Jerry Jones - The Cowboys - METRO-TEL

I was reading that Jerry Jones is enjoying his 25th anniversary of the purchase of the Cowboys.  This got me thinking as I was looking at our warehouse inventory today, how telephone systems have changed in the past 25 years. At METRO-TEL we have kept a lot of our older parts and manuals from legacy systems that are no longer sold or supported.  In fact, we even added to our older parts inventory by buying from vendors that stopped supporting older systems.  This allows us to support a number of telephone systems that are still functioning well, but may have a need for a part replacement or upgrade.

This is not to say that we have lost ourselves in the past, as we install and support a great new TOSHIBA line and other leading edge telephone systems and features. But it does point out how not everyone needs to upgrade or buy a new system. A good example is Microsoft Windows 8.  As you recall, it was to be an improvement over Windows 7.  And in some cases I guess it was. But not everyone needed, or wanted, the new bells and whistles. What made it harder was the fact that if you wanted to buy a new PC they only came with Windows 8, unless you’re ordered from the manufacturer at an additional cost. Who has the time for that when you need another PC?

Although new telephone system technologies often have benefits, there are times when those benefits do not outweigh the benefits of staying with older telephone technology. Cost has a lot to do with it. When we started building our older parts inventory, we knew that there would be a time when our clients would compare old technology vs. new technology. We have learned that selecting products because of the latest technology is not always the best solution.

Today our clients rely on us for there “Legacy” phone systems support and we have an impressive list of new clients that started with us when needing a part for a systems that was no longer supported.

Telephone Systems Planned Obsolescence

I was thinking about a conversation I had with a new client this week about aging business telephone systems. It was clear that in his case his equipment is still doing its job and operating well, but he was going to have to replace. Only because it was not being supported by the manufacturer anymore. This is what I call a gotcha” is that either the manufacturer is out of business or you have become a victim of “planned obsolescence”.

Planned Obsolescence is a marketing strategy whereby the manufacturer will build a business phone system that by design will become difficult to technically support and/or the phone system's expansion,
replacement or repair equipment becomes unavailable after "x" amount of years (usually 2 -  5 years).
The manufacturer will usually send you a "Dear John" letter or email saying something like this; "Dear customer, We regret to inform you that we can will no longer offer technical support or replacement parts for your business telephone system and Auto Attendant Voice-mail System as of "x" date. However, we will certainly be happy to sell you a new Business Telephone System that we can support for you. We appreciated you past business and encourage you to call our sales department for a supportable replacement".

Boy, that is cold!

And so if you are at the end of your phone system's obsolescence cycle you may find yourself needing to relocate, reprogram, expand, train or repair your business telephone system / voice-mail system.
This ends up forcing you to buy a new business phone system that puts you right back into the same "planned obsolescence" cycle.

This occurs time and time again with end users even though their phone system is working perfectly fine! It doesn't seem fair does it?

The good news is that a number of forward thinking organizations, such as Metro-tel, recognizes the need to support customers that have older phone systems ("legacy") and so have accumulated a vast library of Repair Programming Manuals along with a vast inventory of spare replacement parts and elements.

So before you "trash" a system that has been working well for you, think about contacting us in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or your local supplier.

Ready for the Hall of Fame?

I was just looking at the calendar yesterday and I realized that Baseball is just around the corner. Time goes by so fast. I was just getting over the last Super Bowl game and here we are dusting off third base.

Have you ever notice the similarity between a sports team and your “business team”? Hall of Famers are certainly measured by heart or grit, but they’re mostly measured by numbers and awards, and hardware. Such as 305 wins, two Cy Youngs, and a World Series championship. You guessed it, Tom Glavine, according to the Boston Globe. He had durability — only once on the disabled list, and that came at age 42 in his second stint with the Braves. For his 22-year career, Glavine averaged 15-10 with a 3.54 ERA. He also made 10 All-Star teams, made 30-plus starts 17 times, and pitched 200-plus innings 14 times. He won 20 or more games five times.

You know your team has heart and grit, you've seen it a number of times when a customer thanks you for meeting their expectations, or getting that delivery on time. But do they have the right “hardware”? By that I mean do they have the right tools to do the job, or are they working with outdated tools and technology?

If there was a Hall of Fame for telephone systems I am sure that TOSHIBA would be a contender. Last year alone TOSHIBA won to technology awards, the “2014 Internet Telephony”  Product of the Year and the TMC Customer 2014 Product of the Year Award. And 2013 was no exception:
VIPedge™
2013 Cloud Computing Excellence Award
Internet Telephony Magazine
IPMobility
2013 Excellence Award
TMCnet Customer Magazine
Call Manager for IP
edge
2013 CRM Excellence Award

Tom Glavine was once quoted by the Boston Globe…..“I’m not even sure I’d be drafted nowadays if I were a kid coming out of high school,” Glavine said. “We’re so into power pitchers now….” This got me thinking of organizations that have telephone technology that is not keeping up with today’s industry standards. I think a common thread that all Hall of Famers have is drive for continuous improvements. Always looking at where the competition is, and always looking for the edge over the competition.  Your organization could rank in the Hall of Fame with the a little heart and grit, and the right equipment.

Great Customer Relations start with a Great Phone System

It seems like over the last few years when small business owners start their business they start with location. It’s based on the old real estate joke about how to be successful in business…..”What are the three things you need to start a business? Location, Location, Location.”  Well, I have seen a number of businesses that have struggled even having the “right” location. But what they did not have was organization, or to put it another way, communications.

Business communications is more than just being able to call a client, or have them call you.  The way you structure your telephone communication system tells a lot about the organization. Like what are your values? Is your telephone system just tin cans on a string? Or was it built with the customer’s needs in mind?
My feeling is that not enough thought is given to what the customer’s expectations are when they try to contact you.

Let’s ask some questions:
• Does your business telephone system allow you to have multiple party conversations?
• Do you have a business telephone system with “speakerphone” capability?
• Can your business telephone system record conversations?
• Does your business telephone system have the ability to offer 7 different greetings for callers?
• Can your business telephone system “give directions” to a caller?
• Can your business telephone system call or page you when you receive a voice mail message?
• Can your business telephone system automatically go to your email so that you can listen to them in a “.wav” file format?
• Does your business telephone system store missed calls so you won’t miss any customer satisfaction opportunities?
The list goes on, but you get the idea.  If you could not answer yes to all the points, then you’re losing opportunities, and customers.

Despite Your Best Efforts

We have often met with small business owners that despite their best efforts, are not getting the telephone system equipment functionality and service they need, and expect. Considering how fast the market is changing, both with the equipment and customer expectations, it not hard to see why. After time, even the "state of the art" equipment needs to be upgraded.

Telephone system consultants can play a key part in a small business success story. Although small and mid-sized business leaders should stay focused on the sales cycle, there is not always the time to understand the customer persona or leverage technology to drive loyalty and customer satisfaction. This is where the telephone system consultants come into play. Telephone system consultants can help clients to stay informed and current with phone system technology and customer expectations.

Unfortunately, many owners and office managers still rely heavily on the "old school" approach of selecting, installing, and implementing a new telephone system. Most telephone system consultants have a greater understanding of how customers expect to be engaged, and how employees need to be trained.  By understanding this, a telephone system consultant can  reduce your operating cost, improve customer satisfaction,  and improve sales opportunities.

We are growing and looking for Telephone Systems Techs

Looking for a Telephone Systems Tech

Ok, so it’s not football, but its close....

Getting ready for the Super Bowl got me thinking about how similar football is to customer service in the Telephone Communications Systems business. In short, game satisfaction and service satisfaction. If the favorite team is not putting points on the board they lose fans (customers). No tickets being sold, no shirts being worn, and worse yet, no positive “discussions” being held at the “Goal Post Bar and Grill”.  The same is true if your systems service team is not completing the plays, or doing the basic blocking and tackling. You lose customers (fans). No repeat business, or leads for other business. 

A truism in both football and customer service, it’s easier to get out in front and stay in front than come from behind.  One of my favorite quotes from Vince Lombardi: “The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” To paraphrase, “The quality of a company is in direct proportion to its commitment to excellence, regardless of their product or services”.

So, thinking about the game coming up, I am going to be asking myself what my team will do when there are 30 seconds left on the clock and I am in the “Red Zone”.

Jim