It took me a while to understand this, and it sounds rather odd coming from the "phoneman", but North Florida Communications doesn’t specialize in selling telephones. We specialize in selling communications solutions. See, I told you it sounded odd.

In today’s high-tech world of online shopping, you can easily find the cheapest price for most any product within seconds by using Google. Is this true with the products or services you sell? It certainly is with telephones. Quite frankly, you’ll often find a cheaper supplier of a particular phone than us. There are many suppliers on the internet that sell with single digit margins that we simply cannot touch. But what about support?

While we may charge a bit more for a phone, you’re getting more bang for your buck. What happens when the telephone you bought off the internet has a problem? Will your internet supplier come to your office to fix it? Will you be able to call them and speak to a knowledgeable tech? Will they be able to program your system? Will you have to send the bad unit it for repair and wait two or more weeks without a phone? None of this would be a worry if you bought a phone from North Florida Communications.

Am I making sense? If so, consider this...my job as the owner of this company is not to sell you a telephone, but to sell you a solution that will help you communicate better with your clients and to make sure that solution runs trouble-free. Anybody can sell you a telephone, but it takes someone with considerable experience to interface that telephone with a system that allows callers to be routed smoothly and professionally.

We want to look at the communication system as a whole, not as parts. We want to assist you in setting up a system that works for your employees and, most importantly, your clients! The question in the back of my mind is, how can we make this system work better?

Granted, we’re not the only company that can provide this service. We have several local competitors that are top-notch. What we do cannot be compared to someone who sells telephones at the lowest price.

As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance to you.

Last week I was able to attend ITExpo (Internet Telephony Exposition) in Miami Beach. It truly is amazing to see the products being developed in our industry. Here are a few things that I think are very exciting:

SIP Trunking- In a nutshell, SIP is a connection to an ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) that connects a phone system, or a simple gateway, to the PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network), which is the traditional telephone network that we all think about when we discuss "The Phone Company".

SIP Trunks have become a very reliable way to make telephone calls that also can save you 50% (more or less) on your phone bills. SIP Trunks also provide more advanced features, such as Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers, call pairing (have your cell phone ring with your desk phone) and faster setup/tear-down times.

Hosted PBX- Imagine a small company getting a powerful telephone system without having to buy any equipment, except the telephones. This can be done with a Hosted PBX. A company, such as North Florida Communications, rents a customer a server, or a portion of a server that is located at a remote location. Customer phones then connect via the internet to the hosted system.

The hosted solution gives all the standard features such as auto-attendant, voice-mail, etc., while allowing the customer to pay a monthly reoccurring fee, instead a big chunk of money up front. Since SIP Trunking is often used, those monthly fees can be equal to the cost you may pay to the local Telco just for the phone lines you would use with a traditional telephone system.

A hosted solution is also great for companies that have many remote users.

Unified Messaging- Imagine getting all of your voice-mails and faxes sent directly to your cell phone via email. That is what Unified Messaging can do. Personally, I love it because I’m on the road a lot. I no longer have to dial in to check messages, or ask to borrow someone’s fax machine so I can see an important document. Very nice!

Guess what, these are really not new technologies. They have all been around for a few years and are now mature technologies. Are you ready to start a new decade with some time AND money saving purchases? If so, please contact me!

Larry Nazworth

Generally speaking, a Hosted PBX refers to a voice solution where the call control equipment resides in a service providers location, which business customers connect to via voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP).

More plainly, a business customer can choose to pay a service provider to provide all of the necessary equipment to run a telephone system. End users connect to the service via the internet (usually). VoIP phones can be used from the office, at home, or any where there is a reliable internet connection. The end-user does not have to pay a large one-time price for all of the processing equipment, but must pay a never ending monthly charge and generally must purchase all of the phones.

Here are some pros and cons of a Hosted PBX:

One big thing to consider when going with a hosted solution is the company behind the product. You need to be sure that they will be around for the long haul and have the finances to succeed. There have been several cases where service providers have gone out of business, seemingly overnight, leaving there customers stranded. In 2007 SunRocket suddenly closed shop leaving 200,000 customers scrambling to find service.

VoIP has many forms and is here to stay. It can be made to work right and to save your company a lot of money. If you think a hosted solution may be right for your business, contact me and let me help!

Larry Nazworth

As many companies in our field do, North Florida Communications provides maintenance contracts for business telephone systems. Many customers wonder if they should have a maintenance contract for their telephone system. Let’s explore that thought.

Simply put, a maintenance contract is an insurance policy on your telephone system. The contract can be written to cover parts, or both parts and labor. You can choose to have 24x7x365 coverage, or 8-5 Monday-Friday coverage, depending on how important the system is to your business, and of course how much you want to pay. Having a maintenance contract allows you to budget for any problems with your system, saving you from any large, unforseen bills for equipment failures.

At North Florida Communications, we’ve added on to the standard maintenance agreement and changed the name to Managed Voice Services. Our plans provide:

1. Parts and Labor, or Labor Only- choose the coverage that is best for you. Includes damage by lightning.

2. Music-On-Hold- seasonally adjusted music

3. One hour/month Remote Programming- remote changes to your telephone and voice-mail system to keep everything up to date.

4. Annual "Tune-Up" visit- check out condition of phone equipment, replace bad cords, etc.

5. Additional On-Site Training- two one-hour on-site training visits at your request. We'll take questions from experienced users and help train new hires.

6. Updated Templates/Designation Strips- we’ll mail you updated phone designation strips for your telephones as needed. Up to two per phone/year.

7. Priority Response- Maximum 4-hour response time for major problems.

8. Inside Wire Coverage- inside telephone wiring is included. Network cabling can be added for an additional cost.

9. Telco Liaison Service- well contact your telephone company on your behalf for service problems and new orders.

10. 10% Discount on Additional Purchases- discount applies to parts and labor.

So, with NFC, you’re not only getting coverage for your equipment, but you’re also getting many more benefits. For most plans we provide a remote maintenance terminal that allows us to remotely program and monitor your telephone system via the internet. This box also provides music/message-on-hold that we adjust to different seasons.

We give you remote programming that frees up one of your staff members, while keeping your phone system up to date. Does your phone have the name of an employee that left two years ago? With our Managed Voice Services, we would take care of that for you at no additional charge.

Do you have employees that have been hired since the phone system was installed, and are not quite sure about all of the different features? With our plan, you get a site visit for training. Need to order a new line, but dread trying to work with the local phone company? Our included Telco Liaison Service would take care of that for you.

Is a maintenance contract right for your organization? Only you can answer that. Please give me a call if I can help.

Larry Nazworth

As is the case of many businesses, we are sometimes faced with the question, “Why is your competitor’s price cheaper?” for which there could be several different answers.

It could just be that one of our competitors needs the work badly and will do it at any cost. Many contractors are hungry for work right now, and this is understandable. Perhaps they’re just trying to keep the doors open and will do whatever it takes to get the business. That’s understandable, and somewhat difficult to compete with. More often, there are other reasons why our products and services may be priced higher.

In our local area, we compete with several topnotch competitors. These companies have been in business for a long time, some even longer than the 19 years we’ve been around. They strive to maintain high standards and sell top-of-the-line equipment and services. We also compete against many others who do not meet high standards and lack some of the following:

Licencing- In the state of Florida, a license is required to pull cable. If you take a close look at the companies that appear in the Yellow Pages under “Network Cabling” or “Telephone Systems,” I would be willing to bet less than half of those are licensed contractors. We’ve invested a lot of time and money to become a licensed Florida Limited Energy Specialty Contractor (License #ES12000686) and a Georgia Low Voltage/Telecom Contractor (License #LVT305390).

We’ve studied the books and paid all of the fees for these licenses so that we can be in compliance with the law. For whatever reason, many of our competitors have not made the investment. Our price will automatically be higher than theirs, because of our investment in licensing and continuing education. Would you hire an unlicensed contractor to build your house? Ask a potential contractor for their state license number.

Insurance- Automotive, Comprehensive, and Workmen’s Comp. are just a few of the policies that must be carried by most legitimate companies. We’ve got them, but what about the guy with the lower price?

If an installer accidentally knocks off the head of a fire sprinkler pipe, and your building is flooded, who will pay? Does he have insurance to cover it? What happens if the installer falls off a ladder? Is he covered by workmen’s comp., or will your insurance company have to pick up the tab? What happens if he falls on one of your employees? Will you be stuck with the medical costs and lost productivity costs? I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point. Ask a potential contractor if they have insurance!

Quality of Workmanship- As with any type of contracting business, there are various levels of quality. Few things bother me in this business like the poor quality of work I often see by other companies. Wires hanging from the ceiling, jacks not installed properly, equipment not properly mounted, etc.

It does take more time to do a job properly, we all know that. So, if we’re up against a company that takes no pride in their workmanship, they’ll have less time tied up in a job, and can charge less. Wouldn’t you rather pay a little more and have the job done right the first time?

Quality of Equipment- There are numerous brands of telephone equipment on the market today. There are some good products, and some not-so-good products. We’re very picky about the equipment we sell, how about the other guy? Will it work right next year when the warranty is up? Does the manufacturer have a proven track record? Ask!

Training- Unfortunately, many in our trade don’t have a good grasp on the codes and standards that apply to our profession. (Maybe that’s why they’re not licensed?) We do, and we do our best to abide by those codes and standards, which can cause our price to be higher than someone who doesn’t.

We’re a BICSI shop. BICSI is a professional association supporting the information transport systems (ITS) industry. We pay a premium to be BICSI members so we can benefit from the training they provide. We each spend 1-2 weeks a year getting certifications and continuing education so that we can be sure we’re providing the best service possible.

In addition to BICSI, we have numerous in-house training sessions throughout the year. What about the other guy? Ask what accreditations they have. What type of training do they participate in?

Cleanliness- I found out a long time ago that many office mangers were more impressed with my ability to operate a vacuum cleaner than all of my technical abilities combined. (I’m stretching it just a bit.) One of the things that set us apart from other contractors is that we make an effort to clean up our mess. Sweep, vacuum, wipe, whatever it takes. Of course that takes time, and that extra time could put us above someone else’s price.

In addition to cleaning up after ourselves, we also try to maintain a professional image with our dress code. Now, we may not be the prettiest people that walk through your door, but we do try to look the best we can. Hats and shorts are not allowed (except at construction sites, if applicable) and each installer has a company shirt, and a marked van. How about the cheap guy? Is he coming into your nice office wearing shorts and flip-flops? Is his worn-out station wagon giving your parking lot a bad image?

Company Investment and Longevity- Will the cheaper guy be around next week or next year when you need service? Does he have the proper tools and test equipment to do the job? Do they maintain crash kits for the systems they sell, or will you have to wait for parts if your system is down? All of this cost more money.

North Florida Communications has been in business since 1990. We’re committed to running a company without debt. That has greatly helped us during this bad economy. We’ll be here when you need us!

We invest in the proper tools and test equipment. If we sell you a new telephone system, rest assured we have a backup system on standby, just in case something happens to yours. Of course this all takes extra money. Has the other guy made the same investments?

I hope this gives you something to think about. Please let me know your thoughts. As always, if there is any way I can help you, please don’t hesitate to call.

Larry Nazworth

As we continue to look at ways to save "green," let’s take a moment to look at the business telephone system. Yeah, I know most people don’t get real excited about telephone systems, until they stop working, but I do! Having sold, installed, maintained, and repaired phone systems for the past 22 years, I’ve seen quite a few changes. The past few years have brought some enhancements that can save many businesses some money, while making things more convenient for the customer.

One of the business telephone systems we sell at North Florida Communications is the LG iPECS VoIP system, formally marketed in the USA as the Vodavi Telenium. The iPECS differs somewhat from a tradition telephone system in that it has a fully distributed architecture, which simply means you can have different modules in different buildings on a campus, or in different cities. While the iPECS is a fully blown VoIP phone system, you can also purchase gateways for analog or existing digital phones.

Here’s a few ways to save some green with the iPECS telephone system:

1) SIP Trunking. Many businesses rely heavily on their business telephone system, and consequently have a very large bill each month from the telephone company. SIP Trunking allows you to route some or all of your calls through an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) via the internet. ITSPs are typically much more economical than your local exchange carrier. However, many LECs and CLECs are getting into the SIP business.

SIP Trunks also provide the ability to have DID numbers, for a very small cost each month. With DIDs, each employee or department can have their own phone number, helping to reduce the need for a receptionist to route calls, as well as speeding customers response time.

DID numbers can also be used to gauge a marketing campaign’s response and effectiveness. You can place one number on your web-site, another number on your newspaper ads, and yet another number on direct-mail pieces. Each time someone calls, your phone system will tell you what number their calling into.

There are many more uses for SIP Trunking, but those will have to wait for another day.

2) Unified Messaging (UM). Since I spend a good amount of time out of the office, I’ve called in thousands of times over the years to check messages. Fortunately, I no longer have to do that. My voice-mail messages are now forwarded to by email. I can access them from home, from my laptop, or any place else there is internet access. Even more convenient is that they’re automatically picked up by my web-enabled cell phone.

UM also allows me to receive faxes via my email account. While faxes are not used nearly as much as in the past, we still get a few. Again, it doesn’t matter where I’m at, the fax will be emailed to me and can be viewed on my cell as well.

3) Multiple Offices Operate as One. One of the features of modern VoIP telephone systems is the ability to tie multiple offices together via the internet, or an existing IP network. So, if you had an office in Gainesville, Florida and one in Ocala, Florida, you could tie both office phone systems together. This would eliminate toll charges for calls between offices, and allow employees in Gainesville to dial out through the Ocala lines and vice-versa.

Additionally, office staff at one location would be able to answer calls coming from the other location. Perhaps you don’t need an operator/receptionist at both locations. You could have one person in Gainesville to answer all calls, and Ocala callers would never know the difference. Don’t need to staff the Gainesville office every day of the week? No problem, the calls can be answered in Ocala. Someone calls Ocala wanting AR, but they’re in Gainesville? Just transfer them!

4) Remote Users. A few years ago a client of ours had a key employee move from Gainesville to Montana. Our client wanted to keep the employee so he had us install a VoIP telephone system and send a phone to Montana. This valued associate worked for our client for several more years taking calls every day from her home in Montana using a normal DSL internet connection. No one ever knew the difference, unless she told them.

A remote VoIP phone can allow employees to work from home, making it more convenient for them AND saving the cost of expensive office space. Working from home also helps the environment by keeping more cars off the road.

Do you travel a lot but still need to connect to your office telephone system? A soft-phone can be installed on your laptop. Just connect to the internet, put on your headset and start talking. You’ll be able to make and receive calls to your coworkers and clients, just like you would use your standard office telephone. The iPECS even has a built in "web-phone" that allows you to connect from any web-browser in the world.

There are other ways that a modern telephone system can help you organization operate more efficiently while increasing customer service and I’m sure we’ll discuss those in the future. The level of services achieved from a telephone system, like all sophisticated business electronics, has as much to do with the installing company as it does the equipment. Please call me if I can help, (352)224-3033.

Larry Nazworth