Apropos issue 2 - 2009

We were about to send out our first Apropos of the year when events were overtaken by Grant Casci’s tragic death. We thank all of you who have sent messages of sympathy to both us and his family.
It will take time to come to terms with his death and what it means for us, personally and professionally.
Meanwhile, here is a somewhat muted look at the year ahead and TeleConsultants news.

With less money about all company spending will come under scrutiny. As one of the Top 10 business expenses, telecommunications will be a prime target for reduction – but as a major channel for doing business, it’s essential that paring back costs in this area does not detract from the ability to turn a profit.

1.
The Government’s broadband push will continue despite its decision to scrap the Broadband Investment Fund. The delivery of high speed capacity across New Zealand is likely to be largely supplied by Telecom as they are the only player still spending significant money on broadband. (Kordia, the possible alternative, would need significant government funding to take a major role.)

2.
NZ Communications has just announced they will definitely launch this year with a new brand name. Their attention will be on the low end of the market where the main players, Vodafone and Telecom, don’t really focus. We suspect they will find it tough going as this is also the space where resellers are active. What they will do for global roaming is unclear but this is not a major issue - the majority of their potential market does not have a significant demand for it.

Staying with mobile, Compass is about to launch as a mobile virtual network operator with its own-brand cellphones and plans, using the Vodafone network.

3.
Business and consumer demand for better value will increase. Both will want the best possible price for service. As capital dries up businesses will focus more sharply on cost reduction and management of services (are we getting best value for what we pay?) rather than investment in new services. Any new investment will tend to be bite-sized projects that offer very specific benefits.

Recent TeleConsultants’ projects have looked at centralising contact centre services and we anticipate further moves towards centralisation generally.

4.
Customer retention will become even more important. It is far cheaper to retain and satisfy existing customers than to bid in a very competitive market for scarce new customers.

5.
We expect to see consolidation in the telco market and a reduction in choice for end users. Smaller players will have to focus on specific niches where they can be effective or merge with other industry players to survive.

Helping companies assess what they get for what they pay – and just as importantly, helping them to get the BEST value for what they pay - is a growing role for TeleConsultants in this time of tight finances.

Our TelcoOptimiser service has helped companies reduce costs, optimise their existing telecommunications and lighten the load of telco management overall. We are proud of the immediate and ongoing benefits clients find in this service and we like what Val Fogg (IS Director, Simpson Grierson) says about us:

“TeleConsultants, from the first, has made it easier for our firm to successfully manage our communications - Immediate savings were around $30,000 - Their continued involvement means we are confident that we are paying only what we should be – and that we can keep up with changes in the market.”

STOP PAYING MONEY YOU DON’T OWE is a key premise of TelcoOptimiser. If helping companies do just that appeals to you please talk to Chris Birch. We want someone on our team to help us get the message across that this service really works.

Ask us about how TelcoOptimiser works

Last year we used a whole Apropos to introduce Snapshotz, a new contact centre self-assessment process from Customer Service Audit. The Snapshotz assessment is as rigorous and as consistent as any financial audit and we felt that it was an important new development for New Zealand companies wanting to know how well their customer service centres are performing.

As a Certified Partner we co-hosted a successful breakfast launch in December and we’re pleased to say that several companies have taken the product up. Customer service managers, who have purchased Snapshotz and completed the assessments, report back that it is an easy-to-use, cost effective tool.

That fact that Snapshotz lets companies do their own measuring of contact centre performance makes it an especially useful tool for companies under economic pressure.

Find out more about Snapshotz and Customer Service Audit

As usual in the New Year, different media have proposed a range of Resolutions for 2009. From a recent Unified Communications eWeekly we gleaned this challenge:

Consultants and Analysts - Share the best possible advice with clients and vendors, even if the input is not what they expect (or wish to hear).

We’ll do just that.

Want to get the best possible advice? Talk to us

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