What Does a Telecom Broker Do?

Scope of Work

Think of this as an informal Terms & Conditions from me to you, my customer.

As an IT decision maker, you understand the critical role telecommunications and emerging technology plays in today’s business world. It’s the invisible thread connecting your employees, customers, and partners across the globe. This often includes Software Defined WAN solutions to ensure secure and reliable connectivity. But the world of telecom can be a tangled mess of providers, services, and contracts, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn, especially when considering the complexities of MS Teams / UCaaS integration and the intricacies of Managed Security Services (MSS). That’s where I come in.

Think of me as your dedicated guide, your Telecom Guru, if you will. By the way if you didn’t know I am also The SD-WAN Guru, that website is here. As a telecom broker, my mission is to simplify the complexities of business telecommunications and various “disruptive” business technologies, ensuring you secure the best possible deals and receive unwavering support every step of the way. Whether it’s designing network access services, selecting vendors and proposing an SD-WAN, or implementing a robust UCaaS solution, I make sure it all works together with what you have, providing what you need. I also focus on providing Next Generation Managed Security Services if appropriate.

The Role of a Telecom Broker During the Sale

My journey with you begins by delving deep into your business needs. I take the time to understand your current infrastructure, your needs for the future, your budgetary constraints, and your specific technical requirements. This might include your needs for Software Defined WAN, UCaaS, MS Teams, circuits and Managed Security Services (MSS).  I want to hear your pain points, the challenges you’ve faced with your current telecom and managed security providers, and your vision for a seamless and efficient communication network, especially regarding SD-WAN optimization, UCaaS integration, and the effectiveness of your current security position.

Armed with this knowledge, I’ll tap into my extensive industry expertise and network of trusted providers to identify the perfect solutions for your business. Basically I sit at the head of the table of a full roster of industry and services experts, certified and highly knowledgeable people available to me, and now you from dozens and dozes of vetting service providers.

My basic scope of work pre-sale and up to successful turn-up is below:

• Extensive needs based fact-finding process to determine needs, budget, corporate IT, communication and security mandates.
• Crafting and issuing comprehensive RFPs based on these metrics above (Requests for Proposals).
• Gathering competitive bids, and providing you with the insights needed to evaluate providers based on critical factors such as cost value, network reliability, SLAs, customer service responsiveness, current M&A activity (very important) and financial stability.
• My role extends far beyond simply finding the right provider. I’ll be your trusted advisor during the network design and implementation phases.
• I’ll offer guidance and expertise to ensure your network is tailored to your unique requirements and performance expectations, especially if your network includes Software Defined WAN, UCaaS, or Managed Security Services (MSS).
• I’ll attend all sales meetings and quarterback presentations when appropriate.
• If required I also attend provisioning, and implementation meetings, acting as your advocate and ensuring a smooth transition and optimal turn-up, particularly for complex deployments involving SD-WAN, UCaaS, or MSS.

Your Ongoing Telecom Ally- Service After the Sale

Some of the most unusual value of a telecom broker lies in ongoing support and partnership. I’m not just here for the initial setup; I’m here for the long haul, dedicated to ensuring you continue to receive the best possible value and service, including ongoing optimization of your Software Defined WAN, seamless management of your UCaaS solution, and continuous improvement of your Managed Security Services (MSS). If it isn’t right, I make it right.  I work for you, not the provider.

NOTE-Suggested customer responsibilities are in italics from here.

My basic scope of work post-sale and going forward is below:

• Maintain a separate and distinct relationship: As your vendor agnostic Technology Advisor I never just want to be seen as a part of the providers efforts.  There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is I am vendor agnostic and want to hold the providers sales and servicing personnel to the highest expectations. I am part of the team, but bring additional experience and value to the table, as per below. I’ll point out this includes regular communication with my customers OUTSIDE the providers communication envelope and processes.  If we’re not talking, you may not be getting the entire picture of what is going on behind the scenes. It’s never my intention to turn-up services and drift way.
• Performance and Enhancement by Class of Service: Here I’m not only assisting you in assuring the services sold have been properly tested and provisioned, but they continue to operate as such, and even get enhanced when appropriate. When something breaks, customers are urged to follow the providers standardized trouble ticketing process, and escalation path. However, some of my greatest value to your organization is my ability to proactively identify and start working on time sensitive issues such as impaired service, non-responding carrier personnel (by generally escalating at the NOC) and even non-responding customer personnel. I work behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly and make sure your service gets up and stays up.
  
• Bill Review and Accuracy: I’ll meticulously review your first bill and subsequent invoices if desired, ensuring accuracy and that you receive any promised credits. In telecom, if the first bill isn’t right, it may never get right.
• SLA (Service Level Agreement) Enforcement: Should your provider fail to meet the agreed-upon service levels, I’ll assist you in submitting and enforcing SLA violation requests, including aggressive escalation if required, especially for critical services like SD-WAN, network access (circuits), and MSS where uptime and performance are paramount.
• Ongoing Price Monitoring: I’ll keep a vigilant eye on your circuit and managed service pricing, making sure you’re always getting the most competitive rates. This is especially important for critical services such as network access, managed Software Defined WAN CPE and licensing and MSS solutions.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE – As my customer, please make sure you run all carrier proposals and renewals by me to check pricing. I’m not a mind reader, if I don’t see it, I cannot check for competitive pricing and SLA service metrics. I use a comprehensive real-time quoting tool to see the fiber and copper in the ground, and which providers are available at any given circuit termination address. One of the first things most carriers do with indirect sales people is leave them out of the communication stream so new pricing and MACD pricing or ETL issues cannot be challenged.
• Identifying Cost-Saving Opportunities: I’ll proactively identify any pricing discrepancies or potential savings and leverage my negotiation skills to secure the best possible deals on your behalf, including optimizing costs for MPLS conversion to managed or hybrid SD-WAN, larger UCaaS needs, and MSS.
  • AGAIN – current customers should assure the original providers I put you with are sending me a copy of all pricing Service Orders (SOs), MACDs (to reduce any ETL). Also make sure I’m seeing any on-going service issues, if not a trouble ticket. I watch trouble tickets like a hawk to identify chronic issues and possible SLA violations, just make sure you see my email address on trouble tickets.
    
• Quoting Alternative Services: As your business evolves, so too will your telecom and technology needs. I’ll be there to explore and quote alternative services, assisting you with seamless additions or transitions to other providers. Whether it’s upgrading your Software Defined WAN, pricing internet circuits for moves or new construction, expanding your UCaaS capabilities, or enhancing your Managed Security Services (MSS).
  • This include firing providers that are not working out. Might be a decade after we put the network or managed services in place, might be 90 days during a Proof of Concept.
    • I handle revisiting your service imperatives, writing the RFPs finding an alternate provider, and we start the whole sales process again. 
    • Make sure to call me if any of my providers, or other services you have in place are not working out.  I make this whole process of shedding one provider and finding another painless and seamless.
  • EXISTING CUSTOMERS – Understand that SD-WAN and DIA “resellers” don’t own the last mile. They are using wholesale circuits from the big boys (AT&T, QWEST, Spectrum, Comcast, Cogent, Zayo) to provision your nodes. If I see a 10% or greater price variance in quotes going by my desk (new or renewal services) I will flag these and alert you. We have many choices, from using the lower prices I found as a hammer to negotiate lower pricing, or simply placing the order outside the current SD-WAN provider and having them manage it as Customer Provided Access (CPA). Again, if I don’t see the numbers going by, I cannot price them for competitiveness, so make sure before you sign a service order or MACD, I have seen it.

Leverage My Vendor Agnostic Experience and Relationships in the Technology Arena

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of my role is that of your advocate. I’m not beholden to any specific provider; my loyalty lies with you, my client. I’ll champion your interests, working aggressively to:

• Bird Dog serivce to meet your needs: Believe it or not, there are services and hardware that you or I “don’t know what we don’t know”. Or maybe you heard of something you think would benefit your form? No matter the technology, I’m not just Telecom. I have access to a myriad of service such as utility refund, Telecom Expense Management, RFID, competitive energy sales (gas and electricity) and many other technologies.  Tell me what you want I most likely can find it, or at least point you in the right direction.
  
• Negotiate the Best Possible Deals: I’ll leverage my industry knowledge and relationships to secure favorable terms and pricing that align with your budget and objectives, including negotiating the best possible for any class of service I can obtain, anywhere in the world.
• Protect You from Overspending: I’ll act as a safeguard against unnecessary costs, overpriced services, and suggesting alternative ways to achieve your objectives. I am ensuring you get the most value for your investment, especially when it comes to basic circuits as well as complex solutions like SD-WAN, UCaaS, and MSS.
• Resolve Disputes: Should any issues or disputes arise with your provider, I am a point of escalation at any time. I will step in as your customer advocate, working to find a swift and amicable resolution, particularly when escalating outages for critical circuits and services where downtime is significantly impacting your business operations.
• NOTE – Provide unique cost effective services such as Utility Refund, a service I offer this CONTINGENCY BASED SERVICE to all customers who are billing over $4,000 monthly in energy spend, or over $10,000 in telecom spend. A formal audit of the your firms gas, electric and telecom accounts will be an eye opener.  Don’t assume you’re “all good” and your internal folks have it handled.  This is the #1 objection I get from customers, yet we recover tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for over 90% of audited customers in incorrect billing spend, because we go back at least three years in most states.

The Telecom Broker Advantage: A Summary

In essence, a telecom broker is your trusted partner in the telecom and business technology world. I’ll save you valuable time, hard-earned money, and countless headaches by navigating the complexities of the industry and ensuring you receive the best possible service and value, including helping you navigate the complexities of Software Defined WAN and Next Generation Firewalls deployed as Managed Security Services (MSS).

Here’s a recap of the key benefits I bring to the table:

• Time Savings: I’ll handle the time-consuming tasks of researching providers, comparing plans, and negotiating contracts, freeing you to focus on your core responsibilities. I am your acquisition expert when it comes to telecom, RFID, MSS, circuits, dial-tone products and E911 requirements. My provider list is here, but this is only a small sample.
• Cost Savings: I’ll leverage my expertise and industry connections to secure the most appropriate class of service and competitive rates on your telecom services.
• Stress Reduction: I’ll take the complexity out of telecom, allowing you to breathe easy knowing your communications are in expert hands, especially when dealing with the intricacies of complex sales and assuring your services stay up and running.
• Expert Advice: I’ll provide you with unbiased, expert advice on your telecom needs, helping you make informed decisions about your SD-WAN, UCaaS, and MSS solutions.
• Staying Ahead of the Curve: I’ll keep you abreast of the latest telecom and related technology trends and technologies, ensuring your business remains competitive, including advancements in managed Software Defined WAN and many other services.
• Enhanced Vendor Selection: With access to a wide range of providers, I’ll help you choose the perfect fit for your specific needs, including providers specializing in managed SD-WAN, UCaaS, and MSS.
• Improved Efficiency: I’ll streamline your telecom procurement process, saving you time and resources, particularly when procuring complex solutions like managed SD-WAN, UCaaS, and MSS.
• Increased Accountability: I’ll hold providers accountable for their service level agreements and billing accuracy, ensuring you receive the quality of service you deserve. Again, if there is an issue, or you are having challenges submitting or getting credits for SLA violations, please get with me immediately as these can include contractually time sensitive reporting requirements.
• Reduced Risk: I’ll help you mitigate risks associated with telecom contracts and negotiations by suggesting contract amendments or relining contracts to assure you’re protected.  I’m not an attorney, but there are some pretty basic issues that come up from time to time with various customers, your up time reliability and budgetable fixed cost is of supreme importance to me.
• Peace of Mind: With me as your telecom advocate, you can rest assure your communications and many of your other technological services are in capable hands.

If you’re ready to experience the transformative benefits of partnering with a telecom broker, I invite you to reach out. Let’s discuss your unique needs and how I can help you optimize your business communications, saving you time, money, and stress along the way, while ensuring your Software Defined WAN, UCaaS, and Managed Security Services (MSS), are seamlessly integrated and expertly managed by the best providers available for your unique needs.

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