Why Cloud Computing Can Be Confusing
“Cloud computing” is one of those “hyped” concepts the telecom industry runs into from time to time that can be confusing both for customers and channel partners alike. To make matters worse, suppliers often try to repackage existing services by calling them cloud services, when, strictly speaking, those services are not “cloud computing” applications or services.
Many of the components of a “cloud service” resemble older products and apps.
For example, datacenter products are sometimes labeled as cloud services. Datacenter solutions can involve service level agreements, redundancy, load balancing or guaranteed bandwidth services, but none of those are cloud computing. Selling datacenter rack space, power and cooling are growing businesses for some telecom companies, but are not “cloud services.”
Neither is “remote access” to servers; computing as a service; or managed services. They are building blocks for cloud computing, but not “cloud computing.” Likewise, remote backup and virtual private networks are older concepts that resemble, but are not, “cloud computing.”
Cloud computing is a marketing term; a delivery model for information technology; a computing architecture; a business model and also the framework for many different types of services. Put simply, cloud computing is about “renting” rather than “owning.” Think of the difference between buying a movie and renting a DVD. Buying a DVD is like traditional enterprise computing. “Renting a movie” is like cloud computing.
There are a few “flavors” of cloud computing, usually software, platform, and infrastructure sold “as a service.”
- “Software as a service” is the most prevalent form of cloud computing, by volume of users. SaaS includes any retail apps directly used by people, either in their roles as business or consumers.
- “Platform as a service” generally is useful to application developers rather than retail end users, as it includes rental of computing resources to create, test, and manage an application. Basically, it is sold to software developers.
- “Infrastructure as a service” means renting computing power and storage, not “rack space.” IaaS is sold to enterprises and app providers.
- IaaS services generally fall into several buckets: “public cloud,” “managed public cloud,”virtual private cloud,” and “private cloud.”
The first two concepts involve end user access to cloud apps on either an “un-managed” basis (typically retail consumer apps such as Google search) or “managed” basis with service level agreements, and as their public moniker implies, generally are retail and consumer apps designed for use by the public.
The last two concepts involve something more like traditional enterprise computing. A virtual private cloud simply designates resources to a single customer. It typically is used by an enterprise for “private” network apps internal to the organization.
A “private cloud” means an enterprise owns its own servers and uses them to deliver internal data and apps to enterprise employees and partners, not the general public. In some cases, enterprises that own their servers use a remote datacenter to operate them. Private cloud is one of the concepts that accounts for confusion. Strictly speaking, it is not cloud computing, since the servers are not rented, but owned.
It can be very hard to explain precisely what a particular “cloud service” is, or why it is better than conventional “shrink wrapped” software purchases. The analogy many will be familiar with is “hosted PBX” services as an alternative to buying a business phone system.
But selling simple “rack space” is not cloud computing software, platform, or infrastructure. Think of rack space and datacenter hosting as a layer one enabler of cloud computing. It is the finger pointing at the moon, not the moon.
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Posted: January 26th, 2012 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: Agent, Channel, cloud computing, cloud services, Colocation, datacenter, managed security services, remote access
Communications services traditionally have been sold by different channel partners than information technology or business phone system products. But a shift to cloud-based managed services is beginning to blur the lines between “IT” and traditional “communications.” As cloud-based applications become more and more important to customers, new opportunities for either telecom or VAR partners to broaden product lines will surface. In fact, as voice becomes a server-based app or a managed service, VARs become logical voice channel partners for the first time, as well as logical partners for a range of connectivity services. Likewise, cloud-based services will make it possible for voice agents to sell more complex software products for the first time.
VAR effectiveness as a channel for selling managed services likely will vary widely. For example, managed services, such as hosted email, backup and disaster recovery, security, and customer relationship management, might be a reasonable fit for a VAR already selling servers, routers, and other IT infrastructure.
But sales of cloud-based inventory, transaction processing, accounting or personnel applications delivered as managed services will make more sense for software VARs with the product knowledge to sell cloud-based business applications.
Some telecom channel partners, on the other hand, are already moving outside their traditional product lines, selling managed services that historically have been IT or Internet service provider products.
So what makes more sense: buying IT-oriented products and apps from a “telecom agent” or buying access, transport, and voice solutions from an IT specialist?
Both options. TelePacific increasingly supports VARs that are selling data connections, colocation, MPLS, and mobile broadband backup. We’re also helping telecom agents sell hosting, intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system (IDS/IPS), firewall, filtering, and other managed security products.
In the coming months and years, a variety of enterprise and small-business software products, not to mention new mobile services of many types, will be coming to market. We cannot know for certain how channel partners’ knowledge, skills, and business practices will evolve as more of the strategic value from IT and communications is provided by “software” elements of services.
However, there is little doubt both telecom agents and VARs will continue to find fresh and creative ways to deliver value to businesses as new services and applications emerge.
Happy holidays.
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Posted: December 27th, 2011 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: Agent, cloud, manage services, TelePacificz, Telepartner, VAR
Business organizations are increasingly turning to professionally run datacenters. Saving money is the obvious advantage. It’s difficult for businesses — especially small to medium-size businesses — to justify the capital investment to create a secure, reliable data center, however small, on premises.
Data breaches and loss due to fire, flood, lack of proper climate controls, negligence, and theft can cost a fortune to litigate, leave a legacy of bad PR and recurring headaches, and often force a business to close. Hence, the value of protecting mission-critical applications and data afforded by off-site collocation facilities dramatically increases, especially for organizations operating in medical, healthcare, financial, and government verticals with strict privacy and compliance standards.
Professionally run off-site datacenters possess the power, cooling, monitoring, security, and equipment redundancies necessary to protect IT systems and business-critical applications.
Channel partners win several ways by selling datacenter solutions. Solving more of an organization’s problems is one advantage; providing security and peace of mind another. However, datacenter services also create demand for high-quality bandwidth products.
Servers require network connections and secure services require redundant, spatially-diverse data connections for the server and management locations. Beyond that, the increasing demand for mobile and remote end user connections means broadband networking requirements both at remote sites and on a mobile basis. Bringing datacenter offerings into the equation allows channel partners to “pull through” additional bandwidth services that make for lucrative and sticky accounts.
Moreover, once customers install equipment in a datacenter, they often upgrade the bandwidth before their term is completed. Also, as organizations increasingly put all traffic and applications on a single IP network, the increased demand for QoS-capable protocols, such as MPLS, provides yet another revenue opportunity.
We’ve made significant investments to upgrade and expand our datacenter offerings. There is a tremendous advantage in terms of capabilities, cost, service, and overall value to your customers by having all of these needs met by one combined datacenter and services solution provider.
Market demand is increasing and there has never been a better time to sell our datacenter solutions. Our “show and sell” value pricing promotion offers uniform and discounted rack space, power, and network bandwidth for all our datacenter and colocation facilities, as well as discounts up to 30 percent off previous bandwidth pricing. Contact your channel manager for further details.
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Posted: December 15th, 2011 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, Colocation, data center, datacenter, MPLS, TelePacificz, Telepartner
As the channel continues to evolve into a more solutions oriented sales model comprising complex IP, broadband networking and hosted products, it becomes even more important that channel partners have high-quality and responsive technical assistance when designing solutions for their clients.
Years ago, TelePacific created a team of solutions architects to address this growing need and more recently have fortified the group with additional solutions architects and other resources to make sure our partners have the assets they need to sell our expanding product portfolio. These solutions architects provide:
* Technical expertise to assess customer needs and assist with RFPs
* Designs for custom solutions that meet customer requirements and goals
* Network diagrams and supporting documentation
* Resolutions for technical issues identified in the pre-sales process
* Responses to partner and their customer inquiries
* Any other assistance throughout the pre-sales and sales process, including on-site visits, to position products appropriately and drive sales to completion
Our solutions architects frequently support agents with all manner of multi-location solutions as well as colocation, managed data protection services, and OneSecure network security products. However, since signing a definitive agreement to acquire Telekenex, a business-grade IP services provider with a nationwide PCI compliant MPLS backbone, they increasingly have been assisting agent partners with large MPLS and MPLS + SIP Trunking opportunities.
Recently, our architects collaborated with a channel partner to design and close a 70-location nationwide MPLS deployment for a large equipment rental company. Also, they recently collaborated with another channel partner, two channel managers, and additional personnel from Telekenex to close a 40-location MPLS deal that we installed in just 30 days. It was a great team effort that exemplifies what we at TelePacific are capable of doing to help channel partners win-over prospective customers.
At present we have 16 solution architects with extensive sales engineering experience and we’re in the process of hiring more. Every architect is educated on new technologies, industry standards, and TelePacific products. They’re also highly qualified to assess the business needs of our channel partners’ clients, design winning solutions, and provide support through the entire sales process.
If you’re not already taking advantage of this tremendous resource, please reach out to your channel manager for more details.
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Posted: December 5th, 2011 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, managed security, MPLS, SIP Trunking, Solutions Architects, TelePacificz
A recent Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation survey shows that only 50 percent of the nation’s top economic bloggers anticipate employment growth, a decrease of 20 percent from the second quarter of this year. Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute, believes the U.S. economy is about to enter another recession. “It’s either just begun, or it’s right in front of us,” he told CNNMoney in a recent news story.
However, Insight Research predicts that North American service provider revenue will double in the next five years. Furthermore, In-Stat recently reported that business spending on IT and telecom products and services will grow considerably through 2015.
How do we reconcile the gloomy forecasts of economists with incredible growth projections from telecom industry analysts? More than ever, telecom is a facilitator of socio-economic advancement, and broadband and mobility are the key drivers.
Wireless broadband service revenues will grow at a CAGR of more than 45 percent, while wireline broadband services grow at about 14 percent CAGR, according to Insight. And mobile workers are dramatically changing the way enterprises approach telecom. Melanie Turek, vice president, research at Frost & Sullivan, says that about 10 percent of tablets purchased today are used for business purposes but she expects that will increase to 70 percent by 2016.
The takeaway from all this: broadband demand and mobility trends are changing the buying habits of businesses, and that will present channel partners with lucrative opportunities in the coming months and years regardless of economic conditions. The growing need for mobile and remote end user connections means broadband networking requirements both at remote sites and on a mobile basis. Moreover, as organizations increasingly put all traffic and applications on a single IP network, there are growing requirements for quality of service mechanisms, which drives demand for QoS-capable protocols such as MPLS, yet another revenue opportunity.
We at TelePacific are in a strong position to help channel partners realize higher sales and earnings from these types of products. In fact, our President and CEO Dick Jalkut recently was singled out by industry publication FierceTelecom as one of 10 telecom executives to watch, highlighting our strategic acquisitions and ongoing expansion of our service portfolio to include a wide mix of WAN, wireless, broadband and IP-based products and enhancements designed to satisfy the evolving needs of business customers.
And now we’ve opened up six new markets in Texas – a state that has added businesses and jobs at about twice the national average for the past couple of years. The metro markets:
- Austin
- Corpus Christi
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- San Antonio
Available products in these markets include business lines, PRI, Internet access up to 1Gbps and MPLS IP VPN services. If you have any questions about these new markets or available products, please contact your channel manager.
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Posted: November 17th, 2011 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: Agent, broadband, TelePacific Communications, Telepartner, Texas, U.S. economy, wireless
Did you know that TelePacific helps non-profits affordably upgrade their telecom infrastructure? By thoughtfully leveraging state-funded programs such as the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) and E-Rate, we create customized packages for our non-profit customers that can reduce costs by 80% or more. This is a terrific way for you to assist your non-profit customers that may be struggling to finance an upgrade that’s critical for their programs and services.
What is the CTF?
CTF is a California state program that provides discounts on selected telecom services to qualifying schools, libraries, government-owned and operated hospitals and health clinics, and community-based organizations. If you are interested learning more about the program, visit the CTF website.
What is E-Rate?
E-Rate is a federally-funded program in which the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund makes discounts available to eligible schools and libraries for telecom services and Internet access. Again, if you are interested in learning more about the program, visit E–Rate’s website.
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Posted: October 26th, 2011 by E. Ted Garlock
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, California Teleconnect Fund, CTF, E-Rate, non-profit, TelePacificz
In August, TelePacific was named one of Inc. magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies for the fifth year in a row. We’re understandably pleased to be included on this outstanding list. And as our partner, we hope you’re excited, too; because, in your business, partnering with a stable telecom provider is crucial.
Over the past few years, Telepacific has expanded both its services and its national footprint. The company has a strong future, and will remain a solid, consistent partner for our agents in the years to come. We never forget that your success is our success.
Dick Jalkut, president and CEO of TelePacific, is delighted to point out that as we enter new markets the company, “continue[s] to become an economic driver in the communities in which we work – providing jobs, investing in the community and helping small and medium businesses be more productive.” Feel free to share the good news with your friends.
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Posted: October 19th, 2011 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Dick Jalkut, entrepreneurs, INC 5000 awards, INC Magazine, telecommunications, TelePacificz
It was great seeing a lot of you at the Fall 2011 Channel Partners Show & Expo in Chicago. As always, it’s good to catch up and see what’s happening in the channel. One piece of news that obviously delighted us during the show was Channel Partners Magazine’s announcement of the top 50 channel programs in the country—voted by you—and the inclusion of TelePacific Communications in that list for the fifth year in a row!
It’s a great honor to be selected from among hundreds of companies by carriers, resellers, master agents, and hardware and software vendors. After all, you are all part of our team and play an integral role in our success, so your vote is a reminder that we’re getting things right.
Our Telepartner program is based on three important goals: helping our Telepartners succeed and earn more money; giving our Telepartners the best available support tools to do it with; and most importantly, giving our Telepartners easy, direct access to the people and know-how that can simplify their selling experience. We believe that if we get those three things right, you’ll have a successful and mutually-profitable relationship…and who doesn’t want that?
We understand that we can’t rest on our laurels, so we are continually building on the success of our Telepartner program, providing more support, product training, sales incentives, and a streamlined process. Our goal is to make your choice even easier—TelePacific’s channel program is not only one of the most rewarding, it’s also easy to work with.
We’ll continue working hard this year to earn a spot on the list again next year. Thank you for your vote and your continued relationship.
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Posted: September 6th, 2011 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, channel partners, Show & Expo, TelePacificz, telepartners, top 50 channel program
At TelePacific, we like working with the best people. That means working with the best agents, but also hiring the best folks we can find. And while we know that all our channel managers are great, we have to give special kudos to Amir Hojjatnia, one of our regional agent managers. Amir was recently voted as one of the Top 15 Channel Managers in a Channel Partners Magazine poll by master agents, subagents, and independent agents. He was chosen by you from among 80 candidates.
That is quite a feat in and of itself, and it’s definitely not a fluke—this is the third time that Amir has been voted onto the list. He previously took home the title in 2007 and 2009. It looks like he’s on an every-other-year roll, so look out for him in 2013… but don’t be surprised if he makes the list in 2012!
If you work with Amir, then you absolutely know why he was nominated and ultimately selected. He has a strong dedication to his agents and makes sure that he’s there for them when they need him. “I strive to make myself available to my agents 24/7, providing them with the most accurate and current information available,” said Amir. “By demonstrating my unrivaled dedication to their individual needs, I hope to have all my agents think of me first and foremost when they have a customer opportunity.”
Well, it looks like you not only thought of him first when you had a customer opportunity, but also when you were asked who the best channel manager was. On behalf of Amir, the other channel agent managers, and the entire Telepartner program, thank you for your vote of confidence. We will continue to bring the best people into those roles, like Amir and other TelePacific channel managers who have won in the past, so we can offer you the best support and expertise possible. And, thank you Amir for being such an exemplary model of what we do best in the Telepartner program.
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Posted: August 26th, 2011 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, Amir Hojjatnia, Channel Partner, channel partners, TelePacificz, telepartners, top 15 channel managers
You and your client, sitting worry free, C-O-L-O-C-A-T-I-N-G…
Summer is in full swing and love is in the air. Can’t you just feel it? The dog days of summer bring long nights and bright sunshine and what can we say? Our future is so bright we have to wear shades; with the recent acquisition of OCiX, TelePacific has expanded our presence in California with a second SAS 70 Type 2 datacenter in Orange County, California. The southern California datacenter is a perfect complement to our SAS 70 Datacenter in Sacramento that we acquired last year – providing the geographic diversity that your clients need for their operations. TelePacific now has colocation facilities in Irvine, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Rafael and Santa Ana.
TelePacific is celebrating our new Datacenter with a Show & Sell colocation promotion that features some very attractive pricing options on all TelePacific datacenter “colo” facilities that may be just what your customers are looking for to see if colocation is a fit for their business. Customers can save up to 35% on Datacenter cabinets and power services and up to 80% on Internet and MPLS bandwidth for data with this limited time promotion on a 3-year term.
Colocation services can be a wise move for customers seeking business continuity solutions that bring tremendous performance and fiscal benefits in comparison to hosting the same systems in-house. The sky is the limit for your customers when they have the power and convenience of a datacenter without the capital expense of building one.
We already have big plans for our new state-of-the-art facility. The 10,000 square-foot datacenter will receive an 8,000 square-foot expansion to provide customers with private meeting and disaster recovery space and storage. In addition, TelePacific is transitioning both of our SAS 70 certified datacenters to the new security standard of SSAE 16 in order to adhere to the latest evolution of datacenter security standards.
We’re already halfway through summer, so now is the perfect time for your customers to take advantage of this limited-time offer. Contact your TelePacific agent representative today to get the scoop on our current collocation deals.
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Posted: July 29th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: Agent, Business Continuity, Colocation, datacenter, OCiX, promotion, sale, SAS 70, SSAE 16, TelePacificz
Connection. It’s that spark that made you long for a second date, isn’t it? Well your clients long for that same connection only we’re talking business baby! You’re already providing your customers with TelePacific’s outstanding services and products and they love you for it. They are going to love you even more for this; it’s time to dig deep for your customers, very deep… look into the screen… your getting very sleepy… okay maybe that wasn’t fair right after lunch. But seriously, It’s time to think about what wireless technology can do for your customers – and even more important, get them to think about it. We’re not talking about the latest device craze, sure wireless devices are pretty nifty and we have plenty of options to choose from. What is more important is the technology that is the driving force for these devices.
TelePacific ‘s product portfolio has grown with the addition of mobile services and fixed wireless and so has your customers ability to be connected. Customers can access the Internet and their servers on the go with our mobile products, or set up a satellite office for a few weeks with fixed wireless. From TelePacific’s mobile connectivity solutions to USB modems and smart phones, your customers have the ability to be connected whenever and wherever they need to be. Connection is a beautiful thing and we’re proud to introduce Michael Jacobsen, your Telepartner Mobility Specialist that is available to help your customers find their mobile services sweet spot. I sat down virtually with TelePacific’s Michael Jacobson to pick his brain about his new role at TelePacific, within a few minutes it was apparent that this gentleman is teeming with knowledge.
Q: What will your role be as the Telepartner Mobility Specialist?
A: My job is to provide information and resources to empower TelePacific’s agents. Our mobile services are a recent addition and there are a lot of choices when it comes down to products, services, and technology. I’m also here to help agents look beyond the immediate question of what devices can do for their customers and think about how wireless technology can enhance their customers business. With the addition of mobile services and fixed wireless TelePacific is now a “one-stop shop” for SMB telecom services. One invoice, one company for all their needs.
Q: Should agents contact you directly or continue to contact their agent manager?
It’s always best for agents to work closely with their agent manager in order to maximize the value of that relationship. That being said, agents are welcome to contact me directly and loop their agent manager in on that conversation. The agent manager and myself, we’re the dynamic duo.
Q: Will you also be interfacing directly with customers for sales support?
I am certainly available to interact with customers. When it comes down to it, I’m a resource for TelePacific’s mobile solutions so I am happy to work directly with a customer or exclusively with the agent(s) – whichever they prefer.
Q: Why do you think it’s important for TelePacific to have a dedicated mobility specialist available to Telepartners?
A: There are definitely a number of agents out there that are familiar with the mobile marketplace but there are also quite a few that don’t have experience in the mobile realm. They may not know how to identify customer’s needs or how to position TelePacific’s mobile services. That’s where I come in – I’m here to help them hone in on the mobile service offerings arena.
Q: How do you think mobile services are shifting the way people do business? How do you recommend that Telepartners tap into that?
A: Wireless technology is clearly making a huge impact on the business world. Just look at the evolution of the technology in such a short time. We went from using cell phones as a back-up communication tool to it being one of our primary tools. Shortly after came voice with texting and then email and now PDAs and tablets. The technologies are rapidly evolving and driving the behavior of business people. The technology is here to stay so agents need to embrace it.
Q: Creamy peanut butter or crunchy?
A: Crunchy, definitely crunchy.
Michael Jacobson may be contacted at:
mjacobsen@telepacific.com
O: 818-264-1911
M: 661-313-4291
F: 866-585-9986
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Posted: June 27th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
At TelePacific we view our Telepartners as just that – partners. We know that it’s a broad business world out there and are thrilled to have motivated and successful agents on our team. We don’t just kind of like you, we’re like those parents on the sideline at every soccer game beaming with adoration. In other words, we think your pretty darn swell. To show our appreciation, we offer competitive compensation packages, special SPIF programs, and an annual Presidents Club incentive program for our sales partners.
In order to show just how swell we think our Master Agents of 2010 are we recently treated reps from the top five agencies to a California getaway in sunny San Diego. Our guests really roughed it with three days and two nights of accommodations at the historic Hotel del Coronado – yeah, that shabby little place that USA Today listed as one of the “Top 10 Resorts In The World”.
Those in attendance included reps from the top five 2010 Presidents Club award winners – Sandler Partners, PSI Network, BridgePointe Technologies, Datatel Solutions and Intelisys Communications.
After all, who doesn’t like to party on the beach? No, we’re not talking about that kind of party, come on now – I don’t think keg stands would have been appropriate. There were some intense games of horseshoes and volleyball followed by a gourmet dinner on the beach with smores around a fire pit for desert – and of course the never-ending debate of burnt marshmallows vs. toasted.
Attendees enjoyed a great day on the Coronado Municipal Golf Courses, which is considered one of the finest public golf courses in Southern California or a relaxing spa day. The celebration concluded with the awards reception and dinner where each of our winning agencies received an award for kicking butt and taking names in 2010.
It was a fantastic trip this year; in fact, it may be hard for us to outdo ourselves – but we’re certainly going to try!
Plans are already in the works for next year’s award trip. We hope you’re out there working hard because the trip next year is going to be so worth it. We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Presidents Club in 2012 as well as our CEO, Dick Jalkut’s 10th anniversary with TelePacific, with an amazing luxury ski vacation to Banff, Canada. So start selling some product because we would love to see you on the slopes with us next year and don’t worry we won’t laugh if you fall – we’ll think your swell even if you aren’t a great skier.
A huge thank you to all of our Telepartners for helping TelePacific achieve such success in 2010. We couldn’t do it without you!
Want to learn more about TelePacific’s agent program? Click here to sign up and get all the details.
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Posted: May 23rd, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: bridgepointe technology, datatel solutions, del Coronado, intelisys, President’s Club, PSI Network, Sandler Partners, Telepartner
With the recent acquisition of Covad Wireless, TelePacific channel partners now have more broadband options to offer their customers.
TelePacific now offers Ethernet over Fixed Wireless (EoFW). This is a great service, offering our best and lowest bandwidth pricing to customers that are beyond the reach of Ethernet over Copper (EoC) or for whom EoC cannot be provided due to technical issues with the ILEC outside plant.
With bandwidths from 1Mbps to 100 Mbps (and pretty much everything in between), EoFW is a perfect solution for your customers. And because TelePacific owns the Fixed Wireless network, there’s no need to wait for the ILEC, so provisioning takes less time and pricing is more competitive.
Your customers can use EoFW entirely for their Internet needs or they can keep their existing wired network and add EoFW as a reliable back-up, offering built-in redundancy in the event of extreme weather or other events that may have an impact on their primary delivery system.
EoFW also provides other opportunities that wired options cannot. With Fixed Wireless, we can quickly set up temporary broadband Internet access with speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps. This is perfect if your client is organizing a special event, like a concert, fair or convention, and needs to provide Internet access for a few days. It’s also great if your company needs to set up a satellite office for a few weeks or months at a project site and needs to ensure their employees have reliable Internet access, without getting locked into a long term contract.
EoFW offers solutions not previously possible with other Internet delivery systems while also enhancing existing services. Check with your TelePacific representative today to learn more about Fixed Wireless pricing and agent incentives.
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Posted: May 3rd, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: built in redundancy, EoC, EoFW, Ethernet over Copper, Ethernet over Fixed Wireless, fixed wireless, TelePacificz, temporary broadband Internet access
TelePacific Agent Managers at Channel Partners LV Conference 2011
It was great seeing so many of you earlier this month at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. It’s always great to spend time with our agents and hear about what they’re doing and how we can work even better together. Thank you to all you folks who stopped by our booth to talk about some of our new products and pick up some candy, and thank you also to those who came to our presentation. We really appreciated your support and interest in what we’re doing at TelePacific. And, of course, we can’t forget about the VIP party at the Deuce Lounge at the stunning new ARIA resort & Casino. Well, depending on how much partying you did you may either want to forget some of it or may have already forgotten. Either way, we had fun with all of you there.
We always love these Expos because we get some one-on-one time with you and it’s always fun to get away to somewhere fun. Speaking of getting away…in case you missed it, we had a big announcement at the VIP party. Next year being the 10th anniversary of the Telepartner President’s Club, we decided to really kick it up a notch (or several) and have an awesome trip planned for the top five agents this year. Yeah, I know we’ve had some pretty awesome trips to date, but nothing like this, because we’re taking those top agents to Banff, Canada.
So start selling some product and packing some bags if you want to join us on a trip that will offer amazing views and of course skiing!
We’ll have a lot more details for you as the year continues, but start practicing your pose for your passport photo and keep getting those contracts signed. On our end, we’ll be sure to keep adding exciting new products and services and attractive pricing to help you make the sale.
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Posted: March 22nd, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, Banff, Channel Partner Conference and Expo, las vegas, President’s Club, TelePacificz
The Channel Partners Conference & Expo is right around the corner, and any excuse to go to Las Vegas is a good excuse. Any excuse to go to Las Vegas and spend some time with our Telepartners is an even better excuse.
If you’re at the show this March, be sure to come into the exhibit area and drop by our booth 1401. You can come see what we’ve been up to, learn about all the latest products and services we’ve introduced recently and what we have in the pipeline, and meet with our product managers who will be there to answer any questions or just chat for a while.
Speaking of new products and services, if you haven’t been keeping up with all the TelePacific news and communications, you’ll be surprised by all the great new products and services we are offering, including mobile voice and data, mobile hotspots, additional Ethernet options, equipment leasing and more. If you have been keeping up, then you may have also noticed our theme this year—like a kid in a candy store. The theme conveys what it feels like to have all the great TelePacific products and services from which to choose. But another great benefit of the theme is that it gives us a great excuse to have candy at our exhibit booth. So if you’re looking for something to appease your sweet tooth, drop by our booth, we have you covered.
And if all that wasn’t reason enough to visit us, how about the fact that our booth was voted Best in Show at last year’s Spring Channel Partners Conference & Expo by show attendees? Now you know you have to come by and see how we’ll outdo ourselves this year.
Whatever ultimately gets you to join us (great products and services, last year’s award or outright bribery with candy) we hope to see you at the Expo in a few weeks. It’s always good to meet with our partners face to face and get some feedback on we can better work with your toward mutual success. See you in Vegas.
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Posted: March 2nd, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: Agent, Channel Partners Conference & Expo, equipment leasing, Ethernet, hostpost, las vegas, mobile data, mobile voice, TelePacificz, Telepartner
Remember that scene in the Willy Wonka movie (the Gene Wilder one, not the freaky one with the Johnny-Depp-Michael-Jackson hybrid…that one was just too weird) where Charlie and the other children were walking through factory, eyes wide open, staring at and drooling over the candy? They were excited because everything looked so good and there was so much from which to choose. Well, that’s just how it looks now around TelePacific (minus the drooling). We have so many great products and services for customers, and attractive pricing and SPIFs for our agent partners, that it feels just like you’re in the candy store trying to figure out how to pick from all the tasty treats.
Take advantage of TelePacific’s selection of products and services. When meeting with customers, let them know what’s available to them, including mobile phones, mobile data, Ethernet options, business continuity solutions, integrated network security, colocation, SmartVoice, VPNs, conference calling, POTS, equipment leasing and so much more. Let them know how they can get all the services they need from one vendor.
Unlike the Willy Wonka movie, customers who use our products won’t be turned into giant blueberries or miniaturized and put on television. They will, however, receive one convenient bill for all their California and Nevada offices and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that TelePacific’s unparalleled customer service is ready there for them.
But there are sweets for our agent partners as well. The more products and services there are to sell, the more SPIFs are out there for the taking. And with the extension of all promos, special pricings and extra incentives through March, it makes it even easier and more profitable to sell TelePacific services to your customers. Talk to your TelePacific representative today to learn more about all the new services and current pricing and incentive specials. You too could be Willy Wonka to your customers. We promise not to sing oompa loompa songs in high, nasally voices every time you make a sale.
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Posted: February 17th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: agents, Business Continuity, Colocation, Conference Calling, equipment leasing, Ethernet, mobile data, mobile phone, network security, selection, SmartVoice, SPIF, Teleartners, TelePacificz, vpn
It seems like almost everyday we’re seeing news about extreme weather seriously impacting cities throughout the country. In late December and early in the year California was drenched in seemingly never-ending rain. There have been record snow storms in New York, Chicago and other places around the country. Often times, these weather events negatively impact communications infrastructure and leaves business and individuals without the services on which they rely.
As you’re meeting with clients, be sure to remind them of the importance of business continuity planning and network redundancy. It may require a little more forethought and investment on their part, but they’ll be absolutely grateful to you when the system goes down around them but they’re able to continue doing business while others are left making snow angels or splashing in puddles.
Simple things like colocation, RemoteStor data backup, the ability to forward calls remotely to name a few can help a business quickly and easily restore and continue functionality while protecting its equipment and data. If a customer’s office Internet goes down, for example, they can quickly connect up to five computers to WiFi using TelePacific’s MiFi HotSpot. Or if phones in one office go down, they can go online and transfer all calls to a different location or different number, ensuring they don’t miss any important client calls. Simple solutions like these are not expensive and can really save the day. However, customers aren’t always aware of them, so it’s up to you to let them know they’re available and show them how they can use them in these types of situations.
When thinking about business continuity we typically think of earthquakes, fires or other disasters. But weather can have just as devastating effect. Many of your customers may have had experiences with it this winter, so it’s fresh on their minds. Talk to them now while they’re thinking about it. If not, they’ll be disappointed later in the year or next winter, when weather affects them once again and they hadn’t received the guidance that may have helped them prevent it.
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Posted: February 9th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: Business Continuity, call forward, Colocation, Data Backup, extreme weather, network redundancy, RemoteStor, TelePacificz
If you have customers who need a new telecommunications system but don’t want to tie up the capital required to purchase the equipment, TelePacific can help. TelePacific now offers an equipment leasing program that lets customers bundle the cost of the equipment they need, regardless of make or model, with their monthly telecom bill. This means a single consolidated monthly statement for all equipment, related software, warranties, maintenance and telecommunication services.
Your customers will like that they are free to select the products that works best for them, regardless of vendor. Customers will also have access to the full suite of TelePacific services, selecting and paying only for the services they actually need. And if they want to keep the equipment after the lease, they can buy it for a dollar.
TelePacific’s equipment leasing program can be a powerful tool for agents with customers who need to upgrade their equipment but can’t afford the full cost of an up-front purchase. It also provides a lot more flexibility than the leasing programs offered by other carriers, many of whom restrict which vendors the client can choose, don’t provide buy-out options or require specific services to be bundled with the lease.
Visit our website and contact your TelePacific representative to learn more about TelePacific’s leasing program and SPIFF opportunities.
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Posted: February 4th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: buy-out, equipment leasing, SPIFF, TelePacificz
Most of the time, when you purchase a bundle, you know you’re getting a few things you really want and others you don’t…that’s why they’re bundled together. That’s not the case with TelePacific. With TelePacific, your customers can select the products, services and features they want, and create their own bundle.
Take the Flexible 5 program for example. If your customer signs up for SmartVoice, they can choose five different options from more than a dozen great choices, including toll free numbers, fax-to-email boxes, voicemail boxes, conference calling, minute bundles, managed firewall, remote data storage and more. Better yet, they get their five choices for free!
So customers get to pick what they want in their bundle and get them at no extra cost. What could be better? All they have to do is sign up for two or three years of SmartVoice and they can customize the bundle to best meet their needs. And this offer applies to both new and renewing customers, so all your customers can get in on the bundling fun.
Bundling doesn’t stop there. Your customers can combine their voice, data, mobile and business continuity services with TelePacific and save money in the process.
And there’s more to it than just saving money. Customers also get the convenience of getting all their services from one vendor on one bill. This saves valuable time and energy; and with TelePacific’s great customer service, peace of mind goes up and stress goes down. It’s a win-win.
Get your customers bundling today and call your TelePacific representative to learn more about the savings your customers could be getting.
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Posted: January 14th, 2011 by Bita
Categories: Agent
Tags: bundling, Business Continuity, Conference Calling, data, Fax to email, firewall, mobile, remote data storage, SmartVoice, TelePacificz, toll free numbers, voice, voicemail
There’s some exciting news on the TelePacific mobile services front. As you know, we launched our mobile services early in the fall with multiple options for data cards—allowing customers to access Internet and their servers on the go. Now in December, we’re taking a big step forward and adding voice services and BlackBerry devices.
On December 17, TelePacific will start taking orders for mobile phones and mobile voice plans, with fulfillment in mid January. And since at TelePacific we’re all about options and customization, we’re launching the service with three different BlackBerry phones and very customizable mobile voice and data plans, which include discounts based on number of minutes, number of lines, number of contract years and more. There’s lots to choose from and something for every customer.
And there’s something for our agents as well. Not only are the expanded mobile services a great opportunity to start new conversations with customers, or even conversations with prospective customers, they can be used as the “tip of the spear” to open up access to additional telecom needs. Mobile can also help increase client “stickiness” and reduce churn rates—and there are great incentives for our Telepartners. It starts with a $125 SPIFF per line sold, and it continues with a four percent residual on mobile services! That’s right, you keep reaping the rewards as long as your customer remains with TelePacific. That, as well as our great products and services, sets us apart from our competitors.
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Posted: December 11th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Blackberry, mobile data, mobile services, mobile voice, SPIFF, TelePacificz, Telepartner
It’s often said that you’re only as good as the company you keep. Well, if that’s the case, we’re doing pretty well. After all, our Telepartners are amongst the best agents in the industry. And we strive to reciprocate that relationship by providing the best agent support in the industry.
We work closely with you to give you the tools and support you need to make the sale. Take The Brain for example. Telepartners can use The Brain to gather product spec information, customize sales and presentation materials, share best practices and tools, read tips from TelePacific and and more.
There’s also TelePacific University, an online campus where Telepartners can take courses to sharpen their product knowledge and sales skills. Courses are customized to the needs of the agent and online tests let you know how well you’ve retained the information. That’s in addition to regular Brown Bag trainings and product presentations that are available to Telepartners throughout the year.
In addition to training support and access to helpful libraries of information and customizable sales materials, we have tools that make your job easier. For example, our new and improve Electronic Order Package lets you easily order services.
And if all that support isn’t enough, what about all the great sales promotions and incentives, the President’s Club and the unparalleled customer service TelePacific provides to back it all up?
It’s no wonder that in 2010 TelePacific was voted by agents as one of PHONE+ Magazine’s Top 50 Channel Partner Programs and one of CRN Magazine’s Coolest Telecom Providers.
We’re proud of our Telepartners and we are dedicated to continuing to provide the best agent support in the industry. And we hope that you will continue keeping company with TelePacific and be as good as we can possibly be—together.
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Posted: November 17th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: agent support, CRN Coolest Telecom Provider, PHONE+ Top 50 Channel Partner Program, TelePacific University, TelePacificz, Telepartner
We are technology geeks. We know it and we’ll admit it proudly. After all, technology is what we do. And because of that, we understand that technology must constantly be updated and advanced to meet new and changing needs. We know you are always working with your customers to meet their ever-changing needs and at TelePacific, we are striving to make our systems and tools easier to use, more efficient and more effective for you.
With that in mind, we would like to introduce the new and improved Electronic Order Package! We’ve recently made some upgrades to the Electronic Order Package that will make ordering products and services easier for you and result in an even smoother process for your customers.
The latest model of the Electronic Order Package (EOP) is more intuitive and user friendly. With a simple step-by-step interface, you can quickly and easily input order information and produce all of the necessary documents in one place. Here are some of the highlights:
- Once is enough when it comes to entering the basic customer and agent information. EOP will automatically populate that information throughout the system wherever it is required. No more doing the same thing twice!
- Drop down menus let you choose from available products and the associated promotions and specials, making order entry a breeze. EOP even blocks out the unnecessary fields depending on the product so you don’t have to hunt for information that isn’t needed.
- Add your own customized products, services and promotions in free form space. With this system, you are not tied down to the standard form. You can create your order the way you want; just make sure you are current on all of the deals, discounts and rules that apply to each product.
- Input multiple orders from one place. You can easily input multiple orders for multiple locations from the same EOP form. You can also preview all of your orders and print your documents from the same EOP file. No more opening multiple files for each location; it’s all contained in one simple spreadsheet.
If you are a current Telepartner, you should have received an email with a webinar tutorial on the updated EOP. If not, contact your Telepartner manager.
We know the system isn’t perfect yet and we’d love to hear your feedback on the changes we’ve made and what you’d like to see added in the future. Let your Telepartner manager know your thoughts and feedback. Happy selling and have a great day!
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Posted: October 22nd, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: custom forms, Electronic Order Package, multiple locations, sales tools, technology, TelePacificz, Telepartner
Woo hoo! We did it again! TelePacific’s Telepartner Program was voted as one of the Top 50 Channel Programs recognized by PHONE+ magazine. The winners were announced at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, held this week in Washington, D.C. This is TelePacific’s fourth year in a row on the list, and we’re as proud now as we were the first time.
Everyone enjoys industry recognition, but this is more significant to us because the winners were selected by you, our partners. We value our relationships with our partners and enjoy working together to help customers and be successful.
You may already know the goals and driving forces behind the Telepartner program, but we’re going to recap them here because they are so important. We want to help our Telepartners succeed and make more money; give our Telepartners the best support tools to do it with; and most importantly, give our Telepartners easy, direct access to the people and know-how that can simplify the entire selling experience.
It’s also important that TelePacific provides you and customers with state-of-the-art technology and cost effective communications solutions. And we will continue our focus on partner and customer service to exceed all expectations for service and satisfaction.
We think the Telepartner Program is pretty robust and rewarding, and it’s nice to know you agree. Thanks for voting for us again, and have a good day at work!
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Posted: September 24th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Channel Partner Conference & Expo, contest, phone, TelePacificz, Telepartner, Top 50 Channel Programs
It’s already September…crazy! Where has the year gone? We know we’ve been busy, as have you, so maybe that’s why time is passing so quickly. We won’t think about the fact it could be because we’re getting older…no, it’s because we’ve been busy.
One of the things we’ve been busy working on is a new tool to make it easier for customers to communicate with us about issues and questions. You’re familiar with OneCentral Portal (OCP), TelePacific’s online account management system? Well, OCP now includes an online trouble ticket management service that makes the process of reporting, tracking and resolving customer problems streamlined and simple.
Customers can log into OCP, fill out a trouble ticket form with the appropriate information and submit their request. It’s just that simple! Customers can also view the status of their tickets and track progress resolving their question or issue. It could be something as simple as responding to a network outage report, or something more complicated like a billing inquiry…now customers have another way to work with TelePacific’s Customer Care to get their questions answered and problems resolved quickly right from OneCentral Portal. Check it out today, and encourage your customers to do the same.
While we’re talking about things to check out…check out TelePacific at the Channel Partner Conference & Expo later this month. You can find us in Booth 3007 at the show, held from September 20-22 in beautiful Washington, D.C. We’ll be talking about Ethernet over Copper, mobile services and perhaps some other fun news…
And speaking of fun news—congratulations to the winners of TelePacific’s Summer Sales Contest! The top two performers in the President’s Club category were Sandler Partners and PSI Network. In the Non-President’s Club bracket, Telesonic Voice & Data Solutions and Dial Tone Services are the lucky winners. Now the winners can jet off to a destination of their choice—each of the first place finishers will receive a $4,000 travel voucher while the runners-up will take home a $1,500 travel voucher. Congrats! And thanks to everyone who participated in the contest.
With that, we’re now back to work coming up with more new and exciting things to announce…stay tuned. And have a good day at work!
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Posted: September 14th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Channel Partner Conference & Expo, customer service, Dial Tone Services, onecentral, OneCentral Portal, online trouble ticketing, PSI Network, Sandler Partners, summer sales contest, TelePacificz, Telepartner, Telesonic Voice & Data Solutions
Yep, summer is funner…especially when you can work outside of your office using TelePacific Mobile! It’s a good selling point, even if not grammatically correct.
TelePacific Mobile is available this month. The first data cards and MiFi hotspots to allow high-speed, 3G wireless access anywhere users can get cellular service are shipping momentarily. Up to five devices can be connected to a hotspot, so users can create a mini-office anywhere they are: the pool, a picnic table in the park or even their conference room so everyone can chat and work together. Or if a customer is a road warrior or one-person show, a data card may be the right choice: either the one with optional data storage or the one that works in either a PC card or ExpressCard slot. Either way, summer fun can be theirs while still being “plugged in” (wirelessly, of course).
You’ve heard about the upcoming mobile additions but I’ll note them here too. This fall, we’re introducing voice products (like Blackberry devices) to make it even easier for users to stay connected on their own terms. And we’ll roll out wireless failover to ensure access to mission-critical applications…and ensure customers have peace of mind (even when they’re working by the pool).
The Telepartner site, The Brain and your Telepartner manager have the details you’ll need to help your customers be successful while still enjoying summer—all thanks to TelePacific Mobile. And the nice summer weather, and fun activities, and vacations…okay, it’s not all thanks to TelePacific Mobile but some of it is!
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: September 4th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Blackberry, data card, TelePacific Mobile, TelePacificz, Telepartner, Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless service
The fall season is nearly upon us already…how did that happen? Seems like summer was just starting last week. But now some kids are back in school, others will be joining them soon, and we will soon be heading out to Washington, D.C. for the Fall Channel Partners Conference & Expo!
We’re really looking forward to the show. It’s a great chance to catch up with old friends, meet new people, share news and see what’s going on in the world of telecom. And visiting our nation’s capitol is always fun—the history, the culture, the sights and sounds…love, love, love it!
But that’s just us. Will you be attending the show? What are you most looking forward to seeing, doing or learning? Is it a trip to one of the 19 Smithsonian museums for a new exhibit? Enjoying the fall colors? Learning more about product updates, introductions or future trends?
There’s so much to discover. Yeah, I think that’s a line from an ad campaign, but it works here too. We hope to see you from September 20-22 at Booth 3007 at the show. Stop by, check us out and hear what’s new. We’ll be talking about Ethernet over Copper, mobile services and who knows what else (maybe the chance to touch a rock from the Apollo 17 mission at the Air and Space Museum?). Whatever you do, and wherever you go when you’re here, it should be lots of fun!
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: August 26th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Channel Partner Conference & Expo, fall, products, Smithsonian, TelePacificz, Telepartner, Washington D.C.
Experts say it’s important to keep your brain working hard, solving problems and maintaining connections, to stay healthy. You can do crossword puzzles, play chess, engage in volunteer activities…there’s no limit to what you can do to challenge your neurons and keep sharp.
One idea is even to go back to school. Why should kids have all the fun? Because really, learning and expanding your horizons is fun. Why not re-learn world history? It might come in handy on that trip to Europe when you win the Summer Sales Contest. Or dive into economics so you can make educated judgments when economists “predict” the length of our economic downturn.
But if actually going back to school seems like too much work, or is too expensive right now, you might want to check out TelePacific University. We’ve developed specialized courses to either introduce you to TelePacific products and services you aren’t familiar with, or to help you build your contacts and business. Most courses are online and can be taken at your own pace.
You can even catch up on Brown Bag sessions you may have missed. There’s everything from presentations by product managers to best practices to networking tips to competitive positioning. And there’s a special Telepartner QuickStart program to get new Telepartners, or new employees at your company, up to speed quickly so they can start producing.
Check out TelePacific University today. If you don’t have a login or password, request one from your agent manager. And check out other resources, especially free or low-cost ones, to build your brainpower…work related or not!
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: August 12th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: back to school, product information, sales tools, TelePacific University, TelePacificz, Telepartner
I watched an old movie recently that made me think about brains…The Man with Two Brains, with Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner. Why is poor Kathleen so often cast as a man posing as a woman? Is it her voice? I mean, it happened in that movie and on “Friends.” But I digress. What I really want to talk about is The Brain.
In case one of your brains has forgotten, The Brain is TelePacific’s online workflow improvement tool to help you do your job more efficiently. It was introduced in this blog a few months ago (remember? “The ‘go to’ place for TelePacific Grey Matter?”), so it seemed like a good time for an update. Have you checked it out recently? If not, you should!
There is a ton of useful information stored there. Everything from easily-customizable presentation templates to product information to competitive information to tips for keeping your brain sharp can be found in The Brain. Some of the recent popular content is about TelePacific Mobile, including questions from agents and answers from TelePacific; about the recent Ethernet product upgrades; and sample emails to help you communicate with your customers.
But The Brain needs your help to expand its capacity even more! We’ll keep updating it with product information and keep that RSS feed of industry news going; can you help by sharing your tips and tricks and materials that have worked—and by rating the materials that are in The Brain so we know what’s working for you? All of our brains working together should help keep us all fresh and current.
And speaking of current—what was in that multi-colored goo Dr. Necessiter kept the brains alive in? Did it have some kind of electrical current, even without wires? Whether you can answer that question or not, send us your brainy thoughts to improve The Brain. Or just let us know you like it as it is…we like feedback! Almost as much as we like brains.
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: July 23rd, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: custom presentations, datasheets, sales tools, TelePacificz, Telepartner, The Brain, The Man with Two Brains
SmartVoice has been upgraded! Yes, we didn’t think it could get much better either…but it did! TelePacific has expanded the list of certified PBX systems, upgraded some standard equipment with Cisco hardware and expanded the available configurations. Whew, that was a lot of work!
So…SmartVoice now supports four new PBX systems: Asterisk-derived systems meeting certain requirements, Mitel 3300MCD, Toshiba CIX series and Cisco Call Manager Express. This is in addition to the systems already supported, including Allworx and ShoreTel, and the list will keep growing.
In other news, the Cisco ISR will become standard for the SIP network. This is good news because it no longer requires a certified firewall with a SIP trunk. The Cisco router supports higher bandwidths and provides unscreened calling for SIP network continuity. Good news!
And we’re expanded the configurations available for SmartVoice. All products now start with four call paths and we’ve increased the upper ceiling on PRI and CAS. We’ve also increased the available bandwidth options for all configurations, ranging from 1.5M to 135M.
New pricing is included in the product guides, and there’s lots more information on the Telepartner site. Or check with your Telepartner manager for all the details.
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: June 29th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: product enhancements, SmartVoice, TelePacificz, Telepartner
When the dog days of summer roll around and no one wants to work (its way more fun to be out of the office playing), we have to get creative to keep people engaged. Not engaged like the “to be married” kind, but engaged in the workplace, making decisions and bettering their workflow. So how do we do that?
One of the most popular ways is by offering promotions. Who wouldn’t take a second look at a cool product that available with a special promotion? I’m sure a certain retail behemoth will do well selling a certain hot smart phone at an extreme discount…but I digress.
Back to the summer deals! You’ve already read about our summer sales contest with far-flung vacations available for the winning…now for the SmartVoice Summer Sizzle. From now until August 31, you can offer customers some great promotional pricing on SmartVoice PRI, CAS, SIP and Business Lines, as well as the SmartVoice 1Net Double and Triple Plays for any new location ordered. We can’t share all the details here, so check with your Telepartner manager if you want the nitty-gritty breakdown.
Once again, you can create a win-win for customers: they get a great service at a promotional price and you create a happy, satisfied customer. That’s sizzlin’ hot!
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: June 15th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Kind of a creepy title for this entry…but appropriate because we want to tap into your brains! Don’t worry, not in a mad scientist kind of way…or zombie kind of way. But we do want to harness your knowledge, experience, connections and resources, combine it with ours, and help you be an even more effective “closer.” How, you may ask? Good, I see we got that brain intrigued….
Introducing (drum roll please): The Brain! TelePacific has launched a new online tool that allows us to share a variety of information with you, and that we hope will enable better conversations between you and your customers. If you haven’t browsed through The Brain yet, here’s an overview:
- We’ve posted presentation templates you can customize without worrying about formatting. Drag and drop slides to arrange your presentation, find slides others have developed if you think you’re missing something and follow a simple form to include all of your information in the presentation.
- Read up on TelePacific’s competitors through our RSS feed of market news, and check out the Competitors tab for positioning tips.
- Learn about the vertical industries where TelePacific has customers. This can help you target a new market or find a new idea.
- Find all kinds of TelePacific information, from product datasheets to case studies to sales tips to analyst reports.
We’re calling The Brain the “go to” place for TelePacific Grey Matter. We’ll keep updating it with new information and we ask that you do the same. Share your tips and tricks, materials that have worked and rate the materials that are in The Brain. Then search to find the most popular, highest rated and recently updated information to be sure you have the best tools to close a sale.
If you are a current Telepartner, you should have received an email with login information. If not, contact your Telepartner manager. And we’d love to hear your feedback on The Brain…email telepartner@telepacific.com with your brainy thoughts.
Have a good day at work!
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Posted: May 24th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: competitors, custom presentations, datasheets, sales tools, TelePacificz, Telepartner, The Brain
Summer vacations are overrated. The weather is hot. Locations are crowded. Prices are expensive. I guess if you like overpaying for crowded, sweaty vacations, perhaps summers are okay. I personally prefer fall vacations. Better weather, deals and tourist density….and it could even be free.
If you haven’t already heard, TelePacific is offering a cool summer contest with four winners and more than $10,000 in travel vouchers. There are two categories: 2009 President’s Club Agents and Non-President’s Club Agents. First place in each category wins $4,000 for their dream vacation, and second place in each category wins $1,500 to travel wherever they desire.
Check out the fine print here:
- Achieve the highest combined total revenue of all new SmartVoice and OneNet orders from May 1st through August 31st. Additionally, all Value Added Services revenue from that period will apply.
- Double Dash value added sales will be counted as gross revenue before the discount, which means your customers get free services and you get the credit. Wow!
- Value Added Services include OneSecure, RemoteStor, Conference Central, Fax Central, Trunk Group Call Forwarding, Station-to-Station Dialing, voicemail, Email, Web Hosting, QoS, Outbound Internet Failover, DNS, Feature Pack, Network Redundancy, and VPN Remote Access.
- Winners will be based on contracted revenue within the contest period, minus fallout/cancels.
- The highest revenue total will determine the first and second place winners.
- In the event of a tie, the agent with the highest Value Added Services revenue will win.
Vouchers will be awarded no later than November 1st…so perhaps a skiing vacation in the Alps? Holidays in Bermuda? New Year’s in the North Pole? It’s up to you. Contact your Telepartner manager with questions.
And have a good day at work!
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Posted: May 14th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: OneNet, SmartVoice, summer promotion, Tags: TelePacific, Telepartner, travel, vacation, value added services
“You’re simply the best! Better than all the rest. Better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met!”
That Tina Turner song probably sounds familiar. You may have hummed it to a loved one…shouted it to a co-worker…or sung it to yourself in the shower. You may even remember it as part of advertising campaigns. Its message fits so many situations and so many people…so we’re going to apply it to TelePacific’s customer support.
We admit we’re a little biased. But we also know that if we didn’t have outstanding customer support, we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are today. Sure, our services are reliable and we offer products customers need at reasonable prices, but those are only two pieces of the puzzle. If customers and partners had challenges working with the people managing and maintaining TelePacific’s services, we wouldn’t still be in business.
You have to like the people you work with—at least a little. It makes life easier, work easier, and being positive about a product or company easier. We know that customers make purchasing decisions based (at least somewhat) on who they will be working with. And we know that having solid, reliable and friendly customer support makes your job selling our services easier.
So we’ve got the customer service, products and prices to make your job easier…what else can we do to help? Drop us a line or connect with your Telepartner manager. You know you’ll find a smiling person on our side, ready to help with whatever you need.
Have a good day at work!
Interested in learning more about the channel? Check out TelePacific’s Telepartner program out today.
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Posted: May 3rd, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: best, customer support, simply the best, TelePacificz, Telepartner, Tina Turner
Yes, it’s true—TelePacific had the best booth in the universe at 2010: A Channel Odyssey, the Spring 2010 Channel Partners Conference & Expo. If you didn’t make it to the show, check out our awesome agent managers and our booth!
- TelePacific’s Agent Managers
TelePacific's Booth at the Channel Partner's Show
Yeah, we’re pretty proud. After all, we won because attendees voted online to select the Best in Show…and they chose us as Best Trade Show Booth. Guess our chill vibe and lounge-style layout helped people relax and do business…just like we’d hoped!
We’re looking forward to picking up our trophy at the Fall show in Washington D.C. Check us out there too—you never know what we’ll come up with next!
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Posted: April 29th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: Best in show, TelePacific Agent, TelePacificz, Telepartner
What a great trip! Not that we’re bragging…but this year’s President’s Club celebration was fantastic. For those of you not familiar with TelePacific’s President’s Club, it is an honor bestowed on our top-performing Telepartners each year. In addition to joining the exclusive group of President’s Club honorees, each of our honorees is treated to a weekend getaway at a fun and fabulous resort.
This year we feted seven President’s Club Telepartners instead of the normal five. Our 2009 honorees are:
- Sandler Partners
- World Telecom Group
- PSI Network
- Intelisys Communications
- Telecombrokers
- Datatel Solutions
- Bridgepoint Technologies
For our 2009 getaway (which happened just a few weeks ago, in the first half of April) we went to The Ritz-Carlton Highlands in beautiful Lake Tahoe. We enjoyed tasty food, great networking, fun with the group (karaoke, anyone?)…and that was just the first night! We also had a great day on the slopes at Northstar or a relaxing day at the Ritz spa; heard a TelePacific update and industry perspective from President and CEO Dick Jalkut; and celebrated our Telepartners’ achievements with the Awards Reception and Dinner.
All of our Telepartners are eligible to achieve President’s Club status. We’ll be announcing the destination for next year’s event soon…so keep working hard if you’re interested in joining us next year and enjoying an outstanding weekend to celebrate your successes!
And a big thank you to all of our Telepartners for helping TelePacific achieve such success in 2009. We couldn’t do it without you!
Want to learn more about TelePacific’s agent program? Click here to sign up and get all the details.
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Posted: April 27th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
Tags: agent success, Lake Tahoe, President’s Club, TelePacificz, telepartners
We’re here to help you. No, seriously. A lot of people say they’re “here for you” and then don’t deliver. TelePacific won’t do that. We’ve got your back.
You’ve probably noticed an increase in communications from the Telepartner organization. Good! We made a resolution for 2010 to keep in closer contact with our partners and make sure we are doing all we can to help you be successful. Case in point: our new Agent Brown Bag sessions.
The February session was a doozy—and we mean that in a good way. Data Services Product Manager Extraordinaire Jon Lowry covered both new and expanded data services products TelePacific rolled out in 2009 and is working on for 2010. These value-added and integrated services provide you another way to be valuable to your customers by helping them be more productive, efficient and save money.
For instance, did you know that TelePacific expanded its Ethernet offerings in 2009—and is continuing to do so in 2010? Look for Ethernet over TDM, Ethernet over DS3, Ethernet over Copper and more Ethernet partnerships with third-party providers. And did you know that we are integrating services like SmartVoice with Internet; SmartVoice with 1Net; SmartVoice with 1Net and Internet; and 1Net with Internet to help customers increase their optimization and efficiency? Well, now you know.
And of course we have our Conference Central; Fax Central; Voicemail; OneSecure VPN with managed security services; RemoteStor, the comprehensive enterprise-class data backup and recovery service; and new Classes of Service (CoS) packages to help customers plan ahead, be available to their customers and protect their information assets.
These new integrated and value-added services are a win-win: your customers will benefit from an increased ease in doing business, and you’ll benefit from increased revenue.
Keep looking for more helpful information as the year goes on…more Brown Bag sessions, more blog entries, more newsletters and our same excellent customer support—for you and your customers. Have a good day at work!
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Posted: March 23rd, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
It’s the TelePacific blog, take two! Wait, I take that back. This is a new blog, all about the channel. So it’s related, not entirely separate. Consider the blogs sisters, since they both descended from TelePacific. And since you can find this blog by visiting the TelePacific blog, it makes sense (right?).
This blog is focused on TelePacific’s Telepartner Channel: the program, the agents, news and information relevant to agents and sometimes some interesting stuff we find online. Hopefully, this blog will become a valuable resource as you look for ways to better work with your customers. And, of course, it will help us share important information with you.
For example, you’ve heard (by now) about some recent changes in the management of the Telepartner program. In the future, news like that, specific to the channel, will also be shared via this blog. TelePacific is all about communications and this is just one more way for us to communicate with you.
But we can’t write this blog without you. We can post multiple entries every day but if those entries aren’t useful for you and your business, there isn’t much point. So let us know what you think. Let us know what’s working and what isn’t. Post comments or questions. Engage in a dialogue. Give us ideas for future blog posts. And refer your friends and colleagues who might benefit from reading the blog too.
With that, consider this blog live. Check back often for updates, news and interesting tidbits. Have a good day at work!
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Posted: February 15th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Agent
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