This diversification opportunity is another reason to call on customers and prospects.
The sudden failure or dropping of a phone call has become so common that we don’t even think about it. It might have been VoIP or a cell phone, but you just reconnect and go on. No big deal. What is a big deal for office technology dealers is the potential to offer VoIP without a big cost hit to your operation.
This stems from a 2019 FCC ruling that laid out the goal of shifting voice communications from POTS (plain old telephone service), using copper phone lines to fiber-optic digital lines using VoIP, or voice over internet protocol even though fiber lines aren’t yet universal. The potential for dealers is that you can partner with a VoIP provider and expand your offerings by providing VoIP as a service to customers. Ironically, your local and long-distance providers are likely already using VoIP and haven’t bothered to tell you. What is VoIP, and what does it mean to you?
The Opportunity
With VoIP, a caller’s voice is digitized—converted to a stream of ones and zeros for transmission—and turned back into analog for the recipient instantaneously. The opportunity arrives not only because of the FCC but because many of your customers are still relying on legacy phone systems and will have to shift to VoIP, more elaborately known as UCaaS (unified communications-as-a-service), a system that will work on all linked phones regardless of where employees are located.
“This is a huge opportunity. Every dealer needs to make this a priority,” affirmed Jocelyn Gorman, vice president of sales at DSI in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Indeed. So if your customers all have to use VoIP, why not get in on the action?
VoIP phones work like traditional hard-wired phones. This means end-customers with an office of, say, 80 people can easily transfer and share calls whether the phones are on desks, walls, or in pockets. This also provides remote workers the same advantages they would have with an office phone in their home.
Android or Apple iPhones can usually be linked to VoIP phone systems so users can have the connectivity and functionality of an office phone system, including conference calls, office voice mail, faxing, recording, and more, regardless of their location—all part of a VoIP service you can provide. For instance, a common option on a VoIP system is allowing callers to be automatically called back without losing their place in the call queue. Normal voice mail services used by many companies cannot do this.
As a dealer, you have the advantage of knowing a lot about your customer. This can help you recommend a VoIP system that will not only serve them well now but also can be later adapted to changing needs. For instance, you know 37 employees of a given customer work from home, several salespeople are spread across the nation, and more people are being added. All the new people will be remote and use cell phones to connect with the office daily. This lets you have a different conversation with a customer that lets you solve his or her problems, not just sell a service.
Such familiarity is important because dealers, as re-resellers of a VoIP service, are the touchpoint between end-customers and the VoIP provider. You need to partner with a VoIP company that understands your business, can help you configure a VoIP service for a customer, and will have your back should you or the end-customer encounter difficulty.
Keeping It Simple
Adding VoIP does not have to be complex. A quick Google search turns up VoIP players with similar services and competitive rates. Some top providers are Acefone, crexendo, Dialpad, Intermedia, OpenPhone, Oooma, RingCentral, and Vonage. Talk with the vendors, explain your business and that you have customers who are excellent prospects for VoIP, and that you want to partner with a company that can provide the VoIP services your customers need.
You may find some VoIP companies are more amenable to partnering than others. Matt Leipham Ellis, collaboration manager at Applied Innovation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said Intermedia rose to the top because of its familiarity with dealers’ needs. Gorman said crexendo was the choice at DSI and Pulse Technology in Schaumberg, Illinois. Intermedia and crexendo are strong on partnering with companies (like dealers) with close customer relationships.
One potential challenge for any VoIP provider, cautioned Gorman is sufficient internet. “End-customers without sufficient bandwidth will have poor call quality and dropped calls. This doesn’t mean they shouldn’t move to VoIP, but they will need to upgrade their internet connection.” The VoIP vendor you work with can guide you. For dealers already offering internet connectivity, this may present added revenue opportunity.
Expertise Not Required
Having used VoIP, I thought some expertise would be necessary, but this is not the case. While knowing what to ask end-customers and service providers is important, no one on your team needs to be a VoIP expert, although they should be conversant on the technology.
Chip Miceli, president of Pulse Technology, noted that partnering with a VoIP company that will work with your technology team lessens the need for internal expertise but does not eliminate it. Leipham Ellis of Applied Innovation added that having a specialist can be an asset because dealers provide upfront customer support while the VoIP vendor has their backs. DSI’s Gorman agreed, noting that the real need at the dealer level is having someone sufficiently conversant on VoIP to address customers’ immediate concerns and then passing more complex issues to the VoIP provider.
Although not a showstopper, one place where specific expertise is required is taxation, reported Leipham Ellis. “Dealers have some potential tax calculation, collection, reporting, and liabilities as a service provider,” he explained. According to taxation specialist firm Compliance Solutions, there are more than 35,000 sales and telecom tax jurisdictions in the U.S.
Taxation being the way it is, rules and rates are changing all the time, so be sure to stay on top of this. A solid VoIP provider or taxation expert knows exactly what the tax man needs to see and can make short work out of what can be a complex issue. Do not take this lightly or blithely pass it to your accountant.
New Conversations
Offering VoIP also gives your salespeople fresh opportunities. Although some dealers say non-tech-savvy MFP salespeople should turn the deal over to a colleague expert in the technology, offering VoIP can still open doors. Larger dealerships seem to have dedicated salespeople—a luxury of size, perhaps—while smaller dealers work more closely with the VoIP provider to close the deal. The approach that works best for your dealership will become apparent.
What else is in it for dealers? “Relationships,” said Pulse Technology’s Miceli. Applied Innovation’s Leipham Ellis and DSI’s Gorman were quick to agree. VoIP enhances the depth of customer relationships because it adds to the value and scope of services a dealer offers. There’s a modest revenue stream attached because VoIP is a service your dealership sells, and the upfront cost is minimal. Your customers need a modern phone system and your dealership can deliver it. The VoIP company may deliver the service, but your dealership provides the value and is the point of contact.
Finally, as you do your due diligence you may find some customers already using VoIP and have a relationship with a VoIP provider. Be sure to find out how the service is (or is not) working for them. Service is easy to switch and customers may welcome the opportunity to get more of their office technology through a single provider.
A Competitive Edge?
VoIP is a door-opener rather than a money maker,” stated Pulse’s Miceli. More importantly, it shows that your dealership does more than sell and service office equipment. VoIP is a relatively simple yet valuable way to differentiate the offerings of your business from those of your competitors. Can this give you a competitive edge? Maybe. There is nothing to lose by offering VoIP as you move beyond being a traditional copier and printer provider. Pick up the phone and see what can work for your dealership.
