Site Top 10 Reasons to Use 2050 as Your Agent
Top 10 Reasons to Use 2050 Communications as Your Agent
1. Sales and Support Continuity
Sales is already known as a high turnover profession, but the incredible amount of turnover within IT and telecom makes it highly unlikely the representative who signed you to your term agreement will still be there to assist you within a year. By using 2050 Communications as your agent, you can be sure that regardless of continued merger activity, bankruptcies, layoffs, and/or simple rep turnover, we will continue to have the same contact phone number, email address, will not be laid off or fired, and will continue to supply you all of the support that you need.
2. Single Point of Contact
Regardless of whether you select a single service provider or a multi-vendor solution, you will have a single point of contact to work with: the person who knows your account best. During the pricing and evaluation process for new services, it is typical to get at least 3 bids and have at least two appointments with at least three potential providers. The number of appointments you have to schedule could easily reach up to a dozen before an educated decision is made on your company’s communications. When you work with 2050 Communications, you can spend one appointment determining the best course of action, and just one more evaluating the best options available. Having a single point of contact is a huge time saver!
3. We will get to know you
2050 Communications will act as an assistant buyer once we understand your business needs and preferences. We will get to know your organization, your goals and needs,how you make decisions, and why. Why would you want to repeat this process with a multitude of new contacts every couple of years?
4. You will hear the truth.
Perhaps this should be ranked #1! When you use 2050 Communications as your independent consultant/agent, you tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience of someone who has been in the field for many years-and with multiple providers. We have experience working for and with multiple carriers and service providers (including CenturyLink, Verizon, MCI, XO, Comm-Works, etc.), and can tell you how they really perform, as well as how to get the best pricing, promotions, Service Level Agreements, and contract flexibility. You won’t have to listen to “The Company Story” for each carrier, as they always tend to dress up their deficiencies. We will tell you the truth of "what's behind the curtain".
5. Carrier/Service Provider Agnostic
Based on where your business is heading, whether that be expanding, streamlining, or contracting,we can put you in the right situation for YOU. Just like buying an inexpensive phone system that can’t grow with you, and can create the need for a forklift upgrade sooner than expected, getting stuck with a carrier that can’t meet your future expectations can be crippling to your operation. Since most service providers have gone to term agreements, it’s key to get set up with a carrier that can move with your needs. Do they have SD-WAN? MPLS? SIP trunking? UCaaS? Can they offer an IP-VPN solution for your remote sites? We know the providers’ products and limitations, and can put you in the right solution for your company.
6. We are invested in your success long term
This is an important concept to understand. When you work with a direct sales representative for a service provider, one that may be here and gone tomorrow (rep or company), they are paid only to bring in the sale. As we all know in the world of corporate sales, comp plans drive behavior, and sales reps are specifically told, “If the customer has a problem, send them to the Help Desk. Do not get involved. You are paid ONLY to bring in new business.” There is absolutely no motivation, despite the direct representative’s best intentions, for them to ever speak to you again after you sign the dotted line. It’s sad but true. On the flip side, because we at 2050 Communications are commission only and residual based, earning a small percentage of the monthly bill, it takes us, in many cases, up to 24 months to get paid what the direct representative will get paid in month number one after the sale. Our entire fiscal motivation is to build a book of business of happy customers that don’t have to find someone new every couple of years to deal with. This relationship only makes sense if you stay with us for over 24 months, so we have EVERY motivation to assist you in solving any service issues that you may ever have. We are not just another business associate; we will become part of your team.
7. We don’t have a quota to make
When I call the ILEC/RBOC directly from the agent channel, I get offered different packages, and more attractive packages, than I get over the phone through the call center. It is very common for us to uncover up to 10-20% of pure fluff on your bill during the auditing process. Why does this happen? Simple. The direct representatives you buy from have a quota to make and will often sell you what is good for them, not what is good for you. They are directed to sell what is profitable for the carrier they work for, and are paid accordingly based on their ability to do so. On the other hand, we do not carry quotas with any carriers. Because of this, we will not push you towards a solution simply so that we can meet some monthly number.
8. Extra Incentives and Promotions
The telecom Industry is moving increasingly towards the independent agent channel (we know this intimately, as we actually have years of experience as channel managers for a number of carriers)! There are several reasons for this. Independent agents are typically more knowledgeable, better trained, and set proper expectations with clients. In addition agent clients tend to remain clients longer (since they were sold the right program), and it is more cost effective for the carriers to deal with agents since they don't have to provide salaries, benefits, etc. It is actually not uncommon for agents to compete head to head with a direct representative for one of the carriers they are presenting. It is also not uncommon for the agent channel to have promotions or incentives that the direct representative either does not have access to, or has elected not to present to the customer. This means that when you work with 2050 Communications, you will often times be able to receive better pricing/financial incentives than by working directly with the carrier.
9. Same or Better Pricing
The exact same standard pricing is used in the Agent Channel and the direct channel. When you work with 2050 Communications, you will get the benefit of our additional knowledge and support, and you can be sure you are not charged any extra for it. Even for large projects, special pricing is available to both agent and direct channels at lower rates and pricing. This model helps the customer, the agent, and carrier win, and insures all clients are treated equally.
10. We understand Next Generation Technology
As an independent agent, 2050 Communications will typically be better versed in UCaaS, IoT, CCaaS, mobility, remote support, SD-WAN, cloud services, security, wireless, MPLS, IP-VPN, VOIP, hosted solutions, call center applications, and SIP technologies since we need to understand multiple carriers’ offerings and have attended their trainings. Direct representatives will often know a few tweaks to their individual limited product line a little better than agents that do not exclusively sell their product, but they will not have the overall understanding of all that is coming with new technologies and/or with other carriers/service providers. No carrier can be the master of all technologies and master of all niches. It’s a business impossibility. So it follows that it is nearly impossible for a direct representative to have the same breadth and width of exposure to the applications you are facing decisions on. Business is fiercely competitive, and implementation of some of the new technologies correctly may literally save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. This may be the exact edge your company needs to gain the competitive advantage in your marketplace for security, marketing, recruiting, or even retention. Likewise, implementing a bleeding edge technology that is not ready for prime time may cost you the same. Having 2050 Communications in your corner to help look out for your best interests may make all the difference!