I recently received an email from the CIO of MCL Direct, a marketing and distribution firm that represents the increasingly popular universal phone system call accounting and call recording software.
At the bottom of his email he had his November thought: “I believe two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different”. What a simple but great set of words!
This got me to thinking early this morning about how applicable this comment is in the world of IT support. No two people design/program a network infrastructure exactly the same, look at a problem the same way, or approach the resolution to a problem the same. While that doesn’t necessarily mean one is wrong, for most small business owners this leads to fear, uncertainty and doubt when trying to compare two Managed Service Provider’s offerings or get a 2nd opinion about a support problem.
I felt compelled to write this blog in place of my usual routine of “getting ahead” of my email messages to bring this to light… I am sure when the office opens this morning; I may come to regret this decision! It is my observation that more often than not when a client hires a new an IT Service company for the first time or to take over from another support company, the new company likes to make a lot of changes before assuming responsibility for their network. Here is the secret: in a world of thousands of products on the market, there is no way that one company can be an expert at all of them. Therefore, it is critical for an IT company to have consistency in the networks that they are responsible for supporting.
As a owner here at Teltek, I have been on both sides of this paradigm, and on a regular basis witness how technical people criticize the former “IT Guy” for their design, hardware selection or configuration. This reminds me of the proverb that my father often quotes – “hindsight is 20/20”.
I believe it is important for the new IT Company and the client to take a step back and come to terms with the following:
- Most likely, the design/configuration was not the initial plan – it has evolved this way.
- Budget is always a factor. Maybe the client wanted the Cadillac but could only afford the Chevy at the time.
- Technology is always changing and improving.
- But most importantly,” two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different!”
In conclusion, when making a change to your office technology or selecting a new support company, remember there is no golden all-encompassing solution. What you are buying is a company that listens to your problems, devises the best solution within your budget and responds quickly when you have a problem.
Thank you to Mike for sharing this thought – here is a plug for Tapit! Trisys has offered a wide variety of effective and affordable call accounting and call recording products since 1984:
Trisys Tapit Tality Call Accounting: . Tality is a call accounting software specifically designed for the service industry allowing businesses to generate additional revenue by monitoring phone activity and rebilling telecom usage it back out to their client and guests. Tality paired with an Avaya IP Office Phone System is a configuration often seen in eldercare facilities, hotels and campus environments. Here, these facilities utilize this combination to offer telephone services to their residents/guests/students and then
Tapit Nova: Call accounting software that works with virtually any telephone system that provides SMDR / CDR (Call Detail Record) information. This product is implemented using industry standard ASP.NET and SQL Server
Tapit EX Call Accounting: Call accounting software that works with any telephone system that provides SMDR (Station Message Detail Record) information.
Tapit REPLAY Call Recording Software: Replay T1 will record voice activity over T1 PRI trunks. This turn-key system attaches in the front of PBX or a channel bank. They provide hardware, software and cables. Basic configuration of Replay T1 has enough storage for up to 11,000 hours of voice logging!
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