SWITCHING ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES
Helping you get the best value for your business mobile, landline and energy provision
What should you consider when reviewing your contracts?
What are you paying?
Are you using what you’re paying for?
Are you getting good service?
Is there other technology you could be using to make you more efficient?
Switching Simplified
There is much media focus on consumer rights and confusion around tariffs in the telecoms and energy markets, however it’s also a big problem in the business sector. If anything, tariffs can be more complex for businesses due to the different business classifications, whether you’re a sole trader, SME or enterprise – what does this actually mean, and does it mean the same in mobile telecoms as energy for example?
That’s where we come in. We’ll break down the barriers and cut through the smoke and mirrors to lay all the options out plainly and simply.
In certain industry sectors for example a specific mobile network may be the smart choice due to a bolt on or additional service they offer which meets a specific need. We know the products inside out so can save you time in the research phase and also avoid costly mistakes by choosing the wrong tariff.
So when and how often should you start looking for a new deal?
Energy
Did you know you can switch energy providers up to 5 years in advance and buy at today’s prices? Prices have been steadily on the rise since February 2016, with the outlook not looking favourable for the foreseeable future. That’s why it’s time to act now. If you move your business onto a fixed rate tariff your procurement teams and finance director can have confidence in the certainty of costs over the complete term of your contract. More often than not businesses on a standard variable tariff are paying 25% more than they need to be.
Mobiles & Landlines
As for Mobiles and Landlines things work a bit differently. Let’s take mobiles first, as this is the tech that changes quite rapidly during a typical 24 month contract period. And don’t necessarily think of the hardware here, as although it’s true that the big phone brands out there are innovating, with each new software release bringing enhanced functionality, it’s also about the app developers. So whilst you may not want to replace all your employees’ phones, it may be that by changing tariff you can get a more cost effective data bundle that means your workers can use more apps to help your productivity and efficiency across more areas of your business. This is where a good independent provider such as ourselves can mix and match some handset tariffs with some SIM Only upgrades so you only spend what you need.
How do I know if it’s the right thing to do to switch?
Again, if you are with a reputable company you should be getting regular account reviews to check your usage is still within the remit of your tariff allowance bundle and structure. No matter what network you’re on, you have access to online billing so if you aren’t getting the support you should be, it’s relatively straightforward now to at least see where you’re being charged out of bundle rates for which mobile numbers. Sometimes it’s not easy what your options are when you do have overspend, that’s when you need the support of your provider to check eligibility for bolt-ons or tariff migrations to better suit changing user habits.
What about downtime if I move mobile networks?
Of course, continuity of service is key in keeping a business connected with its customers and co-workers. We work closely with you to provide a robust switch support service which includes a specific number porting process where we liaise directly with the network to get you a porting date that has minimum impact on your trading times.
Landline tariff tenure
Most business landline packages range from 24 to 60 months’ contract duration, so be sure to do your homework before signing up to a new one.
What is the difference between a traditional landline and a VoIP system & why switch?
A landline telephone is the traditional wired phone that connects one phone to the public telephone switch network through physical phone lines otherwise known as PSTN.
VoIP on the other hand, uses an IP phone to make calls over the Internet. A VoIP phone converts the sound of your voice into data packets and then sends them to the target destination. VoIP telephony can also be used simultaneously with your landline by leveraging gateways. This digital cloud-based phone system offers a wide range of additional features such as call recording, receiving voicemails via email, call queuing and unified communications – being able to access the system on multiple devices such as a mobile, tablet and desktop.
So should you switch to VoIP? BT Openreach have announced they will be switching off their existing PSTN and ISDN network by 2025 and switching to a single IP network, so it’s more a case of when you should switch rather than if. To sweeten the impact the first thing to note is that by switching from traditional analogue phone lines to a VoIP provider, there will be a massive drop in your costs. VoIP telephony is much cheaper than using telco providers, and many companies have more than halved their telecommunications costs by simply switching to VoIP. Long distance calls are a big winner with VoIP as they are almost free of charge. In addition to this, it’s usual for a business to need multiple numbers which also bumps up the costs with traditional landlines.
Still not sure about switching any of your services? Simply get in touch and send us copies of your current bills and we’ll run a free analysis for you to show you what you could save by switching.
