It’s Your Money
September 23, 2019
When I first meet people
They always ask…
So… what do you do…
I respond…
We save companies money…
That normally gets a positive response…
People like to save money…
Now….
Do you have time for a quickie quiz…
How many of you have signed a contract…
Thought you got a good deal
Possibly a great deal and…
Never looked at the paperwork again
Can I see a show of hands…
You…
Yea…. you over there
Is your hand up or are you scratching your head…
It looks like you wanted to put your hand up
Come on…
Let’s be honest
We all have done it…
I believe that all of us have good intentions…
But let’s face it we just get busy
No matter how you planned your day
Something happens and you are once again
Putting out fires
The first thing we do with any potential client
Is validate what they are currently paying
Are you paying the exact rate you signed for…
Believe it or not…
This is not always the case
I have people tell me….
Yea… we signed a contract and I was told
We are paying well below market prices
That is always great to hear
But let’s see if that is their reality…
Do you mind if I see your contract…
And could we also get a copy of your latest bill…
I can’t tell you how many times
We find that people are being charged
The wrong rate
And most of the time it is for more than
What you signed for
We always direct them to call the provider
And clarify…
Why are we paying this higher rate…
Our contract states we should be paying xxxx amount
Guess what the response normally is…
Oh, we’re sorry
That was billed improperly
Let us correct that…
We can give you a credit
Or send you a refund
How nice of them….
If they were under charging you
I bet they would contact you and say
We have a problem
However, if they are over charging you
You don’t hear from them
This is your money…
Don’t be afraid to ask for it…
HBS clients have received thousands of dollars in refunds
Always be aware of what you are paying…
And if you are not sure…
Give us a call
HBS leaves no stone unturned in our search for savings
We find ways to save you money
Did I Sign That
April 19, 2018
When I first meet people
They always ask…
So… what do you do…
We save companies money…
That normally gets a pretty positive response…
People like to save money…
Time for a quickie quiz…
How many of you have signed a contract…
Thought you got a good deal
And never looked at the paperwork again
Can I see a show of hands…
You…
Yea…. you over there
Is your hand up…
It looks like you wanted to put your hand up
Come on…
Admit it….we all have done it…
I believe that all of us are well intention-ed…
But… we just get busy
We are always putting out fires
The first thing we do with any new client
Is validate what are you currently paying
Are you paying the exact rate you actually signed for…
Believe it or not…
This is not always the case
I have clients tell me….
Yea… we signed a contract and they told me..
I was well below market prices
I am glad to hear that…
I hope you did get a great deal
But…
Do you mind if I see the contract…
And could we get a copy of your latest bill…
I can’t tell you how many times
We find that the client is being charged
More than what they had signed for
Note: there are times
That the state may approve an additional charge
Due to infrastructure upgrades
But this additional charge
Should be clearly noted on your bill
We always direct the client
To call the provider
And clarify…
Why are we paying this higher rate…
Our contract states we should be paying…
Guess what the response normally is…
Oh, we’re sorry
That was billed improperly
Let us correct that…
We can give you a credit
Or send you a refund
Our clients have received refunds for thousands of $$$
This is your money…
Don’t be afraid to ask for it back…
Always know what you are paying…
And if you are not sure
Give us a call
HBS leaves no stone unturned
In our search for savings
We find ways to save you money
Every Day is a Gift…
Thanks for the referrals
Grab That Phone
November 10, 2010
Just how important is the phone to business?
Many view it as a link to the outside world.
My Pop used to say, “Nothing starts until the phone starts ringing.”
He and his brother owned Hutchinson Plumbing and
Boy did the phone ring!
When I first got out of college, I worked on the dispatch desk. The phones would start ringing the moment we walked in the door and would not stop until we locked the door behind us at the end of the day. Back in the early 70’s we were getting close to 300 calls a day. On top of that, I was also dispatching 4 service trucks. Walking out of the building at the end of the day, I would still hear the phones ringing in my ears. It usually took about an hour or so to unwind.
The telecom industry has come a long way since the early 70’s.
Back then; Bell Telephone was king of the copper.
Pots (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines were your only option.
With the deregulation of the Telecom Industry in 1996, competition was introduced to the market and the industry started to evolve. Instead of using copper to feed individual telephone lines, they introduced fiber and the whole market exploded. All of a sudden they were able to deliver 24 lines thru one fiber cable.
At the same time the Internet was being introduced to the public and providers were able to deliver both telephone service and Internet service thru one fiber connection.
As the industry continued to evolve, a number of individuals in research environments, both in educational and corporate institutions, took a serious interest in carrying voice and video over IP networks. This technology is commonly referred to today as VOIP and is, in simple terms, the process of breaking up audio or video into small chunks, transmitting those chunks over an IP network, and reassembling those chunks at the far end so that two people can communicate using audio and video.
The problem with VOIP in the beginning was the inability to deliver Quality of Service (QOS). You would be talking to someone on the phone and they would be saying ” Hey I am speaking to you thru the Internet.” My response, “Yea I know” either there was an echo, delay , or the voice transmission was broken up or you heard a lot of static. This was one of the main issues that kept VOIP from being embraced by business. It just seemed too unprofessional to be able to exist in a business climate.
The major providers have now addressed this QOS problem by letting you ride their network. This has brought us to a whole new era called appropriately, Hosted VOIP.
Gone are the QOS issues and expanded are the services now available to the consumer:
-voicemail to email
-twinning (ringing both your phone and cell phone simultaneously)
-HotDesking (make and receive calls using any OfficeSuite phone on the network)
-outlook integration
-remote workers can be supported over an Internet connection.
How old is your business telephone system?
If it is over 10 years old, you are limping and on borrowed time.
You may choose to keep limping.
Should you choose to look at a new telephone system, I would strongly recommend reviewing the opportunities available by choosing a Hosted VOIP system.
HBS represents all the major providers and we can schedule a demo of the various systems. Come and kick the tires and see how the telecom industry has evolved.
You no longer have to be afraid to answer the phone.
To learn more about Hosted VOIP products email george@hbsadvantage.com
Visit us on the web www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com