SMEs turn to resellers for telecommunications needs
23 May 2007 — voiceanddata.com.au
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prefer to use a telecommunications reseller than a large telecommunications provider, according to a national survey of 5000 SMEs.
The research revealed that SMEs will choose an independent reseller provider if they do not choose Telstra first.
For fixed line services, SMEs chose resellers before Optus and AAPT. For mobile services, resellers were chosen before Vodafone and Hutchison and for internet, resellers were chosen before Optus, AAPT and Primus.
The survey suggests that SMEs choose a reseller for the same reasons they choose any provider; they offer a better deal based on price, the call quality and coverage is good, and the customer service is satisfactory.
SMEs do enjoy the value-add features that the reseller can offer that the larger telcos don't always offer or don't offer at all, though, including quality technical support, a dedicated and knowledgeable account manager that deals with the same customer ever time they call, quick fault resolution turnaround and short hold wait times before they speak to a 'live' person.
Telcoinabox managing director Damian Kay labelled these statistics a wake-up call to large telecommunications providers.
"SMEs want a good deal and choose resellers because they provide it. Having an established brand name no longer carries any weight when an SME chooses a provider."
Kay said that SMEs are historically an 'unloved' market, and that resellers are winning customers because they have filled the gap large telcos wouldn't.