Telecommunications Solutions

Telecommunication technology is becoming ever more powerful and integrated, but finding the right system to suit your business now and as it grows is also becoming more complex and time-consuming. Brad Howarth considers solutions in terms of systems and advice

Telecommunications is one of the basic requirements of almost any business. But finding the right equipment and supplier is anything but a basic proposition.

Selecting a telephony system means making a series of choices about increasingly sophisticated technologies, while also thinking about related services such as broadband and mobile communications, along with the myriad applications they enable.

Even when you know what you want, there are dozens of companies competing to sell it to you. Each supplier offers different features and pricing structures, and sometimes entirely different technologies. Some will offer fixed, predictable costs, while others offer structured pay-as-you-go services.

Whatever the case, it’s almost impossible to compare apples with apples. “It’s getting more confusing for small business, there is a real technology fog when they are looking at communications,” says Chris Jenney, general manager for the SME division at telecommunications services company, Commander.

“Providers are trying to target specific channels of the market with the specific proposition that’s right for those customers, but it does add choices to a decision-making process which makes it more complex.”

Jenney says an important consideration is ensuring the solution a company purchases today will give the flexibility it will need as it grows. This means not just avoiding getting into long fixed-term contracts, but also ensuring they are working with partners that will upgrade technology when required. “Whether you should buy outright, lease or rent the technology, think about the term of agreement you are committing to,” he says.

There are numerous approaches to navigating the minefield, but they all start with the need to perform a full assessment of requirements—telephone lines and extensions, fax service, mobile services and data—not just for today, but for the next three years. Failure to do so can leave a business locked into a technology or contract with limited flexibility and no room to grow.

One technology destined to remain a mainstay of business is the humble fax machine. Increasingly, however, smaller businesses are turning to computer-based solutions, allowing them to fax documents directly from their desktop. Services such as mBox also enable the receiving of faxes as email attachments, saving on printing costs and solving the storage issue.

If just a basic phone system is required, there is a wide range of solutions based on either simple analog technology or digital PABX systems that can efficiently connect up to 25 lines—sometimes more. NEC, for example, markets the XEN Topaz SME communications system that combines eight standard phone lines with eight ISDN data lines, with integrated voicemail and caller identification.

Often the solutions are based around carrier packages, bundling equipment and carriage into the same bill. Some include basic functions such as voicemail or a small call centre solution. It is important that businesses understand the true cost of such packages over the life of the contract, says product strategy and marketing manager for NEC, Mark Tatham-Thompson. “A lot of companies will buy a small system and end up paying a premium on the carriage because it has been bundled, or end up having to spend money on moves, additions and changes. It’s a case of trying to work out how they are going to get a return on investment, and whether they are considering the ongoing cost of their equipment.”

Hybrid Solutions

For larger organisations, or smaller ones with aspirations of growth, sticking with a basic PABX may not be the best answer. Increasingly common in this segment is voice-over-internet-protocol technology (called VoIP, or sometimes just IP-based systems), which enables businesses to make calls over their data network or the internet.