One of the very first questions our account representatives get asked when working with a new client is “Why should we work with you instead of with a larger national-based Internet and phone service provider like (insert big company name here)?”
Regardless of the services being discussed, whether it’s Metro Ethernet, Hosted PBX, Ethernet over Copper, or server colocation, customers are always concerned with making sure that they’re making the right choice for their business. That’s completely understandable – entrusting your business’s communications lifelines to your customers and vendors is a very serious decision.
When we get asked that very important question, here’s how we like to respond to our clients.
Services – As an independent telecom, we’re often able to offer a wider range of services than some national carriers. They choose to keep customers on their network for as long as possible to maximize their revenue, and often won’t offer some specific services that might be a better fit for the customer but not their bottom line. At MegaNet we’re able to offer a wide range of services that fit budgets and customer needs far better.
In fact, we try and customize a solution to the customer rather than force them into a few specific services. Often when a potential customer goes to the website of a national carrier, they’re asked to input their address and a few options are returned with a huge “Buy Now!!” button; there’s no question about why the customer’s looking for new services, what their budget is, what problems they’re looking to solve, etc. Just a couple of options and that’s it.
At MegaNet we want to be able to make sure the services we have available are going to fix our customer’s problems. Being an independent carrier allows us to essentially “mix and match” services to make sure that the customer is choosing something that’s the best fit for every one of their needs.
Support – Getting support from the company that’s providing your Internet, phone, and data services can mean far more than just calling in if you have a problem like an outage or call quality issues. Sometimes you may have a question about your invoices, maybe you’re thinking about upgrading or adding more employees and how that might affect your services, or perhaps you’re about to acquire another business and you’re concerned over how you’re going to connect all those locations together.
All of our support is handled out of our offices and Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and we don’t outsource or send out requests from customers. Sometimes we may need to call another vendor or line carrier in order to troubleshoot a problem, but we make sure we take care of all of that without our customers needing to take time out of their busy days to get that info.
When it comes to general questions, our account executives are always there for our clients; we want customers to feel comfortable with calling in to ask questions about their services and how we can help or position other things we offer to make our customers more productive. Calls get answered right away without a hold queue, and there’s no “please wait 48 hours for an email response” policy here. We want customers to get the answers and information they need as quickly as possible, without having to fill out 3 page forms in triplicate to do so.
Pricing – As an independent carrier that primarily services the New England region, we simply don’t have the higher overhead that a national carrier does. This allows us to pass cost savings along to our clients with a number of services, including Metro Ethernet and digital voice.
There’s a fine line when it comes to using price as a major key when making a decision; sometimes the lowest cost option isn’t always the best option. We do our best to explain cost breakdowns to clients, and if there’s an option that may fit their budget better, we’ll gladly present it along with the pros and cons of choosing that particular option. Our clients come to us for 20 years of our expertise as a company and we want them to take advantage of everything we have to offer.
The next time your business is reviewing costs and service levels, keep in mind that there are often more choices than the one or two “big name” telecom carriers who are constantly bombarding you with advertisements. Many times, those other independent options may be able to provide your company with a superior experience across the board.
If you have questions about how MegaNet might be able to help your business, please let us know! Feel free to contact us via email, or give us a call at 508-646-0030. We’ll be happy to discuss your needs and let you which of our services might make the best fit for you.
