Even when facing challenging economic times, businesses still need to communicate and rely on technology to connect with customers, partners, suppliers and their own employees. Cutting back on communications spending will have a negative effect in a long downturn. It will leave any business that does so with fewer options when conditions improve and at a disadvantage compared to competitors that continue to invest. However, there are 10 steps that can be taken to grow the value and use of communications, while controlling costs.
August 2008 QUOCIRCA BRIEFING Keep talking, not spending Ten tips for effective and efficient use of telecoms Contacts: Even when facing challenging economic times, businesses still need to communicate and rely on technology to connect with customers, partners, suppliers and their own employees. Rob Bamforth Cutting back on communications spending will have a negative effect in a long downturn. It Quocirca Ltd Tel +44 1962 849746 will leave any business that does so with fewer options when conditions improve and at a rob.bamforth@quocirca.com disadvantage compared to competitors that continue to invest. However, there are 10 steps that can be taken to grow the value and use of communications, while controlling costs. Clive Longbottom Quocirca Ltd 1. Assess the current estate - what communications services are currently in use and how will Tel +44 1189 483360 that change? Look to rationalise and consolidate, but do not blindly cut back on items clive.longbottom@quocirca.com bringing in value or that are saving costs elsewhere. Make ongoing assessments; the portfolio of assets shifts as employees come and go, or new services and suppliers are used. Mind the gaps and do not pay for unnecessary services or for leavers who have not been replaced. 2. Prioritise shared or limited resources - internet and wide area data connections will often run many services. Are the business critical ones being protected? Are there sufficient capacity or network services to meet the demands of the applications that depend upon these connections? Low cost connectivity can be a false economy, especially when applications BRIEFING NOTE: such as e-commerce and conferencing can save other costs such as transport, energy and rent. 3. Investigate supplier alternatives. Are you getting the best deal? Could an existing supplier This briefing has been offer a better discount or a new supplier with more communications options offer a bundled written by Quocirca to service to reduce overall costs? Short term discounts, while welcome, do little to address address certain issues underlying problems. Take a broader view of total communications needs and potential faced by businesses as solutions rather than trying to make item by item savings. they become more reliant on telecommunications, 4. Incremental outsourcing - staffing or skilling up to run the wide range of communication and their need to get the technologies required for even the smallest business is expensive. Can you outsource best, most cost effective elements - e.g. device management, security or billing - to avoid needing in-house support use from it. and keep costs predictable? The report draws upon 5. Disconnect usage from cost - seek out flat rate tariffs so that employees are not discouraged recent research programs from usage and operating costs are predictable. Investigate fixed per user per month services as well as Quocirca's for software as a service (SaaS), voice over IP telephony, and other services. knowledge of the technologies available 6. Converge budgets - different technologies - mobile phones, fixed lines, laptops, data cards - and business issues faced may have been the responsibility of different groups or individuals in IT, procurement, by organisations in this finance and facilities. Move this into one place so that decisions are more strategic and less area. territorial. As technology converges, make sure budgets do to. Quocirca would like to 7. Get outside help - if your telecoms costs are large or complex enough - e.g. 50+ employees thank all the respondents with mobile phones, or 100+ employees using a mix of internet, telephony and mobiles - to the surveys conducted consider engaging outside independent help, such as from a telecoms expenses management and thank all the vendors specialist. involved for sponsoring the varied research 8. Device discrimination - not everyone needs a desktop PC, laptop, mobile email, smart phone projects. or mobile phone. Assess who needs what and match the business-supplied technology to that need. Support employees' personal choices as far as possible - many may believe they have access to better PCs, phones or technology at home - rather than adopting an expensive and unproductive 'standard ... [download for more]
