SOP Friday: Phone Etiquette and Procedures

Let me start with a disclaimer: I used to be addicted to the telephone. Now I rarely use it except to record podcasts. At the same time, many clients love the telephone. For some reason, it makes them feel like they're getting speedy service, even when entering a service ticket is always a faster way to get service (See Clients Who Abuse the Phones and How Do Service Requests Get Into Your System?).

Nevertheless . . .

People will call your business. Clients, vendors, strangers, sales people, etc. Very often, you know who's calling because of Caller ID, but not always. Most of these rules apply whether you know the caller or not. There's one exception, and it's spelled out.

The most important rule about phones is related to one of the most important rules about running your business: Don't be interrupt-driven. Focus on the job in front of you.

Most people consider it rude to turn away from someone while in a conversation and give all your attention to someone else. But somehow we think it's okay to do this when the phone rings.

No matter what you're doing, your attention should be there. You should not stop doing something just because the phone rings. Focus on the thing you're doing. Do it well. Let the system work. When you're done with the job in front of you, then use the system to see what the next most important thing is.

(On focus, please see Relax Focus Succeed by me, and The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield.)

So we have rules about phone usage. Many of them assume that you have accepted the Standard Operating Procedure of not allowing yourself and your employees to be interrupt-driven. Remember, the goal of these SOPs is to make your business work better. That means making more money, providing better service, and making your clients happier.

As always, adjust for your own business practices.

Note: The remainder of this discussion assumes that we are talking about a managed service business and NOT a "help desk." If you have a help desk, it is intended to respond to interruptions. I would argue that your help desk should work exactly the same, except that you would guarantee that a human answers the phone. Once a ticket is created, you would simply channel "help desk" calls into the help desk queue.

As you will see, these rules are deeply integrated into the other SOPs of your business. These include client communications, time management,


- General Rules -

- Telephones are answered by the office manager (a non-technical person).
- If the office manager is not available, the service manager or service coordinator answers the phone.
- Technicians do not answer any phones at any time unless it is one of your co-workers or it is identifiable as being directly related to the Service Request or Activity you are working on at the time

- Whoever answers the phone may:
1. Create a new service request
2. Update a new service request
3. Transfer the phone to the service manager, if appropriate
4. Transfer the phone to voice mail, if appropriate

The most common result will be that a new service ticket will be created, or that an existing service ticket will be updated with notes. I point that out because interrupting technicians is NOT a common event.

- If no one is available to answer the phone, the call is routed to the Service Manager or Service Coordinator's phone. If that is not answered, it rolls to voicemail. As a result, that person will need to check voicemail on a regular basis.

- Personal phone calls are made during break times and if necessary in between service calls. They should not be made in the middle of billable time.
- Always set phones to the lowest audible setting (or vibrate) when in any office, including at our own
- Do not answer your desk or cell phone when you are in a meeting or giving someone else your attention
- Try to check voice mail every other hour on the hour for best response time. A simple rule is every odd hour of the day. This allows for a check after lunch and as one of the last things in the day.
- No personal phone calls while on clients site ever!
- DO NOT give out personal cell phone numbers
- Clients should always call your primary phone number for technical support


- Resetting the Interrupt -

It is a fact that, at one time or another, you will find yourself on the phone with a client who needs attention but you cannot give it to them for one reason or another. The acceptable phrases to memorize and use are:
- "I’m going to help you get a Service Request put into the system so that the service manager can get it prioritized and get someone on it as soon as possible."
- "Even though you have reached me directly I am currently on another task / working with another client and can’t change my focus. I’m going to help you . . ." (see text above)


- Voice Mail -

Your desk phones and cell phones should have a standardized message and guide people to follow your company processes for fastest support.

Here's a sample to get you started:
“Hello. You have reached the voice mail for Joe Technician. Please leave me a detailed message and I will return your call as soon as possible. If this is an urgent issue, please call the xxx-xxxx extension 1 for the Service Manager."


- Implementation Notes -

There's a lot here.

Implementing these phone rules consists of a few simple steps:

1) Define your rules. Write then down and document them.

2) Train your staff. Give them written copies of these procedures.

3) Expect all personnel to follow the procedures. Support each other in following these procedures.


- Benefits -

These rules do not exist for arbitrary reasons. They should be formulated to enforce the profitable operation of your company.

More than almost any other tool at your disposal, the telephone can interrupt your people and your processes very quickly and repeatedly. If you're not familiar with First Things First by Steven Covey, et al., it is definitely worth your while.

One of the key lessons of that book is to learn the difference between Important and Urgent. Telephone calls can easily seem to be urgent. That doesn't make them important.

When phone communications are not important, then they need to be controlled, no matter how "urgent" they seem.

As a result, you need to craft telephone rules that keep your people on track, efficient, and profitable.


Your Comments Welcome.

- - - - -

About this Series

SOP Friday - or Standard Operating System Friday - is a series dedicated to helping small computer consulting firms develop the right processes and procedures to create a successful and profitable consulting business.

Find out more about the series, and view the complete "table of contents" for SOP Friday at http://www.smallbizthoughts.com/events/SOPFriday.html.

- - - - -

Next week's topic: Hiring Process


:-)

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- Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint by Harry Brelsford and Philip Elder

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Thank you, as always, for your support.

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Selling Hardware with The Cloud

One of the concerns that consultants have about cloud computing is: What do I sell? This is a legitimate concern.

Make no mistake: If you make your money selling servers, then you better be prepared for the world to change very fast. As for everything else, there will be a gradual transition. And some equipment will always exist onsite.

What's the gradual transition to? Well, in the short-term, we're going to see onsite storage in the form of NAS devices and lite servers (SBS Essentials and Foundation server). Desktops will fade into thin clients over the next three years. But monitors, UPSs, printers, switches, routers, firewalls, telephone systems, and QOS devices will all remain onsite.

Within five years some ISPs will be offering just a fiber cable onsite with hosted firewall at the other end of the cable. That is rare today (I don't know why. It's very obviously the next step.)

So how can you make money off the cloud right now today with both existing clients and new prospects? That's easy: The good old network audit.

Maybe "checkup" is a better idea. Especially around tax time, you might want to avoid the word audit. :-)

What is a Cloud Network Checkup? Well, start with my Cloud Prep checklist. Just send an email to cloud@greatlittlebook.com and it will auto-respond with my cloud checklist. This is a list of things to consider when moving a client to the cloud.

We are putting together a Bandwidth Audit for all existing clients plus new prospects. Here's how it works:

1) Contact the ISP to determine the current existing speed on the client's network. Ask whether they can get a free upgrade of this speed. In many cases, clients are eligible for free increases and just need to trade in their router. ISPs (especially phone companies and cable companies) would be overwhelmed if they told everyone about this, so they increase speeds when the opportunity arises. Create that opportunity.

Test the line! Unplug everything and speed test the line. Document this.

2) If replacing the router ("modem" for people who insist on use that term even though they're not modems anymore) was not part of Step One, speed test the line inside the router. If the LAN side is slower than the WAN side, quote the client a new router. Make sure it's a NEW router that has new chip sets and can handle the faster bandwidths going forward.

Once the router is up to spec . . .

3) Verify that all firewall settings are correct, including password and inbound/outbound rules. Then speed test inside the firewall. If this speed test is significantly slower than the WAN side of the firewall (the LAN side of the router), then quote the client a new firewall. Once again, new means new. Even a two year old firewall may not be able to move Internet traffic above 10-15 MBps.

4) If there's a wireless device, it should be a newer N type wireless device. Your wireless device might be clamping down a 40-plus MBps Internet connection to only 10-13 MBps wireless. If that's an issue for the client, quote a new wireless device.

5) Once again, disconnect everything from the LAN side of the switch and run speed tests on more than one port. If you get different results on different ports, the switch is going bad. Quote a new switch. If there is just a dramatic dropoff from the WAN side to the LAN side, quote a new switch.

Today you can get business class 100 MB switches at a very reasonable price. If possible, get a 1 GB (1,000 MB) switch for the client.

6) If the client has all 100 MB ports on the LAN side of the switch, all servers and workstations should have 100 MB NICs or better. If the client has all 1,000 MB ports on the LAN side of the switch, all servers and workstations should have 1,000 MB NICs or better. Quote upgrades as appropriate.

7) If the client is using VOIP, or planning on it, consider a QOS - Quality of Service - device that will shape the bandwidth and increase telephone performance.

In my opinion, ALL of these items need to be tested and replaced as needed.

So what hardware do you sell to clients during the transition to Cloud Computing? How about . . .

- NAS devices
- Lite servers
- Desktop PCs
- Thin Clients
- Monitors
- UPSs
- Printers
- Switches
- Routers
- Firewalls
- Telephone systems
- QOS devices

The key is to show up with a plan and a commitment that helping your clients improve their bandwidth will set then up for success in the cloud.

:-)

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Who Cares About T-Mobile? Amazon, Google, and Microsoft

So AT&T is gobbling T-Mobile. That's fine. Maybe the reconsolidation of the phone industry begins again.

But M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in the telcomm space are going to look a little different this time. The reason is simple: controlling access to The Cloud.

The smaller wireless companies provide AT&T with something they are not willing to do themselves, which is to build a greater coverage area. AT&T's strategy is to patch together dissimilar systems and make them all work together. It's not like a car held together with bailing wire. It's more like a long distance train held together with bailing wire.

But offering more and more people the promise of connecting to "apps" on their phones is the ultimate goal. So you'll drop the signal on a regular basis. Who cares? You've got fighting birds downloaded, so you're good to go. And $10/month subscription to GPS services are an absolute goldmine for wireless providers.

Very soon, mobile Internet access will overtake wired Internet access. And while the ground war for Internet connectivity is about to take off, the air war may have just begun.

Obviously, the traditional wireless carriers have dominated wireless device access to the Internet, and wired telcos have dominated wired access. But now both of them are going to become the targets of the Cloud Providers themselves - Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. This is unfamiliar territory, although they all have their fingers in some kind of telephone technology.

I suspect the T-Mobile purchase will speed up the timetable and you'll see the big cloud providers poking around to see which last-mile-through-the-air services they can acquire. The juiciest choices will be regional providers that offer both wired and mobile services.


Same Story on the Land

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft can build all the cloud technology they want (literally). But they don't control the largest variable for adoption: The last mile. Internet connect, bandwidth, "the pipeline." It's the most critical piece of connecting to The Cloud.

If a business has slow internet access, like the fractional T-1 they bought along with their phone system five years ago, then they can only take advantage of a handful of specific cloud-based technologies.

One reason for slow bandwidth is that faster bandwidth has not been made available. I've been to a dozen different U.S. cities this year and I'm amazed at the differences in what's available, and the costs for big bandwidth.

I live in Sacramento, CA and have Comcast Internet. At the office I max out in the 10-20MB range per connection. At home my connection is normall 70 MB and can get up to 90 MB in the late evening. That's fast. A 1.5 MB T-1 is NOT fast. A 6 MB DSL line is not fast.

There are two primary components to the "last mile" speed of the internet: Infrastructure and willingness to provide it. Both of these are controlled by the phone company that controls that last mile.

Interestingly enough, it's the small telcos that are pushing the fastest connections. They're building up fiber to their customers because it's a managable job. When the big telcos (like AT&T) lay down fiber, it's a massive job with millions of variables. And it's tough to make that commitment when you know that you yourself are trying to build up the competing infrastructure in the sky.

But servers, line of business applications, and online backups are not going to fly over wireless technology (at least not for awhile). So businesses need higher speeds and more connections as soon as possible.


All Winners or All Losers?

It almost looks like there are no losers in this situation. As long as you're in the business of helping to build up wired or wireless internet access, you should be able to make money.

Having said that, we have a tendency in this age of super-fast technical evolution, to give away too many services for cheap or free. The stupid mentality that built the .com bubble of 2000 has never disappeared entirely. So if these companies give up current profits in the hopes of future market share, they may all end up being losers instead of winners.

Owning 51% of a market with no profit is not a worthwhile goal.

But at least there's great news for technical consultants: The world will keep evolving faster and faster. And the person who helps others figure out which services to use will always make money! The faster technology moves, the more important it is to provide up-to-date information and services.

:-)

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MS Response Point Dies It's Inevitable Death

While everyone was pretended that this wasn't inevitable, Microsoft has announced that they are officially discontinuing Response Point.

Got this missive from Harry Brelsford at SMB PC Magazine:

Earlier this week I had an exclusive interview with John Frederiksen, general manager in Microsoft’s Startup Business Group (led by Microsoft executive Amit Mital). Frederiksen oversees the Microsoft Response Point small business telephone system business and is one of its only employees. As you can read in my detailed blog HERE, Frederiksen cut to the chase in announcing that Microsoft Response Point will be discontinued as of August 31, 2010 and withdrawn from the market at that date. Its OEM partners have been briefed on this announcement and, as you read this, key Microsoft Partners are being notified.

And I'm sure you can track all the discussion of this and more over at Telephonation.com.

As for me . . . I don't have much to say on this one. I have never been impressed with the product. It seemed to me to compete very well with ten year old Panasonic systems I could buy on ebay. But compared to every other phone option built in the last ten years it just wasn't ready for prime time.

Will Microsoft step into this market again? Of Course! But next time they'll use a strategy that works for them: Buy a successful company, integrate it with the amazing stuff Microsoft is already doing correctly, and take it to the next level.

Rest assured. Microsoft is not out of the phone business. They're just out of the Response Point business.

:-)

Great Telecom books - From SMB Books

Okay, I found two amazing books by one author. Of course he's totally known, loved, and understood in the Telecom space. Let me introduce him to the SMB Consulting community: Mr. Ray Horak.

Ray Horak held management and executive management positions with Southwestern Bell, Continental Telephone Company (CONTEL), and Communications Group Inc. He is an independent consultant, a popular speaker, a trainer, an author, and a columnist. He teaches seminars around the world on a variety of telecommunications subjects. He also has considerable experience as a consulting technical expert and expert witness in litigation involving patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property matters.

He has several books, most published by Wiley. The two that caught my eye are . . .


Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary

and


Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook


First, The Telecom Dictionary
is just a great resource. It's the ultimate random-access fun book for nerds. Open any page and you'll find something interesting about the telecom space. And for those of you a little iffy on ethernet and the networks on which you'll be installing those VOIP systems, this will also serve as an excellent primer on that.

One the most common things we notice as we move into the telecom space is that they have WAY more acronyms than we do. And they're not shy about spreading the acronyms around. This book is a really good, and interesting book on the telecom industry. We've got it for only $24.95 so you can't go wrong. Guaranteed Good.

Second, The Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook
is a monster. It's hard cover. It's big. It's the size of TWO Network Migration Workbooks in one.

If the Telecom Dictionary is a dictionary (which it is), then think of this monster tome is the encyclopedia of telecom. Great stories, great examples, great detail. While the Telecom Dictionary give short descriptions, this gives 1-2 page articles of description.

You'll also find some GREAT stories about the early history of communications, telecommunications, and data communications.

Why did the calvery shave horses' butts and stick copper wires on them? You'll have to read and find out.

Which brings us to . . .

Third, These are FUN books.
Uh . . . okay. I'm a nerd. But these books are really filled with great stories and tidbits about the techology we use. You want some seriously cood trivia stories to impress your nerdier friends? This is the mother lode!

- - - -

We've actually added a new section to SMBBooks.com just for Telecom and VOIP. We expect to see more books in this area.

Look for these books and more. Check out the combo pack (tele-combo).

More on The Telecom Dictionary
Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary, by Ray Horak, is a comprehensive telecommunications dictionary of more than 7,500 terms critical to understanding voice, data, video, and multimedia communications system and network technologies, applications, and regulation.

Given the convergence of computing and communications, the book also effectively is a computer dictionary with a telecom focus. It is thoroughly researched, highly objective, absolutely accurate, and includes just about every essential term, abbreviation, acronym, contraction, initialism, and portmanteau you might encounter in the telecom and datacom domains.

Although the book is a technical dictionary, Horak’s plain-English, commonsense style yields definitions that are as thoroughly understandable to the business professional or student as they are to the electrical engineer. In fact, many entries are encyclopedic in nature, discussing applications and issues.

Horak also injects a bit of his wry sense of humor, sprinkling occasional telecom trivia and marginally related definitions that will have you smiling and chuckling to yourself, but not to the point that they detract from what is an important book on a serious subject.

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary is the one and only telecom dictionary you will need. It also makes a perfect companion to Horak’s Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook.

Find Out More

More on The Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook
For an accessible and comprehensive survey of telecommunications and data communications technologies and services, consult the Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook, which includes information on origins, evolution and meaningful contemporary applications.

Find discussions of technologies set in context, with details on fiber optics, cellular radio, digital carrier systems, TCP/IP, and the Internet. Explore topics like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP); 802.16 & WiMAX; Passive Optical Network (PON); 802.11g & Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) in this easily accessible guide without the burden of technical jargon.

Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
About the Author.

1 FUNDAMENTALS OF THE TECHNOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
1.1 Fundamental Definitions
1.2 Dedicated, Switched, and Virtual Circuits
1.3 Two-Wire versus Four-Wire Circuits
1.4 Bandwidth
1.5 Analog versus Digital
1.6 Loading Coils, Amplifiers, and Repeaters
1.7 Conversion Process: Modems and Codecs
1.8 Multiplexers (Muxes)
1.9 Switches and Switching: The Basics . . . and Then Some
1.10 Signaling and Control.

References.

2 FUNDAMENTALS OF TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS: TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS
2.1 Electromagnetic Spectrum
2.2 Transmission Media Selection Criteria
2.3 Twisted Pair: Introduction to Telephone Wire
2.4 Shielded Copper
2.5 Coaxial Cable
2.6 Microwave Radio
2.7 Satellite Radio
2.8 Free Space Optics
2.9 Fiber Optics
2.10 Powerline Carrier
2.11 Hybrid Transmission Systems.

References.

3 VOICE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS: KTS, PBX, CENTREX, AND ACD
3.1 Key Telephone Systems
3.2 Private Branch Exchanges
3.3 Centrex
3.4 Automatic Call Distributors
3.5 Computer Telephony
3.6 IP Systems
3.7 Futures.

References.

4 MESSAGING SYSTEMS
4.1 Facsimile (Fax) Systems
4.2 Voice Processing Systems
4.3 Electronic Mail (E-Mail)
4.4 Instant Messaging
4.5 Mobile Messaging: SMS and MMS
4.6 Unified Messaging and Unified Communications.

References.

5 PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK
5.1 Network Characteristics
5.2 Numbering Plan Administration
5.3 Domains
5.4 Signaling and Control: Expanded View
5.5 Network Services
5.6 Portability: A Special Issue
5.7 Equal Access: Another Special Issue
5.8 VoIP: Next-Generation PSTN.

References.

6 FUNDAMENTALS OF DATA COMMUNICATIONS
6.1 Functional Domains
6.2 DCE: Expanded View
6.3 Protocol Basics
6.4 Network Architectures
6.5 Security.

References.

7 CONVENTIONAL DIGITAL AND DATA NETWORKS
7.1 Dataphone Digital Service
7.2 Switched 56
7.3 Virtual Private Networks: In the Classic Sense
7.4 Digital Carrier Systems and Networks
7.5 X.25 and Packet Switching
7.6 Integrated Services Digital Network.

References.

8 LOCAL AREA NETWORKS: CONNECTIVITY AND INTERNETWORKING
8.1 LANs Defined
8.2 LAN Dimensions
8.3 LAN Equipment
8.4 LAN Operating Systems
8.5 Virtual LANs
8.6 Remote LAN Access
8.7 LAN Standards and Standards Bodies
8.8 Life in the Fast LAN: The Need for Speed
8.9 Wireless LANs
8.10 Minding Your Ps and Qs
8.11 IEEE 1394 and FireWire
8.12 Nonstandard LANs
8.13 Broadband over Power Line
8.14 Storage Area Networks.

References.

9 BROADBAND NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
9.1 Access Technologies
9.2 SONET/SDH
9.3 IEEE 802.17, Resilient Packet Ring.

References.

10 BROADBAND NETWORK SERVICES
10.1 Frame Relay
10.2 Switched Multimegabit Data Service
10.3 Asynchronous Transfer Mode
10.4 Metropolitan Ethernet
10.5 Broadband ISDN
10.6 Advanced Intelligent Networks (AINs).

References.

11 WIRELESS NETWORKING: EMPHASIS ON MOBILITY
11.1 Wireless Defined
11.2 Standards and Regulations
11.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Wireless
11.4 Cell Concept: Frequency Reuse
11.5 Multiplexing and Access Techniques
11.6 Specialized Mobile Radio
11.7 Paging
11.8 Cordless Telephony and Wireless Office Telecommunications Systems
11.9 Cellular Radio
11.10 Packet Data Radio Networks
11.11 Satellite Systems: LEOs, MEOs, and GEOs
11.12 And That’s Not All.

References.

12 VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA NETWORKING
12.1 Video Communications: Defined and Evolved
12.2 Video Basics
12.3 Analog TV Standards
12.4 Digital TV and High-Definition TV
12.5 Bandwidth and Compression
12.6 Video Standards
12.7 Internet Protocol TeleVision (IPTV)
12.8 The H.320 Family of Multimedia Standards
12.9 Session Initiation Protocol
12.10 H.248: Media Gateway Control
12.11 Videoconferencing Systems
12.12 Videoconferencing Equipment
12.13 WAN Videoconferencing Networks
12.14 Video over IP
12.15 Multimedia Conferencing.

Applications and Benefits.

References.

13 THE INTERNET AND WORLD WIDE WEB
13.1 The Internet Defined
13.2 Internet Physical Topology
13.3 Internet Access
13.4 Internet Standards, Administration, and Regulation
13.5 IP Addressing
13.6 Domain Name System
13.7 Internet Protocols
13.8 Internet Applications
13.10 Internet2
13.11 World Wide Web
13.12 Intranets and Extranets
13.13 Internet Security: A Special Issue
13.14 Misuse and Content
13.15 Internet Oddities, Screwball Applications, and Some Really Good Ideas
13.16 The Dark Side: An Editorial.

References.

14 NETWORK CONVERGENCE
14.1 Convergence Defined
14.2 Driving Forces
14.3 Conventional Convergence: Wireline Networks
14.4 The Race Is On: Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As)
14.5 One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potatoe, Four . . .
14.6 NexGen Convergence: Wireline and Wireless Networks.

References.

15 REGULATION: ISSUES AND (SOME) ANSWERS
15.1 Telecommunications Act of 1996
15.2 Rates and Tariffs
15.3 The Internet
15.4 Number Portability
15.5 Laws and Sausages.

References.

APPENDIX A ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, CONTRACTIONS, INITIALISMS, AND SYMBOLS.

APPENDIX B STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGs).

INDEX.

- - - - -

:-)

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A Few Lessons About VOIP in Small Business

Sorry for the delay (busy). Here are my notes from the content side of the SMB VOIP conference.

I attended the first-ever SMB VOIP show in Vegas. It was pretty funny for me to be presenting there. The SMB show was "inside" the larger Channel Partners show. Two years ago some folks from Channel Partners called me because I had proposed a paper for their conference. They were intrigued about managed services in the phone space. But once they got me on the phone they didn't really understand what it was all about. They never called back.

Now, as VOIP makes it much easier for infrastructure folks to get into the phone business, they are eager to bring in the SMB folks and find out what's going on. Several people from the larger show attended the SMB sessions and came away scared about our potential to make inroads into their territory. For years these folks have realized that voice and data are merging more and more, and they've always assumed that they would simply take over the data part of the equation.

But managing computer systems is a lot harder to learn than modern VOIP. So it turns out that we're more likely than they are to be taking over territory, or at least forcing alliances.

As a side note, we managed to do a live podcast from the show with some folks who have great insight into the hosting options for VOIP. That is posted up at Cloud Services Roundtable for members.

Here are some of the things that really stood out from the event. If you're new to voice/telephony, consider these as you develop your offerings.


Don't Sell VOIP - Sell Telephone Systems

No one needs VOIP; everyone needs telephones. In addition, plenty of people have plenty of sob stories about early implementations. Don't feed on that negativity. Just focus on the fact that everyone needs a phone system. Along with that, focus on providing a quality system that is very reliable and gives the client a positive experience.

One of the biggest weaknesses in the SMB space is the assumption that clients don't want to spend more, or are unwilling to spend money. At the same time we all have clients who spend lots of money and want quality. Take a look at what your clients have been spending on phone systems. When you move to VOIP they are almost guaranteed to save money. If they move to hosted VOIP it's even easier.

So use some of that savings to guarantee a good experience. Here's how.


Upgrade Hardware

Newer routers, firewalls, and even switches have newer chip sets and will dramatically increase telephone traffic speeds. So as part of the phone system setup, you need to quote some new equipment:

- Router (Maybe. If it's over three years old, then for sure.)

- Firewall (Definitely. Just do it. And a good piece of equipment, not a new $40 home box.)

- Switches - Power Over Ethernet - Replace anything more than two years old to be safe. More on POE in a minute.

- QOS devices - That's Quality of Service. In addition to the firewall, a QOS device will help you with traffic shaping and make sure VOIP has priority over You Tube. $400 to $1,000 for a small office.

Yes, there's some money here. But the improvement in reliability and performance will be dramatic. Ask you client whether they want a half-baked solution or good, solid, reliable phone service. Also consider the savings discussed below.


Build Redundancy

Just like a server/network system, reliability happens on purpose and not by chance. Here are some tips for Uptime.

- Use POE. This is new-ish technology for most small businesses at this time, but it is also "old" and reliable. Modern POE switches are totally automatic at sensing POE devices. You can potentially save thousands on wiring if you use the same port for phone and desktop PC. Each phone goes to a POE port, powering phone and supplying internet. Desktop plugs into phone mini-switch. Almost all IP phones have these features (POE and 2-port switch).

Check the ratings! Make sure your switch can handle all the phones you have and move the power for all those lines!

- Big UPS on the Switch. Once all the phones are getting power from the POE Switch, that switch needs enough juice to cool itself, move traffic like a switch, and pump power down the line to as many phones as you have connected. When the lights go out, you'll need good UPSs on the firewall and switch so that clients have dial tone when the power is out . . . just like an old school phone system.

- Redundant internet connections. Just make it part of the quote. Even if the failover is to a Sprint Wireless card on the firewall, you should have something. Again, ask the client if they want to be without phones when the power is out. There's a cost to everything.


Consider a Hosted Solution

For true uptime even if the building is on fire, consider a hosting VOIP solution. First, these solutions have amazing feature sets. At one of my companies, extension 303 rings into my home office. Linksys SPA942 sits just as if it were on my desk at work. That means a ring group can include me as easily as two people sitting next to each other.

When the internet is out at work, our hosted phone system still runs the ring groups, forwards to cell phones, and has all the features it has every other day of the week. Just like a virtual server doesn't know it's not a real machine, a hosted phone system doesn't know my office is under water. So it keeps working.


Focus on Savings and Money

One of the hottest selling techniques in the phone business is the Telephone Audit. Virtually everyone with more than three phone lines can save money. Companies with large offices always have a forgotten line, a number with zero minutes used per month, or too many phone lines.

Think about the average office with ten hard wire phone lines. If you were to drop a ten year old phone system in there you might recommend 5-6 phone lines and let the digital switch serve up dial tone as needed. Guaranteed savings. But with VOIP you can save even more than that. Now take the cost of all the add-on fees that the old phone company throws in just because they can and the savings really pile up.

Ask your clients/prospects for a copy of their phone bills. Go back maybe three months. You'll need to learn how to read these things. But you'll discover a world of confusion and over-charging that you never knew existed before. It is an exercise that is almost guaranteed to result in savings for the client.

This is the most used and tested sales method for phone system sellers of all sizes.

Look at all the money being thrown away and you'll see that there's a huge savings to be had. And don't forget to ask about the cost of their in-house hardware and existing phone system. Thousands of dollars. Add that to the mix. Create an overall cost estimate for five years of equipment and service. You'll find a huge amount of savings.

And that's where you'll find the money for new switches and firewalls.

Remember: Right-size your solution for your client. If they've been in business for more than a week, they already have a phone system. It has a known cost, a known reliability level, and a know customer service level. You are literally going to improve ALL of those things while saving the client money. So don't foolishly set up a new phone system with an old, slow firewall and the wrong infrastructure. You don't want to take the client from 99.9% reliability to 95%. That will kill them and might lose you a customer.

Spend enough to do it right and the VOIP system you install will be a great performer for any client - no matter how small.

- - - - -

Great conference, Harry! I wish there was another one in six months. This is a very fast moving world and we, the SMB Consultants, are poised to take over the world.

Mu-ha-ha.

Full discussions of these topics and the conference are taking place right now at www.telephonation.com.

:-)

Now Shipping: The Network Migration Workbook: Zero Downtime Migration Strategies for Microsoft Networks

First SMB Community Podcast Posted

Woo Hoo!

Well The First SMB Community Podcast has beet posted!

We had a rough start, but the train is finally moving.

As soon as we announced the SMB Community Podcast, we had a phone snafu. Got that fixed. Then I had to travel and finally got some shows put together this weekend.

And Now . . . Ladies and Gentleman: The First Ever SMB Community Podcast. Starring . . . YOU.

You can Download the first show directly from here - About 14 MB

If you want to download multiple show, or find out how you can contribute, check out the SMB Community Podcast web site.

The SMB Community Podcast is an experiment in letting everyone who wants to contribute to the discussion of topics in the SMB Space.

This is a podcast created from the collective minds of the SMB Community. I'm hoping it will be educational, inspirational, funny, and a real community-building tool. For more information.

The first show includes:

Intro by Karl Palachuk
Shout-Outs
Endorsement by a fan
Coaches corner
and an Introduction to What We're All About

The second show is in production and will include information and snippets from the SMB VOIP Conference that just finished.

To contribute to future podcasts, please check out www.greatlittlepodcast.com. All you have to do is dial in . . . and we'll put you on the air.

Links:

• www.greatlittlepodcast.com
• Download the first SMB Community Podcast
• Add the RSS Feed to your feed reader.

Three Podcasts in One!

We're going to have three categories of SMB Community Podcasts:

1. Crowdcast with snippets of all kinds from anyone who contributes. This includes shout-outs, jokes, quick advice, best practices, and whatever YOU decide to contribute.

2. Reports from conferences, user groups, vendor events, etc. Anytime you go someplace, please take a few minutes and file an audio report with us. It's free and you get to be a "cub reporter" for all us those who don't attend the event.

3. Educational and Motivational programs. Book excerpts, educational marketing from vendors, etc. When we get good educational and motivational materials, we'll slip it into these podcasts.

We're also VERY open to your input. If you think there's something else that our community needs, please ping KarlP@greatlittlebook.com. The goals here are participation and fun. So we're happy to try new things.

Please check it out - and leave your feedback on the call-in phone lines!

:-)

SMB VoIP Workshops Explore Voice and Data Technology Consulting Opportunities

Got the following missive from Harry.

Note: SMB Books is giving away a free ticket to the SMB VOIP Conference. Enter to win for free - no purchase necessary - at SMB Books. - - - - - I'm arriving in Vegas Saturday afternoon. Meet me there!

Contact:
Harry Brelsford
CEO, SMB Nation
Mobile: 206-915-3072
E-mail: harryb@smbnation.com

[February 3, 2010]

SMB VoIP workshops explores Voice and Data technology consulting opportunities
March 1-3, Vegas

Well-established SMB technology community portal SMB Nation is proud to announce its inaugural SMB VoIP workshop for channel partners, computer consultants, resellers and VARs. "Our intentions at SMB VoIP are two-fold," shared Harry Brelsford, CEO of SMB Nation. "First, we want to properly introduce our long-time SMB technology consultants to the amazing world of voice and specifically VoIP. Second, we want long-time telephony experts including interconnects and agents to embrace the SMB opportunity. This second group can benefit from our speeches on how to be a managed services provider. Our intent is to bring the SMB data and voice communities together and do good business."

The three-day workshop is "co-located" inside the well-established Channel Partners event (Virgo Publishing) at the Mandalay Bay Center in Las Vegas, March 1-3. SMB VoIP attendees will have full access to both shows and the exhibit hall (Channel Partners typically has 3,000+ attendees). The SMB VoIP workshop content offerings are both business and technical in nature. "We have content for all interests. For example, on the business-side, we have "How to Sell VoIP in SMB" and on the technical-side, we have a healthy debate about on-premises solutions versus hosted VoIP." Brelsford added.

Speakers include leading industry experts who will provide individual sessions and open panel discussions. "You will meet Erik Lagerway, Tom Cross, Jay Weiss, Karl Palachuk, Ray Horak, Doug Green, Chris Bangs, Daniel Williams, Matt Mackowicz and Matt Wass de Czege. We've brought in SMB-specific VoIP subject matter experts." Said Brelsford. "You can't afford NOT TO ATTEND to fast forward your journey into SMB VoIP right now!"

"If you don't "VoIP" your customers, some else will." Exclaimed Chris Bangs, director at Telephonation, a well-respected SMB VoIP portal. "Computer guys and gals must view this opportunity both optimistically and defensively. It's a new decade and a new economy and the VoIP opportunity on existing data networks is HUGE! Computer professionals need to learn IP-based telephone systems "yesterday" to protect their client-base. Not to mention telecoms are looking to take over network management from the computer consultant."

This inaugural SMB VoIP workshop is sponsored by Avaya, Microsoft, Cisco, ConnectWise and many more. Avaya and Cisco will focus on new and exciting telephony products and partner opportunities. Microsoft will present its Business Productivity Online Suite, a set of hosted applications including Microsoft Exchange e-mail, SharePoint collaboration and conferencing tools. Event support has also been provided by Virgo Publishing, Telecom Reseller News and Telephonation.
You can learn more about the SMB Nation VoIP workshop by viewing the "Get Your Head Into VoIP" webinar: http://smbnation.com/Events/Webinars/tabid/101/Default.aspx.

About SMB Nation

SMB Nation (www.smbnation.com) is a publishing and events company, targeted at the small and medium business technology consultant and reseller community. SMB Nation spreads the knowledge of SMB technology trends through its books, magazine, online services, conferences and worldwide seminars and workshops. As an active participant in the technology community, SMB Nation has a long history of advocacy and evangelism.

The company was founded in 1999 as Matthew\Brelsford Associates and became SMB Nation in early 2003, to promote the books and consulting services of Harry Brelsford, the author of a successful series of SMB technology books.

Today, SMB Nation conferences, seminars and workshops bring forward-thinking IT consultants, technologies and vendors together, sparking new opportunities in the SMB space. Being THE information source for SMB technologists and Small Business Specialists worldwide, SMB Nation delivers complete business solutions to help them better manage their business, technological and marketing needs. Whether it's delivered in print, online, or in person, everything SMB Nation produces reflects our unshakeable belief in the power of information to spur a profitable global community.

About Virgo Publishing

Virgo Publishing is a dynamic information services company specializing in communications through print and electronic media, trade shows and special events, education and training, and value-added business services. In general, each print magazine serves as a platform to create communities through the integration of publishing, events and the Web. For information, visit www.vpico.com.

About Channel Partners Conference & Expo

The Channel Partners Conference & Expo (www.channelpartnersconference.com) is the communications industry's only event exclusively for indirect sales organizations - agents, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and consultants - focused on transforming their businesses to become converged solutions providers. Produced by PHONE+ magazine (www.phoneplusmag.com), the event is produced twice annually in the spring and fall and features future-proofing advice from thought-leading speakers and how-to courses on best practices, technology and strategy. Topics range from hot technologies and new opportunities to partnering, diversification, sales tips and skills building.

Contacts:

Harry Brelsford
SMB Nation
harryb@smbnation.com
+1 206 915 3072

Mike Saxby
Channel Partners Conference & Expo
msaxby@vpico.com
+1 480 990 1101

:-)

Let Me Buy You a Ticket to the VOIP Conference in Vegas

I struck a deal with HarryB and the good folks at SMB Nation. I bought one of the early registration tickets for the first-ever SMB VOIP show in Vegas March 1-3.

And I want YOU to win it!

Win a FREE ticket to the SMB VOIP Conference in Las Vegas
SMBVoIP2010


The contest is super simple. Go to SMB Books and fill out the form. From among all the entries, we'll pick three winners and announce them in the weekly SMB Email on February 15th.

• First Prize: Admission to SMB VOIP Conference - A $595 value! (early registration $495)
• Second Prize: $50 Coupon at SMB Books
• Third Prize $25 Coupon at SMB Books

The rules are very simple: Please only enter once. Open to all residence of the known universe. No purchase necessary. Contest ends at 11:59 PM on Saturday February 13th (Pacific time). Prize does not include hotel or airfare. No substitutions please. Must be human to win.

What have you got to lose?

Find out more about the SMB VOIP conference at Telephonation.com

Good Luck!

:-)

Channel Partners Conference & Expo Partners With SMB Nation

Press Release from Channel Partners and SMB Nation

Meet me in Vegas Baby! March 1-3:

- - - - -

Publishers Colocate Solutions Provider Events in Vegas, March 1-3

PHOENIX – January 22, 2010 – Virgo Publishing LLC, a business-to-business information services company, and SMB Nation, a small and medium business technology partner community portal, are pleased to announce a partnership to colocate their respective events for voice and data communications solutions providers. Under the agreement, the Spring 2010 Channel Partners Conference & Expo and SMB Nation’s 2010 VoIP Workshop will be held concurrently March 1-3 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

The events will conduct separate conferences with a joint exhibit hall, featuring suppliers of voice and data communications products and services and attracting more than 3,000 attendees. As a bonus, full conference attendees will be able to participate in the education programming for both events at no additional charge.

“Colocating these two events is simply an outgrowth of the cross-pollination that already has begun in the marketplace,” said Mike Saxby, group publisher for PHONE+ magazine, host of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo. “The Channel Partners Conference & Expo has a long history of serving agents and VARs selling voice communications products and services while SMB Nation is a must-attend for computer resellers and data VARs. Changes in technology, such as cloud computing, managed services and VoIP, are bringing these channels together on a more frequent basis, making a joint event a natural.”

“Literally every conversation in our community right now concerns integrating voice services into data networks. It seems like the ‘much talked about’ convergence of voice and data is finally occurring with the robust economic recovery underway and small business increasing its technology spends,” said Harry Brelsford, CEO for SMB Nation. “The opportunity to team with the Channel Partners Conference & Expo really allows us to elevate the voice and data conversation into immediate actionable outcomes. We really appreciate the support of Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft and others in helping us build out our impactful SMB VoIP workshop.”

About Virgo Publishing
Virgo Publishing is a dynamic information services company specializing in communications through print and electronic media, trade shows and special events, education and training, and value-added business services. In general, each print magazine serves as a platform to create communities through the integration of publishing, events and the Web. For information, visit www.vpico.com.

About Channel Partners Conference & Expo
The Channel Partners Conference & Expo (www.channelpartnersconference.com) is the communications industry’s only event exclusively for indirect sales organizations – agents, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and consultants – focused on transforming their businesses to become converged solutions providers. Produced by PHONE+ magazine (www.phoneplusmag.com), the event is produced twice annually in the spring and fall and features future-proofing advice from thought-leading speakers and how-to courses on best practices, technology and strategy. Topics range from hot technologies and new opportunities to partnering, diversification, sales tips and skills building.

About SMB Nation
SMB Nation (www.smbnation.com) is a publishing and events company, targeted at the small and medium business technology consultant and reseller community. SMB Nation spreads the knowledge of SMB technology trends through its books, magazine, online services, conferences and worldwide seminars and workshops. As an active participant in the technology community, SMB Nation has a long history of advocacy and evangelism.

The company was founded in 1999 as Matthew\Brelsford Associates and became SMB Nation in early 2003, to promote the books and consulting services of Harry Brelsford, the author of a successful series of SMB technology books.

Today, SMB Nation conferences, seminars and workshops bring forward-thinking IT consultants, technologies and vendors together, sparking new opportunities in the SMB space. Being THE information source for SMB technologists and Small Business Specialists worldwide, SMB Nation delivers complete business solutions to help them better manage their business, technological and marketing needs. Whether it’s delivered in print, online, or in person, everything SMB Nation produces reflects our unshakeable belief in the power of information to spur a profitable global community.

Contacts:
Mike Saxby
Channel Partners Conference & Expo
msaxby@vpico.com
+1 480 990 1101

Harry Brelsford
SMB Nation
harryb@smbnation.com
+1 206 915 3072

:-)

Harry Brelsford on The Year Ahead in the Cloud

Where is our industry going? Join a discussion about the emerging cloud services industry with someone who's been guiding the SMB Community for more than a decade.

Please join me and Harry Brelsford today at 9:00 AM Pacific / 12:00 Noon Eastern for the live Cloud Services Roundtable conference call. For more information and registration, visit www.cloudservicesroundtable.com.

We'll cover some of the news in the SMB Cloud space and look to the profitable future for small business consultants and their clients.

The live broadcast is free.

Mark your calendar!


:-)

It's Coming . . . The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations Book Ever! by Erick Simpson Ships very very very soon!

Join Me In Vegas March 1-3 for SMB VOIP Conference

Well . . . Harry did it again.

Don't miss the first SMB VOIP event that is focused on allowing you to own the entire SMB stack at your customer sites: Voice and Data.

As we move to cloud-based services, one of the services your clients will need right away is Voice Over IP. Either you sell it to them or someone else will!

This event is primarily two days (March 2-3), but there's registration and reception on March 1st. So plan to come that day and hang out with a whole new crowd of VOIPers and SMB consultants. Who knows? You might even have a chance to buy me a vendor beer!

As Harry says, "If you missed the first SMB Nation in Indianapolis in 2003, this is your chance to 'make good' and attend the first SMB VOIP event and ride the VOIP wave in SMB! Don't miss out!"

http://www.telephonation.com/smbvoip/


Workshop Overview

Attend this inaugural event and experience the opportunity to delve deeply into the SMB VOIP space in this two-day intensive conference. This workshop is designed specifically for two communities:

1. SMB data network consultants/resellers/VARs/channel partners who started with network infrastructure services (e.g. Small Business Server and other solutions) and want to ADD VOIP solutions and consulting services to their customer offerings.
2. Telecom interconnects and agents who want to master the SMB opportunity and implement best practices such as becoming a Managed Services Provider (MSP).

The agenda has been carefully crafted by SMB and Telephony VOIP masters! The content addresses specific real-world actionable go-to-market SMB business and technical advice required by all channel partners seeking to immediately ride the VOIP Wave!

Long anticipated, the convergence between data networks and voice networks is finally occurring in the SMB space. This workshop is well-timed to spur, cultivate, enhance and motivate the new SMB VOIP community. This is your chance to BE THERE from the START!

SMB VOIP is launching inside of the well-established Channel Partners show to bring together the best of both worlds. Telecom interconnects and agents have the chance to welcome SMB technology consultants. And vice-versa. The hidden jewel of this workshop is the “Hallway 101” phenomena where delegates talk to each other and share experiences in the SMB VOIP community.

I'll be walking the halls -- and presenting! Meet me in Vegas, Baby!

:-)

VOIP - Vocalocity is the Focus of SMB Conference Call

Response Point might be on a shelf next to Bob, ME, SMB Accounting, and Clippy . . .

But VOIP is still hot. And as pipes get faster and cloud services get hotter, VOIP in the SMB space is set to really take off.

One alternative (used by my companies) is Hosted VOIP from Vocalocity. We use and resell it.

Join me Wednesday November 4th at 9:00 AM Pacific as David Politis from Vocalocity joins us on the SMB Conference Call.

Register Now!

We'll talk about hosted Voice Over IP and the great opportunities in for VOIP in the SMB Space.

Executive VP and General Manager David Politis is the founding employee of ZivVa (now Vocalocity) and was instrumental in transitioning the business from international VoIP calling to Hosted PBX services.

David pioneered the company's lead acquisition programs and managed product development of the hosted applications at Vocalocity. David is also responsible for leading Vocalocity's channel growth initiative.

He has worked closely with many of Vocalocity's certified resellers to grow their business by selling and supporting Vocalocity's hosted voip offering.

Read Whitepapers, case studies, or register for a webinar at http://www.vocalocity.com/resources

Please join us for a great conversation!

Register Now!

9:00 AM Pacific / 12:00 Eastern
Wed. November 4th

- - - - -

Mark Your Calendar Today!

Info:

Web Address = www.vocalocity.com

Blog = http://www.vocalocity.com/blog/

You Tube Channel = http://youtube.com/vocalocity

In- house Video site = http://vocalocityflix.com

Testimonial videos = http://www.vocalocity.com/view-testimonials/

Twitter http://twitter.com/vocalocity

:-)

SMB Nation Podcasts Posted

Harry B. and his staff did a great job of coordinating some SMB Books podcasts live from SMB Nation. We did one each day.

Our First Podcast was with Jay Weiss, who is writing a new book on Voice Over IP / telephony. His focus is on the market currently being abandoned by Response Point. This is a 1/2 hour interview. Download here.

The Second Podcast was with Robert Crane, author of The SharePoint Operations Guide. We got a lot of people inquiring about this book after Robert's excellent 90 minute seminar. But it's not a printed book - it's a 1,500 page ebook. This is a 1/2 hour interview. Download here.

The Third Podcast was with Matt Makowicz (books include A Guide to Selling Managed Services) and George Sierchio (books include BYOB: Build Your Own Business Don't Be Your Own Boss). These are a couple of business coaches who focus on the SMB Consultant. Both were on panels throughout the show. This is a very short interview. Not sure what happened. Download here.

These podcasts have been posted on the Free Audio Content section at SMB Books.

If you enjoy these you might also like the SMB Conference Calls.

Thanks, Harry.

:-)

It's Coming . . . The Best NOC and Service Desk Operations Book Ever! by Erick Simpson Ship Date: October 31st

Podcasts and Other Don't-Miss Events from SMB Nation

Whether or not you can make it to Vegas for SMB Nation, you can tune into the live podcasts being produced by SMB Nation and SMB Books.

Here's the schedule:

Friday Oct. 2nd:
1:50 PM to 2:20 PM
VOIP Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Jay Weiss
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/881510992

Saturday Oct. 3rd:
2:25 PM to 2:55 PM
SharePoint Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Robert Crane
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/749350137

Sunday Oct. 4th:
11:25 AM to 11:55 AM
Business Coaching Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Matt Makowicz / George Sierchio
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/156829056


If you ARE in Vegas and want to follow these folks during the conference, look for these events:

Case Studies from the Cloud – What It Means For You, Your IT Business & Your Clients
Bob Godgart (Karl is on this panel)
Friday 11:30am-1:00pm

The Keys to Successful SBS 2008 Migrations
Jeff Middleton, Karl Palachuk
Friday 3:00pm-4:30pm

Veni Vidi VoIP-How to VoIP!
Jay Weiss
Friday 5:15pm-6:45pm

SharePoint - You've Got It Now What?
Robert Crane
Saturday 8:00am-9:30am

Winning Clients and Deals - a partner panel perspective
Dave Seibert (Karl is on this panel)
Saturday 8:00am-9:30am

BusinessSpeak Panel
Matt Makowicz, George Sierchio, Mark Crall, Wayne Turmel
Sunday 8:00am-9:30am

Telephonation VoIP Panel
Jay Weiss, Greg Landers, Matt Wass De Czege
Sunday 3:00pm-4:30pm


No matter what you do at SMB Nation you’ll find content everywhere. So you can also look for us in the hallways!

(Agenda subject to change. Check the official agenda for up to the minute details and rooms.)

See you in Vegas, Baby!

SMB Nation Podcast Agenda

We're going to do something very special this year. SMB Books and SMB Nation have teamed up to bring you three special LIVE podcasts from the showroom floor at SMB Nation in Las Vegas.

Hosted by Karl Palachuk from The SMB Conference Call, these podcasts will feature some of the key speakers of the annual Fall conference and give you up-to-the-minute news about what's going on at SMB Nation.

Add these events to your calendar and register today:

Friday Oct. 2nd:
1:50 PM to 2:20 PM
VOIP Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Jay Weiss
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/881510992


Saturday Oct. 3rd:
2:25 PM to 2:55 PM
SharePoint Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Robert Crane
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/749350137


Sunday Oct. 4th:
11:25 AM to 11:55 AM
Business Coaching Podcast with Karl Palachuk / Matt Makowicz / George Sierchio
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/156829056

- - - - -

SMB Nation is a publishing and events company, targeted at the Microsoft Small Business Specialist (SBS) community. SMB Nation spreads the knowledge of SMB technology trends through its books, magazine, online services, conferences and world-wide seminars and workshops. SMB Nation's Fall conference will be held October 2-4 in Las Vegas, NV.

For more information, visit www.smbnation.com


SMB Books (www.smbbooks.com) is run by Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. SMB Books is a web site dedicated to providing the best books, audio CDs, white papers, and other materials in the SMB Consulting community. Most of our materials are written by and for the SMB Consultant.

For more information on The SMB Conference Call and other podcasts by Great Little Book, see www.greatlittlebook.com/Seminars/conference_call.htm

:-)

Cloud Computing Part Three - Moving to The Cloud

I gave my thoughts about What Cloud Computing Looks Like and Finances in The Cloud.

The biggest question -- The question I expect people to ask for the next three years -- is "How exactly do I make the move to The Cloud?"

As with any major change, the first thing you need to do is to make a plan. That means to work Cloud computing into your business plan. (If you don't have a business plan, start working on that now.) You can start with the line card I outlined in Part One.

Let's look at the items you'll be selling.

Please note that I haven't worked with most of these companies yet and no mention here represents an endorsement. Blah blah blah.

Web Hosting is the easiest and most mature set of products. There are many long-standing companies with a lot of experience here. These include familiar names such as Hostway and Rackspace. There are also hundreds of companies you've never heard of, some good and some bad.

You have to figure out who you want to do business with. More on that in a minute.


Hosted Servers (Exchange, Sharepoint, etc.). Again, this is a pretty mature market. Lots of good companies to work with. And again, lots of companies you need to avoid. It's very important to find a good solid partner who won't disappear or become overwhelmed as this market explodes.


Hosted Desktops are a much newer market. With Virtualization AND good management tools just coming to maturity, a lot of people are going to get into this business. That means a lot of service resellers are going to find themselves hooking up with losers, getting into trouble, and looking for a more stable partner.

There are a few experienced companies in this area, including LeoStream and NetworkLondon.


Hosted Phone Systems are another somewhat-mature market. I say somewhat mature because there are some very mature providers, but lots of mediocre providers with immature tools who have been in the business for a long time. Here I will make an endorsement for the provider we resell: vocalocity.com.

The other obvious choice is to sell Asterisk at your colo site or at the client's site.

For other telephone options, please check out the forums at telephonation.com.


On-Premise Cloud services (at your colo, or at -client). This begins to get cutting-edge. You could do this with mature terminal services, RDP, or Citrix. But a true on-premise "cloud" requires a new generation of technology. That means something like the Zenith Infotech service or a roll-your-own Virtual Server environment from Microsoft, VM Ware, Citrix, or others.


Colocation Facility: If you're going to offer "your" cloud services, you'll need a colo. We are lucky to live in Sacramento, a place where many Bay Area companies have their facilities or backup facilities. Since we get essentially no earthquake activity, the sites here are very stable. Because of the demand, the bandwidth is available from any carrier and the price is good.

When you investigate a colo, ask about expansion and the cost to move from 1/2 rack to full rack, what their cage prices are, etc. Setting up in a colo is sometimes a lot like telephone service: there are a dozen nuisance fees that add up to a hefty chunk of change before you're done. "That price includes electricity, but there's a $120 charge to set it up." Makes you wonder, how many people buy a rack and don't use electricity?


Software Choices. Once you get going with virtual machines, hosted systems, etc. it is very important to use software that allows you to buy licenses only when you need them. As you deploy desktops, you'll need to add licenses for server cals, MS Office, anti-virus, etc. Microsoft SPLA is now available through Ingram Micro. Get on the Trend Worry Free AV program (or another month-by-month program of your choice).

As I mentioned before, the economic model is to buy and sell exactly what you need each month. So you need programs that allow you to do that. Some things are not yet available in that model. This includes all-important backup software. But be patient. They'll all come around.


A Lot of Work

Wow that looks like a lot of work.

Yes it is. And you're going to have to do it eventually, so I recommend you get going. Remember that there are totally inexperienced people who "get" the vision of cloud computing and they're signing up today and building these systems without fear -- because they don't know anything about the old way of doing business. They don't have concerns or fears because they never installed servers into client offices. They don't understand such a business model.

Don't be paralyzed because you have experience with the old model. That experience will serve you well.

Remember: Your experience can't limit your choices. Experience represents the lessons you've learned along the ways. Only you can limit your choices, and they should never be limited by your past. Your experience gives you the tools you need to be more successful in new adventures than the people without that experience.

Here's an important industry publication: The Web Host Industry Review: http://www.thewhir.com/. Check out the web site and magazine. In addition to a great education, you'll get an introduction to some of the service providers who are designing cloud services for you to resell.

And PLEASE don't forget that you need a system that is as automated as possible. Whenever possible, try to partner with services that allow you and your customers to request services over the web and click-click-click, it happens automatically. The more labor you spend making this happen, the less profit you'll have.


Please post your favorite services, tools, partners, endorsements, etc.

Vendors: Feel free to post your tasteful notices in the comments. Just make sure they're related to cloud computing and not bodily implants or foreign pharmaceuticals.

:-)

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We're Moving to The Cloud - Part One

Note: To be kind, I'm not going to link up every reference I've made to my speculations about the future, about our industry, and building five-year plans. Please read the entire Small Biz Thoughts Blog. Suffice it to say:

1. My prediction on the future of server architecture is happening NOW. SMB Consulting will change dramatically in the next six months. Are you ready?

2. I am eternally grateful that I was fully vested in Managed Services when the economy collapsed. Yes, revenue went down. But it hit a base and did not go below that.

3. Virtualization rules. If you're not doing it, Get started on Virtualization Today

4. The Cloud is next. RUN - do not walk - to the Cloud.

In case you haven't been paying attention, here's your future:

- Hosted Servers
- Hosted Workstations
- Hosted Line of Business Applications
- You need SQL/CRM/Sharepoint? Hosted.
- Phones: Hosted
- etc.

In other words, you're going to sell a lot fewer servers in the future. And a lot fewer workstations. And fewer Office open licenses.

And less of everything.

At the same time, Microsoft, HP, Dell, Staples, AT&T, Google, and KPEnterprises are going to do what they can to push technology deeper into a market filled with smaller clients.

Why KPEnterprises? Because we hereby publicly acknowledge that there are no borders. If your credit card is good, I don't care whether you're in Sacramento, West Sacramento, San Francisco, Connecticut, Texas, Paraguay, England, France, or the Philippines.

Between my staff and all the outsourced I.T. connections in the known universe, we can literally do anything, anywhere.

A huge divide is taking place as the Cloud quickly moves in over the landscape. Very soon the world will consist of two large classes of service providers:

1) Providers who never want to interact with a client no matter what. These are the SaaS vendors. Sell, Sell, Sell. "Can't use what you bought? Cancel your subscription. We don't care." These people make a bunch of money by making a little money from a bunch of strangers. Client base: thousands or millions.

2) Providers who are willing to "touch" clients, explain how to right-click, help people figure things out, work through problems together, etc. Most of the readers of this blog have been in this category. Whether you stay there is up to you. There's still lots of money to be made.

So, even though you won't be selling as many servers, workstations, and licenses, you're still the people who will provide the service that makes all this stuff happen. People in this second category make their money combining services with labor. Labor and services will be sold to an increasingly larger client base (Microsoft and the others listed above will see to that).


Your Next Business Plan

Right now I'm laying out the future of our company.

As quickly as we can, we're adopting a new line card that looks a lot like this:

- We resell hosted web services. For some clients, this includes email.
- Microsoft or LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). We don't care.
- The hosting provider will service these products. We help as needed.
- Our costs are monthly.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell hosted servers. SBS, Windows 2008, Sharepoint, Exchange, etc.
- Licensing through SPLA.
- We service.
- Our costs are monthly.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell hosted desktops. Thin/Chubby clients.
- Licensing through SPLA.
- We service.
- Our costs are monthly.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell hosted phone systems (virtual PBX)
- Phone company provides service. We help as needed.
- Our costs are monthly. (or we receive a commission)
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell an on-premise cloud system (99% probability that it's the Zenith Infotech solution)
- Three year commitment. Monthly payments.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.
- We service.
- Licensing through SPLA.
- Virtual Servers on premise.
- Virtual Workstations on premise.

- We will install an "on-premise cloud" at our colo facility and sell specific services off of that.
- Three year commitment. Monthly payments.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.
- We service.
- Licensing through SPLA.
- Virtual Servers from our colo.
- Virtual Workstations from our colo.
- Additional services (e.g., backup/replication) from our colo.

- We resell select hosted line of business applications.
- Application provider services these products. We help as needed.
- Our costs are monthly. (or we receive a commission)
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell Anti-Virus on a per machine per month basis.
- We service.
- Our costs are monthly.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- We resell hosted spam filtering on a per user per month basis.
- We service.
- Our costs are monthly.
- Our revenue is recurring monthly.

- - - - -

MSP Mentor asked the question of whether Pure Cloud MSPs are possible.

Absolutely.

We don't anticipate going pure cloud. There's still a vital business in helping companies with their servers.

But I can absolutely see a pure cloud model working. This is especially true if you are willing to outsource the hands-on work to other partners flung across the globe.

Pack your bags, Honey, we're moving to the cloud.

Next up: The Finance Model for Moving to the Cloud

:-)

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Stumbling Into VOIP

IP Telephony is an interesting world.

In 1998 I got a new client because the phone guy pulled me into the job. The telephone business has historically been pretty profitable. It consists of selling "systems" that are too complicated for the client to understand, plus all the labor to pull wiring, and configuration labor.

The bad part about the traditional phone business has been that it's 98% project labor. There's essentially no maintenance. A fifteen year old phone system works as well as a one year old system. So once a client is set up, they don't see the phone guy until it's time for an additional phone line.

So this phone friend of mine gets a job with seven phone lines and they say they need computers. He figures he can be the one-stop shop, so he calls me in to design and set up a network. He knows CAT5, which is better than many phone people.

In a couple of days the client is ready to rock and roll.

At this point my friend tells me that his type of people (phone) are going to put my type of people (network) out of business. The way he sees it, he just has to learn or hire someone to do computers and he'll own the whole relationship.

. . . Skip ahead five years.

It turns out that it's a lot easier for a computer technician to learn the phone business than it is for a phone tech to learn IT consulting.

It helps that phones have come over to the world of I.P.

We've taken a circuitous route, but we've finally arrived at a happy place that works for us. And we are now moving full speed ahead with VOIP.

Here's our history for whatever it's worth.


The Beginning: Plug and Play

We jumped into VOIP with Packet8 (8x8) because it was super easy. I like the fact that I could have phones all over the place. We had a phone at my house, two at the office, and one that wandered with one of the techs.

This was something we could easily sell and set up.

But as the years rolled on, Packet8 had some serious issues. Primarily, outages and the need to "rebuild" our phone system at their end from time to time. Overall, I would rate it 95% of what you'd expect out of a land line.

Lesson Number One: That 5% is critical. People expect their phones to just work. And when they just don't, you're just stuck.

At this point, we'd been using and selling VOIP for about three years and decided to fish around for an alternative.


Sorry, Trix

We considered TrixBox. Bought the books, downloaded the software, built a machine, configured it.

But in the end, a TrixBox is a physical thing that lives on site (client site or our colo) and has to be maintained.

The zealots will tell you how easy it is . . . blah, blah, blah. But these people tell stories on facebook and blogs about staying up til midnight and working on systems 24 hours straight to fix stuff.

We don't do that. I'm not saying there are any problems with the TrixBox. But the people who advocate it all have a very high tolerance for working late into the night. I have zero tolerance for that.

And because the TrixBox is a physical thing that exists at someone's office, it needs maintenance.

That taught us that we are not going to push Response Point, Panasonic systems, etc. At the high end, I can see putting in a Cisco phone system for a client with a serious budget. But in (now) five years, we haven't had any of those opportunities.

We've been selling hosted systems that work. We decided that we're really looking for a hosted system that works better.

Lesson Number Two: Go with what you know. We are very comfortable with hosted VOIP and we've had success with it.


Hosted VOIP, take one

We did some research for a hosted VOIP provider. We wanted something on a solid network (like Level 3). We were also spoiled with the flat monthly fee. So that colored our decision a lot.

NOTE: At this point, we had seven phone lines for KPEnterprises and two for Great Little Book.

In the true spirit of eating our own dog food, we decided to try our new hosted VOIP provider at GLB.

It was a smooth transition and we got up and running pretty quickly. We learned that the company we chose was 90% old-school telephone and 10% VOIP. So they did not understand computers, computer techs, or the system flows within an I.T. consulting business.

They talked in acronyms I didn't understand. And when I asked what they meant, they sent me a glossary of VOIP terms. But nothing I asked about was on the glossary -- it was all internal to their company.

Anyway, the phone lines were rock solid and the telephone service was completely top-shelf. It was, in fact, Level 3.

Then . . .

A month later the company went out of business and gave us ten days to port our phone numbers (a virtual impossibility).

Lesson Number Three: Shit Happens. I don't think additional research would have revealed that this company was going out of business. But it's very difficult to "try" a VOIP provider without taking a plunge. Luckily for us, we did this with GLB on two phone lines and not with KPE and not with a client.


Hosted VOIP, take two

We went back to the research lab, and dug a little deeper this time. Finally, we settled on Vocalocity.

Vocalocity has a great program for educating partners. They have excellent, mature online dashboards.

Their documentation is so good that our first client set up everything online before we could get the telephones in their hands. Auto Attendant, call routing, extensions, etc.

I personally deal with Brian Kelly, but you can get started on the Partner Portal. You want to be a reseller.

Will they be perfect when I look back five years from now? I don't know.

But The Cloud's The Thing, as Shakespeare would say. I know going forward, our company will use and resell more services that are hosted, month-to-month, and pay as you go. Going forward, our company will use and resell fewer systems that require hardware on site at the office (ours or client's).

The phone system as we know it will move to the cloud.


I know we're not done learning yet, but I'm very excited about the path we've chosen.

And as soon as we have the spare cash to buy a bunch of phones, KPEnterprises is moving to Vocalocity as well.

- - - - -

I'm posting a link to this story on Telephonation. Some of the details of our ordeal are already posted their.

Comments and sob stories welcome.

:-)

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