Clere Communications Named Top 5 2012 "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" by Telecom Association

 

LAKE ELSINORE, CA – February 23, 2013 – Clere Communications a seasoned Telecom Back Office Support and Social Media provider won the distinction as the Top 5 provider in the industry as determined by validated 2012 reviews from the 3,800 members of Telecom Association, a professional membership organization of telecom and technology consultants, agents, brokers and sales partners founded in 1996.

 

Selection as a “Partner’s Choice” Award winner showcases Clere Communications’s long term commitment to technology solutions that work in the "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" category as well as customer service excellence.

 

“Our association members are heavily experienced technology industry consultants and channel sales partners that have compared all the best and affordable vendors against one another before recommending one or two to their business clients who view them as trusted advisors”, stated Telecom Association’s Executive Director, Dan Baldwin. “They know which vendors to watch out for and which ones to recommend so having them review Clere Communications as the “Top 5” means Clere Communications is both trusted and proven in the "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" category.”

 

It’s not by chance that Clere Communications won this category in 2012. While business end users are exacting in their "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" solution requirements, the independent sales partners and reviewing members of Telecom Association are even more so. “End users want to prevent repeats of the dozens of technology mistakes they’ve experienced in the past but Telecom Association members want to avoid the hundreds of errors they’ve seen occur to clients”, stated Clere Communications President, Hollie Clere,.  “Clere Communications  has crafted our "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" support to be engineered to the strictest requirements of the harshest audience – telecom and technology sales partners. Our 2012 win means we’ve been listening to our sales partners and they like what they see in our "Agent Helpdesk" & "Agent Marketing" solutions as a result.”

 

 

ABOUT Clere Communications – Founded in 2003, and led by Hollie Clere, Clere Communications  specializes in helping Telecommunication Agencies grow by assisting in order and project management of multi-location businesses select, install and manage their phone, Internet, mobile and data systems. Clere Communications also provides consulting and social media branding solutions including, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and the tools to manage content.

 

ABOUT TELECOM ASSOCIATION – Founded in 1996, Telecom Association is a professional membership organization of 3,800 individual members and over 50 telecom and technology vendors that help businesses with their telecom, Internet, data network and technology integration needs. For more information about Telecom Association please contact Dan Baldwin, Executive Director 31500 Grape Street #3-307 Lake Elsinore, CA  92532 (951)251-5155, Dan@TelecomAssociation.com l

 

 

 

          Winner  PSD                                   Top 5  PSD                                 Top 10  PSD

 

 

Telecommunication Support Services

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Telecommunication Support Services

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Telecom Challenge

In these uncertain economic times, Agents are challenged with how to bring in new business, maintain existing customer bases, and hit carrier commitment levels. The other challenge is the surge in Social Network Marketing, time and budgeting all of the above. How do you overcome these obstacles?

The Telecom Challenge

(1) Give a little to gain a lot - what does this look like? Giving that time is disappearing, bills are increasing and customers are thinning out, you need to invest in client management. Client management is constant contact with your customers assuring them that you are there for them during these economic times. Invite them to an account review to ensure that their services are up to date and contracts are under the best promotions. Contact them when new promotions are released, but involved in their day to day. Be an advocate on a higher level.

(2) How can someone achieve this when time is so thin and budget is low? Outsourcing this service will provide a great buffer for you & the client. By providing a team of people who are there to support you, your customers and their needs. In fact, we have an entire process dedicated to help you achieve this. If you haven't taken a look at our new support offerings, you should consider them.

(3) Flat rate packages keep you from questioning time vs reward. We have launched a few new plans that are offered on a flat rate basis that will help you budget long term your Client Management Services vs your Back Office/Pm Services. Contact a Representative today to see what this may look like for you. You will be pleased at the affordable package rates.

(4) Some Partners have gone back to the drawing board. When you consider your sales volume, your carrier contracts vs. time, some partners have gone back to project managing & placing their own orders. What they have not seen is the decrease in visibility in the marketplace. As they have been working on projects - they haven't been in the field managing customers, increasing sales and hitting carrier commitments. Press in & continue to allow your Back Office Support to provide those services for you. It will pay for its self in the long run. No matter how small or large the deal, if your core gifting is in sales - you will spend more time in paperwork and management then you would if you were in the field selling. We continue to offer support for Agents, Partners and Auditors. It is our core & what we pride our selves in.

Consider these as Challenges for your business. Do you have what it takes to give a little to gain all of the things your business is committed on providing for your Customer Support Experience? It isn't about just getting an order in the system, it is about long term relationship building and maintenance.

Going GREEN in TELECOM

How can we go Green in Telecom?

Today, people are growing more & more concerned with conservation, carbon footprint, energy efficiency & further protecting the planet. Telecommunication companies have also jumped onto "Go Green". What does this really look like in Telecom & how can we - as business owners make a change in our businesses? Or is this marketing that just makes us "feel good"?

What are Telecom Providers starting to consider?

There is a lot of talk buzzing about reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Large providers throughout the world are making preparations to take specific actions to improve energy consumption in their "highest energy-consuming" facilities. If you search online, some companies have actually posted their "Carbon Footprint" publically to show measures of their concerns & efforts to reduce it. Some are considering power resources such as solar or wind-powered facilities.

In research I have seen, here are viable ways your company can "Go Green" with IT . . .
Recycle used equipment - seek the rules in local and national laws, research companies with specifically approved licenses to refurbish & reuse existing phone systems, mobiles or IT equipment. Be sure to research & implement the best ways to protect your company information as the equipment you recycle should be whipped clean of anything private or proprietary.

Paperless Office - invest in the equipment and backup/remote backup necessary to ensure limited to no paper/ink materials are utilized on a daily basis. This transition will take time & money, but you can eventually scan all of your paper folders into electronic versions & come close to eliminating the need to paper documents. Most important thing to note is you MUST MUST MUST back up all of your electronic data & files to a local & remote backup source. You should carefully research these options. In most cases, you will have an initial investment, a monthly investment on backup services, but then little to no investment in paper/folders/ink/etc.

Recycle Office Supplies - paper products are most used in offices, which is a great place to start recycling. Consider investing in a shredder & recycle all paper materials you would normally throw in the trash. Like I mentioned previously - be aware of confidential information & the proper ways to destroy that information. Ever considered toner or ink cartriges? Many Office Supply Stores are now providing options to recycle these supplies - some actually have incentives for discounts based on quantity. Other companies offer services which give you the ability to reuse your ink/toner cartridges by getting them refilled. It is a cost effective way to reuse a product. Even consider purchasing recycled products instead of newly manufactured products.

Energy Efficient Lighting - There are light bulbs & different light sources that are supposed to product bright light without the use of as much energy. Consider in investing in the change to these bulbs. They are a bit more expensive, but are made to last longer.

It makes since - really - for everyone to be more aware of the resources that are available & ways to utilize those resources.

Clerecomm uses all 4 of the options noted above - though we will never be a "true" paperless office until the carriers eliminate the need for paper agreements, we are as close as we can be to it. We encourage you at ways to consider how your business supplies are resourced & if you own a large office, building or multiple locations, consider the investment on how to "Go Green" with renewable resources.

The Telecom Audit

In this ever changing economy, the nation is seeking freedom from financial burden, release from painful debts and security in the workplace. As we travel down a road of unparalleled oddities, we need to refocus our visions, models and core strengths in Telecommunications, in a different direction for our customers.

Focusing on the Telecom Audit, there are many broad practices which should become fine tuned and refurbished. An audit isn't just a onetime occurrence that sparks possible migration to other carriers, contract renegotiations or increase in spend (in some cases). Develop and market your business as a Customer Care Organization focused on inventory management and cost reduction for your customer. Become their true, single point of contact by engaging with them on a higher level.

The Telecom Audit should be focused on these core items:
* location/inventory management
* validity of contract vs. tariff vs. invoice vs. customer service records
* taxation compliance
* terms and condition clauses
* validity of packages / grandfathered products
* terms of service
* technology changes
* historical review back 24 months

The list can continue, but you understand that the review is more than an apples to apples MRC review, rather an apple to fruit salad list of items. This requires further digging that could result in savings and credits for the customer. Derived from the savings and credits, consider the fee for the time associated with conducting the audit and how that should be negotiated with the customer. Billing errors can occur on any carrier invoice, with any size business, so don't leave out your small to medium sized customers. Also consider the language of the agreement you negotiate to ensure your time is accurately compensated. We can work with the agent to craft the agreement so your fees don't end up higher than the recovery.

We have worked with Agents, Brokers and Business Partners on projects with spend from as small as $1K/month spend to $3M/month spend, recovering an average of 15% on billing errors in historical audits, optimization for long term savings, and inventory management. At times, credits can go back as far as two years, depending on the terms and conditions with the carrier.

We recommend outsourcing the service to companies specifically trained in how to implement a full granular audit. They will know what to look for, how to project and manage the changes, renegotiate contracts, manage inventory and recover credits for your customer. Logically, if your team isn't trained on how to perform a thorough granular audit, it makes since to budget time to bring in those who have practiced these skills for years.

Moving forward, develop a plan to revisit your base every six to twelve months, with a fresh vision of long term savings and credits for your customers. By presenting the extra added value of pursuing credits and long term saving options to your customer, you increase their trust in your service, delivery and most importantly remind them of your presence on a more frequent basis. Retaining those relationships are crucial to maintaining the stability of your base. Equipping your best business practices that offer proven customer experience options, are processes that any Telecommunication Consultant should consider.

Does Outsourcing Support Services make sence?

What are advantages of OUTSOURCING Back Office Support?


Businesses STRUGGLE with these key items:

· Budget
· Business Loans
· Equipment Expenditure Needs
· Telecom Costs
· Office Space needs
· Benefits for Employees
· Salaries
· Overhead vs. Profit


In this market, with the economy changing so frequently and drastically, it just makes since to outsource services. Outsourcing will CHANGE:

· Budget – you budget ONLY for the support you need
· Business Loans – loans won’t need to be taken out to pay for salaries or equipment
· Equipment – the outsource has all of their own, computers, routers, printer, toner, paper, etc.
· Telecommunication costs – the outsourced team has all of their own phones, phone lines, internet, headset, etc
· Office Space – the outsourced is remote, no office space required
· Benefits – the outsourced is responsible for their own taxes, medical, dental, vision, life insurance & 401K
· Salaries – there are no salaries - you only pay for time actually worked
· Overhead vs. Profit – we don’t calculate any percentage of your commissions for our compensation, we will only invoice you for time actually worked.


Outsourcing will help you GAIN:

· More time for sales
· A support team that you don’t have to train
· A support team that helps you diverse into multiple carriers markets
· Experienced
· 1099 support is a tax benefit

Project Management or Administrative Services

When considering how to fulfill Back Office or Project Management needs, one will review experience, budget and time. When housing a full time employee you consider your bottom line, training, supplies, benefits, ramp up and office space.

The support we offer is tailored to our customers' needs. Outsourcing provides many freedoms and growth opportunities to any business.


We have experience with multiple Telecommunication Providers offering Analog, Voice T1's, ISDN BRI, DSL, ISDN PRI, Frame Relay, DS1, DS3, OC3, Dedicated, ATM, Internet, Ethernet, Long Distance and more.


We offer you and your customer:

* Extensive knowledge of Telecom Products and Services
* Pricing and contracts
* Order Management and Order Delegation
* Professional Start to Finish Project Management
* Proactive Problem Resolution
* Industry Resources to "Get the Job Done"
* Administrative / Back Office Support
* Account Optimization Audits
* Repair / Support Assistance
* Commissions Management
* RFP Negotiation
* Billing resolution
* Many other services that fit your business structure

Types of Associates:
* Project Manager/Provisioner
* Administrator/Back Office Support
* Business Audit Representative
* Data Entry Representative
* Commissions Management Representative



We have many package options, so call today to see which package and services that work best for your company.

Telecommunications Auditing

We can provide an audit of all communication related expenses.

In this audit, we analyze:
* How competitive are vendors’ rates
* Accuracy of billing
* Most cost effective solution


On average, we discover and recover billing errors that average 15% to 30% on each monthly Telecommunications invoice. Our goal is to reduce monthly communication expenses. Most of an organizations communication costs are 60% of their monthly budgeted expenses. This includes all voice, data and long distance services, networking and communication devices. With a thorough audit of each bill, we can recommend the reduction, elimination or consolidation of those expenses. Then, with your approval we will implement these changes. The goal is to save as much money as possible with a solution that makes sence.


We do not have Master Agency with Any Carrier, so we are not partial to propose any specific providers.


You will receive . . .
* A full itemized inventory of each location/account detail.
* Detailed descriptions of the function of each communication service.
* A financial analysis of current rates vs. new reduced rates after the recommended savings were implemented.


We require the most recent invoices and bills for all local, Internet and long distance service, current communication equipment bills, a letter of authorization to view the account (required by each telecommunications carrier) and a meeting to discuss your current communications infrastructure.


What we offer:
* Professional Start to Finish Project Management
* Extensive knowledge of Telecom Products and Services
* Order Management and Order Delegation