Some seasonal businesses like amusement parks or ski resorts are only really busy for half a year at a time. Other “swing-shift” type businesses like restaurants are only busy for a couple hours a day.

In the past, uneven usage businesses like these had no choice but to “phone up” for their peaks and then pay for equipment and services they were not using during the off times.

Well no more.

Modern hosted VOIP phone systems that are “powered by” hosted VoIP and/or SIP trunk technology are able to ramp capacity up and down on fairly short notice. This enables seasonal businesses to put unused phones into virtual hibernation during the off season.

Other businesses like restaurants with peak call times several times a day can buy fewer phone lines than the really need if their phone service provider will allow them to “burst up” and give them extra phone line capacity during their busy hours.

Contact us for assistance in choosing the right provider, configuration and redundancy.

Info@totaltelecomconsulting.com

412.450.0005

Here is how it works. The carrier gets your T1 business and with that, they are going to provide you these great long distance rates. Let’s say that you were paying 3.5 cents a minute for long distance. This is not a terrible rate but certainly not great.

The carrier comes to you with their “Super Turbo 10,000 Plan” that gets you a bundled block of 10,000 minutes for $260.00 a month. That is 2.6 cents a minute so you are saving the company over 25%! This is great, your boss is going to love you, right?…..right? Unfortunately in this scenario the likely answer is, NO!

The fact that your bundled rate is calculated at 2.6 cents a minute is true and also a good per minute price. Here is the rub; you have purchased 10,000 minutes whether you use them or not and to make matters worse, if you go over the 10,000 minutes, you pay a different rate. Yes, it’s higher.

Here was the situation for the customer that we helped. They had 2 offices and each had the 10,000 minute plan at $260.00 a month. We took typical months bills and this is what we learned. Location A used 6,200 minutes and Location B used 14,700 minutes. Location A used well under the 10,000 minutes but since they were on the “Super Turbo 10,000 Plan” they paid for all of them. Location B got a great deal on the first 10,000 minutes but the overage cost them plenty.

See the math below. Location A: $260 /6,200 minutes = 4.1 Cents Per minute (oops) Location B: 2.6 Center per minute for the first 10,000 and 4.4 cents per minute for the overage. Net result is 3.1 cents a minute (oops again) The net/net of this is that we don’t recommend the “Bundled” long distance.

For months now, the Galaxy Nexus has been rumored to release on Verizon. In fact for quite some time, it was rumored to release only on Verizon. But for some strange reason, Big Red has been oddly quiet on the matter.

That is until tonight when America’s largest carrier finally confirmed they will be selling Google’s first Ice Cream Sandwich device. I’m sure by now you know all the specs by heart — 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, NFC, 4G LTE — so this is really just Verizon getting the official stuff out of the way.

Unfortunately, no specific launch date was given. All the press release says is “later this year.” There’s also no mention of price. That’s one carrier down, and at least six more to go. Who do you want to see carry the Galaxy Nexus?

Press Release VERIZON WIRELESS INTRODUCES THE GALAXY NEXUS BY SAMSUNG Features the Latest Version of Android and America’s Fastest and Most Reliable 4G Network BASKING RIDGE, N.J.

– Verizon Wireless today announced that the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung, the world’s first smartphone running on Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming to Verizon Wireless. The Galaxy Nexus will be available later this year in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com

. Ice Cream Sandwich brings a redesigned user interface with enhanced multitasking, notifications, full Web browsing experience and more. Customers will also be able to enjoy the innovative new features that Ice Cream Sandwich offers, such as Face Unlock which uses facial recognition to unlock the Galaxy Nexus.

Customers can take advantage of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network to access more than 300,000 apps and games from Android Market™ or rent movies and stream them instantly on the 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display.

Additional features:

· 4G LTE – customers can expect fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE mobile broadband coverage areas

· Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

· First smartphone to feature a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display (1280 x 720) · 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM

· 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, zero shutter lag and 1080p full HD video capture

· 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting

· Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled · Android Beam allows customers to quickly share Web pages, apps and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping compatible phones together

· Support for Google™ mobile services – Android Market, Gmail™, Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube™, syncing with Google Calendar™ and a redesigned Google＋ app

Customers that purchase the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services call 412.450.0005or go to rstevens@totaltelecomconsulting.com

What is a company to do with first-generation IP Voice solutions like Cisco Call Manager when they are tired of paying huge yearly maintenance costs (like Cisco’s Smartnet and UCSS)? Well, if you are a global technology leader you format the systems and load more powerful openUC on the hardware.

openUC leads a new second generation IP SIP open standards based systems that don’t rely on proprietary hardware and phones. The company had been evaluating a commercially  backed SIP solution.  They decided for a commercially licensed and supported solution and to leverage our design and implementation expertise. A solution that allowed for SIP connectivity from anywhere in the world whether the user was inside the corporate firewalls or outside roaming the Internet was needed.

 Additionally, connectivity from any type of device was important.  Whether the user had a traditional hard phone at home, was travelling with a laptop or tablet and softphone or from a data enabled android or iphone smartphones, the experience needed to be seamless.

The first phase of this particular project was to put in place a single global system that would front-end existing Cisco Call Manager systems and leverage existing Cisco Routers / Voice Gateways for PSTN connectivity.  Working with the company’s IT firm and our Telecom Engineers we collectively helped the company design and implement the solution seen below.

 The new solution leverages market leading Session Border Controllers and openUC’s new Hybrid Virtual Architecture (HVA) in four major data centers that cover the globe.    With their new global system in place this large S&P 500 listed company can now provide connectivity to their users seamlessly no matter where they are.  For a fraction of the cost of the old CCM, openUC delivers functionality their users across Windows, Mac and Linux desktops. The best part of this story is now the solution is in place to replace the myriad of internal Call Manager installations with a single centrally managed and backed-up system

Rstevens@totaltelecomconsulting.com

If you are planning to move your office or open a new location, now is the time to Secure Relocation Services Offered by Total Telecom Consulting. 2011 Your time is critical so focus on your strengths and let Total Telecom Consulting assist in the telecommunications and technology project management for your business.

For more time intensive evaluations, TTC will write, distribute and evaluate the proposals (RFPs) for voice, data, cabling and insure the quality of the installation is met, the vendors exceeds expectations, and the timeline / budget meets the needs of the project

Project Management includes:
 Needs assessment 
• RFP composition 
• Distribution of RFP to pre-qualified vendors
• Review and analysis of all proposals submitted 
• Proposal recap and recommendations 
• Final vendor contract negotiations  • Implementation and project management

Rapid Implementation – Have your new phone services implemented in days, not weeks. Adding, moving and removing phones is quick & easy with Hosted IP PBX services. Reduced Costs – Reduce your phone charges by up to 40% without sacrificing features, reliability or quality

Enhanced Features – Enjoy enhanced features such as Click to Dial, Voicemail to E-mail and Find-me/Follow-me that will improve your productivity.  

Best Regards 
Robert Stevens
CEO Total Cost Containment 
Total Telecom Consulting
(412)450-0005
www.TotalTelecomConsulting.com  http://about.me/RobertLStevens  

  Market-share reports over the past year have shown that smartphone users are leaving BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion for the iPhone and alternatives from Android manufacturers. But a new study shows the enterprise space, long a safe haven for RIM, is letting go of its BlackBerry addiction as well.

Enterprise Management Associates just released a survey that found 30 percent of BlackBerry users in large enterprises (10,000 employees or more) have plans to make the switch to something else in the next 12 months. While RIM’s large-enterprise market share still stands at a dominant 52 percent, EMA says you can expect to see that drop significantly assuming its survey respondents move forward with their plans.

The survey results came as a surprise to the researcher, which didn’t even take into account last week’s big BlackBerry service outage that affected people around the world. “We expected to see some market share loss by RIM, but these results were far more dramatic than we could have anticipated,” said Steve Brasen, EMA’s managing research director. “Both enterprises and employees indicated they were broadly abandoning BlackBerry devices for primarily Android and iOS platforms, and this data was collected before the recent BlackBerry service failures, which can be expected to even further accelerate migration.

” EMA’s survey says just 16 percent of enterprise users are “completely satisfied” with their BlackBerrys. iPhone customer-service marks usually show that 80-90 percent are either completely or mostly satisfied with their devices. Among all consumers, comScore numbers for the months June-August show Android and Apple continued their growth in the U.S. smartphone space, while the percentage of BlackBerrys is still falling. Android rose from 38.1 percent share to 43.7 percent in the last quarter of the researcher’s study. Apple had modest growth – from 26.6 to 27.3 percent, not bad for just offering one phone. RIM fell from 24.7 to 19.7 percent.

Please contact us for strategic procurement and cost controls. We have ATT WIRELESS, SPRINT, AND VERIZON WIRELESS

Rstevens@totaltelecomconsulting.com

Polycom Inc. this week introduced a new multimedia phone that it will start selling through channel partners in November.

The IP phone – dubbed the VVX 500 – comes with the Polycom Productivity Suite, offering streaming video and instant access to applications and Web content.
For example, users can check calendar information stored on their PCs, phones or on the Internet; browse stock tickers; and watch videos and launch conference calls, all from the touch-screen interface.

“The new Polycom VVX 500 will help companies reclaim hours lost to inefficiency and miscommunication by streamlining everyday tasks and delivering access to Web applications independent of employees’ PCs into a single communications device,” said Michael Seto, a product management executive for Polycom.

And in 2012, an optional USB video camera will be available to turn the VVX 500 into a complete high-definition video conferencing system, Polycom said. Calls remain clear, whether they run over H.323 or SIP networks, according to the company.

There’s also support for DECT wireless and Bluetooth headsets. Plus, the phone is equipped with two USB ports, two Ethernet ports, and handset and headset jacks. Target end-users range from large enterprises to small and medium-sized organizations. The VVX 500 will be available through us, for $379, next month.  

1. Assessing the Situation

Before a successful business turnaround can be implemented, it is crucial to understand what got the company where it is now. When businesses fail, it is most often due to ineffective management. Since management is usually the problem, it is difficult to use current management insight to determine what change is needed. As outside consultants, we often hear from ineffective management teams that they need greater funding to correct the sagging business, but we know that throwing money at a problem does not work. The people who created the problem in the first place will not know how to fix it. Providing them greater resources is a mistake: it wastes money and degrades employee morale. Also, failing businesses most often do not have good metrics in use to manage and guide the business. Metrics should not only tell company leaders where they have been but should also be used to gauge future performance. Management should be able to clearly describe how the metrics it uses will predict future results.

Providing that the company’s products or services are competitive, the issues affecting the performance of a sales team can range from an ineffective sales process to low morale, which is caused by any number of factors. In these situations, I have never seen a bad sales team, but I have seen plenty of lousy processes and plenty of low moraleboth deal-killers that will destroy any company’s sales effort. Great insight can be gained by getting close to the company’s sales force, sales processes, and customers to determine why sales are not progressing to plan.

2. Defining a Winning Culture

Companies in need of a turnaround usually have ill-defined culture. We can test this by asking salespeople to describe the company culture as they perceive it. In failing businesses, employees will not be forthcoming, and answers will vary from person to person; you’ll find that no two sales reps share the same description. Especially when a company is charting rough waters, it is imperative that the sales team embrace a unified culture, one that will define success.

At the heart of culture are the core values a company embraces. Core values are like the Ten Commandments. They are simple action statements that define the principles the company believes in, not fuzzy declarations that can be interpreted at the whim of management. They should be published and posted throughout the company. Employees should understand the corporate commitment to them, and that disciplinary action will follow their violation.

Tell the bad news first, not last was a core value we used at one company. If we were not able to make a customer delivery on time or if we expected to miss our sales forecast, we were expected to give fair warning to the customer or the CEO respectively. This core value became a cornerstone of this company’s customer service. Another core value was Do the right thing for shareholders, customers, and employees, and don’t take a position that favors one over another. This core value ensures that the company will keep the playing field level for all and not sacrifice one group for another.

Many companies say they do the right thingbut do they? And do they do it all the time? Core values define corporate culture, and companies without them tend to wander and underperform.

3. Managing People

People are the most important component of any organization. Powerful investment groups don’t invest in companies; they invest in people. When companies fail, it is almost always due to ineffective management. In a business turnaround, it is important to identify who stays in his or her current position and who must find a position elsewhere. However, most failing ventures have poor methods of measuring individual results, so care must be taken in this selection process. Making this determination is critical; powerful managers surround themselves with high performers.

However, when looking at the long term, it isn’t so much who you fire as who you hire. To fill out a failing company with high performers, look for a track record of success. All high performers will have one. To retain them, you must ensure these valuable employees that they can trust management’s word, that management has their best interests at heart, and that management is committed to distinction in all that they do. High performers want to be on a winning team, and if they think management can’t accomplish this they will look for employment elsewhere.

4. Creating a New Vision of the Future

When companies fail, employee morale and confidence is degraded, and many high performers will look for employment elsewhere. Most employees in these situations want their company to prosper, but they don’t know how to accomplish it. They believe that they have done an admirable job and will resent those who say otherwise, especially if employees from other departments lay blame on their department. This not only creates low morale but also degrades teamwork, a necessary ingredient in success. In these situations it is imperative that a new vision for the company be formulated and effectively communicated to all employees.

Don’t expect this to be an easy taskit usually isn’t. Most employees believe they have been on the right course, and they see the company’s failure as due to the ineffectiveness of other departments, not theirs. When the new vision is communicated, expect employees to fall into three categories: those who embrace it with enthusiasm, those who sit on the fence to wait and see how things go, and those who do not buy in, who resist the change and are open and verbal in their opposition. The sooner management resolves these last two groups, the better. The fence-sitters and the resisters must quickly reverse their positions and enthusiastically support the new visionor find employment elsewhere. The sooner management converts these groups, the better. Powerful companies have sales organizations that embrace a vivid vision of the future and employ sales representatives who are confident in their management and in their employment with the company.

5. Developing a Strategic Plan

Once a turnaround-management team has defined the core values, culture, and vision of the future, effective strategic planning can begin. It makes little sense to begin strategic planning before these first steps have been accomplished. The strategic planning process should include the top management members who will be charged with implementing the plan. The planning sessions should not be held in secrecy, as the sales force will always find out that management is conducting an important meeting and will become suspicious as to why the meeting is being held. No one likes secret meetings that may define his or her future, and salespeople are especially sensitive to this. After the plan is finished, the sales force should be promptly informed as to the outcome and how the plan affects their future. Powerful companies have solid strategic plans, and they effectively gain employee buy-in to them.

Pulling off a business turnaround takes an intimate understanding of a business, including its customers, products, sales process, and employees. Powerful leaders and managers will begin by defining the culture and vision and will then communicate these to gain strong employee support. Since the turnaround process should be completed in a short time periodstalling or extending it can lead to even more lossesmanagement should apply all the tools available, including third-party consultation. With the proper tools and an understanding of these five steps, you’ll be on the road to a successful and permanent business turnaround.