It might be a co-worker who has been laid off, a close friend whose family’s income has been affected by a spouse or significant other losing their job, or a retired neighbor whose pension took a painful hit during the recent banking fiasco.

So often people in those predicaments begin by cutting things out of their budget they consider luxuries. Phone service has become one of the many casualties of this recent budgetary crisis, leaving many without a lifeline to the outside world.

The nation’s biggest and smallest cell phone carriers have decided to step in and provide a zero-cost solution for these individuals.

To read the full article go to ….

Here is a great ad by Sprint. We just think it's a funny illustration of today's use of communication tools, services and habits.

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