Barlop Business Systems Teaches Customers What to Watch Out For When
Taking Their Voice Technology to the Cloud
Leading Provider Educates Companies on the Proper Path
Barlop Business Systems, a leading provider of unified communications, announced today that the company has launched an awareness campaign to its customers educating them on how to transition their phones and infrastructure technology to the cloud. The core message that Barlop Business Systems is sharing is the migration of your company’s technology to the cloud can be either the best thing you’ve ever done or the worst thing. Most companies are drawn to the immediate slash in expenses and expanded functionality, which is the main driver behind the widespread adoption of cloud voice. Barlop Business Systems has summarized the main points that their customers need to know about, in order to make this transition as smooth as possible.
The first decision that a business owner needs to be aware of is that there are two distinct ways of purchasing the technology. In the world of cloud-technology, especially that of cloud voice, this is particularly important to sort out. The first way is to purchase the technology from off the Internet. This method is very attractive to first-time buyers because the only things that a purchaser needs to know are how many phones their office will need and how many lines they will need to route calls. They plug these numbers in, get a price, purchase them, the phones are then boxed up, shipped out and the only instructions for installation are to plug them into the wall. However, while this method is faster at the outset, it usually causes big problems shortly thereafter. For example, cloud phones only work well when there is enough bandwidth available for them to utilize. When a company just plugs their cloud phones into the wall, without assessing the network to make sure that it can support this technology, a company predestines itself for failure. This can be avoided by taking the time to do a network analysis.
When an organization purchases cloud phones from the Internet, there are plenty of challenges like the above example, that crop up. With hundreds of these types of companies sprouting up, they usually have a very-short term, transactional approach to business. This philosophy leads to them not taking the time to properly understand their customer’s business, find out what their customer would like to accomplish and to assess what would be the most ideal way to utilize technology to accomplish that objective. Furthermore, online cloud voice providers have a mindset of “dialing for dollars” and once the equipment is sold and shipped they essentially walk away from any form of customer service. In response to high cancellation rates, many of these companies have required customers to enter long-term contracts, trapping them into a forced relationship.
A much more intelligent way to purchase this technology is through a reputable, local provider who is part of your business community. By taking this route, the company inherently has a higher capacity to understand your business objectives and strategic outcomes, which ultimately leads to perfectly fitting technology. Local providers understand the need to perform an initial analysis to gain a global perspective on your technology infrastructure, and can often make improvements that not only ensure the quality of your cloud phones, but of all technology that runs on the network. Other signs that you are dealing with a reputable provider is that they take the time to educate you on firewalls, they ensure proper bandwidth allocation and explain QoS (Quality of Service) as well. These all have giant implications on the performance of the technology on your LAN (Local Area Network). Another great sign is when the company has highly experienced, certified technicians who can install the technology themselves, instead of leaving it in the hands of their customers, who are not trained in these facets. However, the most important factor to watch for, which ensures aligned incentives from the beginning, is month-to-month contracts. When a provider puts their “money where their mouth is” and essentially says that “If the technology doesn’t perform as expected, you can cancel anytime,” you are predestined for a mutually beneficial relationship. Barlop Business Systems is one such provider and they recommend that whoever you do business with, even if it’s not Barlop Business Systems, you make sure that you’re dealing with a reputable provider who meets these conditions.
While it’s completely clear that dealing with a reputable company is the most intelligent way to purchase technology and migrate to the cloud, this begs the question of affordability. The punch line for business owners is that whether they purchase from an online company or from a reputable company, the price they are ending up paying is the same! This was the catalyst for Barlop Business Systems’s desire to launch this awareness campaign.
“Our goal is to let the performance of our technology speak for itself,” stated Jose Lopez, President of Barlop Business Systems. “We earn our relationships with customers by building a strong relationship, earning their trust month-by-month and taking responsibility for the performance of their technology as if it were our own business. We are playing the long-term game and the results have been excellent so far. We aspire to be an example of what’s possible in a true partnership, where our customers’ success is our success.”
ABOUT Barlop Business Systems
Barlop Business Systems is a family owned and operated business technology company that has been serving the South Florida community for more than 40 years. Its high-quality business products provide solutions for all phases of the document life cycle and measurably decrease printing and document management costs up to 30%. The company’s reliable and consistent services maximize clients’ workflow efficiency and performance. The company’s local presence enables it to be faster, simpler and easier to do business with. In addition Barlop, provides Managed Services and is cabling and low voltage certified.
Barlop Business Systems will prove that its “clients are its best assets” every time a prospective client is in the market to lease or purchase equipment, or requires service, parts or supplies. Contact the company at (305) 594-0470 or visit www.barlop.com
