Undiscovered Errors on 80 Percent of Phone Bills

A report by the Gartner Group shows that the vast majority of companies have errors on their phone bills that are costing them thousands each year because they do not report the mistakes and ask for a refund. The mistakes are happening on local, long-distance, conferencing, data, Internet, wireless, cellular and other communications services.

A report by the Gartner Group shows that 80 percent of phone bills from businesses have errors that are never found or reported.

Nearly every business shows the cost of telecommunications as one of their five highest business expenses. Salaries and benefits are one of the only greater costs. Phone bills are usually confusing, full of acronyms, making it difficult for companies to determine if there are errors.

It is common for companies to crunch their numbers assuring their business runs like a well oiled machine. However, according to Vice President Tom Sodemann “Many of our customers don’t realize that they have too many trunks, are spending last year’s prices on broadband, and last year’s prices on long distance. In addition to the report stating that 80% of all bills have errors on them, we frequently find large savings in the connectivity.

On occasion we find errors on past bills and get a complete refund, but it takes a trained eye to spot the mistakes.”

Tom Sodemann says “Our goal is to be able to save our customers enough money so they have zero out of pocket costs for service calls, partner programs, and new equipment. When we can essentially give someone technology and services at no cost, we feel like we accomplished our goal.”

Research indicates it is not just a matter of finding the mistakes. The phone companies are reluctant to give back money, so it usually takes a professional to negotiate the rebates.

Customers of TAG Members win because they do not have to waste time figuring out what errors have been made, and they do not need to spend more time learning how to report the errors and negotiate for a refund. TAG Members do it all for them because they value their customers, recognizing that without happy customers you might as well close your doors.

Summer Storm Season is Upon Us - Are You Ready?

Lightning Safety Tips

Before Lightning Strikes


•Keep an eye on the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of light, or increasing wind. Listen for sounds of thunder.

•If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to a safe shelter immediately.

•Monitor weather forecasts.

When a Storm Approaches

•Find shelter in a building or car. Keep car windows closed.

•Avoid telephone lines, metal pipes, the telephone and electrical appliances.

•Avoid taking a shower or a bath or running water for any other purpose.

•Turn off the air conditioner. Power surges from lightning can over load the compressor, resulting in a costly repair job.

•Draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by the wind, the shades will prevent glass from shattering in your home.

If Caught Outside

•If you are in the woods, take shelter under shorter trees.

•If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find the nearest shelter immediately.

•Go to a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles or metal objects. Make sure the place you pick is not prone to flooding.

•Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible.

After the Storm Passes

•Stay away from storm-damaged areas.

•Listen to the radio for information and instructions.

If Someone is Struck by Lightning

•People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge and can be handled safely.

•Call 9-1-1 immediately.

•The injured person has received an electrical shock and may be burned, both where they were struck and where the electricity left their body. Check for burns in both places.

•Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue breathing. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR.
 
All of the health and safety tips listed above are good to know and a great way to keep yourself and your family safe this summer in case of stormy weather...  Are you doing anything to protect the technology your business uses every day in case of lightning, flooding, strong winds, damaging hail, etc?  Chances are good you may not have ever given it a second thought - you know that sometimes your phone lines go down, but that shouldn't affect your phone system, Right???
Wrong.  In a severe storm, you run the risk of losing a big chunk of your technology investment along with customers when they can't reach you after the storm.  Protect your investment with Disaster Recovery, Hosted On-Site Phone Systems (whcih provide full coverage of your equipment - including acts of GOD) and lightning protection.  Don't leave your business vulnerable as we enter the sometimes stormy summer months.  Contact Phones Plus today to learn more about some great solutions to summer storms and all the damage they can do.

Unified Communications Set to Explode in 2011

New Berlin, WI --- May 26, 2011 --- Phones Plus, Inc., a leading unified communications provider, announced expectations of heavy industry growth for the coming year during an interview with Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an international organization of unified communication companies spread throughout the United States and Canada. The TAG organization monitors sales, financial performance and other economic indicators among technology providers. “It’s exciting to see that small to mid-sized businesses (SMB’s) are ramping up acquisition of the latest technology across the country and that even some of the toughest pockets of the nation are beginning to show signs of strong growth,” stated Thomas Sodemann, Vice President of Phones Plus. Several factors are contributing to the turnaround and technology is driving the next bull market. Historically, technology has proven itself to be one of the first sectors to pull the economy out of a recessionary period and business owners are investing heavily in disruptive technologies that cut costs and improve employee productivity.

One of the most influential and recent technological breakthroughs in business communications is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). In simple terms, SIP supports any form of real-time communication regardless of whether the content is voice, video, instant- messaging, or a collaboration application. Additionally, SIP enables users to inform others of their status, their availability, and how they can be contacted before a communication is even initiated. “Sip is reinventing the way we communicate and out customers now have an upper hand on their competition,” commented Sodemann. Another powerful technology making its way into the SMB marketplace is Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Hosted VoIP serves the needs of entrepreneurs and enterprises alike, by delivering powerful features such as improved call quality, valuable disaster recovery tools, and applications designed specifically for telecommuters and remote workers. Included in the system are advanced features such as unified messaging, automatic call distribution, auto attendant, call recording, call flow reporting as well as traditional telephony features. A growing trend among business owners is to outsource the management of their IT networks with managed IT services. Consequently, this is stimulating the economy since these services are designed specifically to assist companies in maintaining and supporting their network and IT infrastructure. Types of services may include remote network monitoring and reporting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, firewall monitoring, intrusion detection, patch assessment and vulnerability scanning, preventative tasks, disaster recovery, data backup ad regular performance analysis. “Today’s marketplace demands excellence from all areas of a business and several of the products and services we provide are enabling our customers to increase their profitability and gain a competitive advantage,” stated Mr. Sodemann “Competition may be fierce, but we rest easy knowing that our customers can react more quickly and with greater efficiency than their competitors.”

Thomas Sodemann was interviewed by TAG regarding his views on the future of technology because he is well-known in the industry, possesses substantial technical expertise and has built a strong reputation in his community. Dale Johnson, President of TAG added, “Thomas has always been able to peer around the corner and see what’s coming so he can help his customers take advantage of what’s on the horizon. His organization expends a tremendous amount of effort to reside on the leading edge of technology but he does it simply because it is the right thing to do. We are proud to be associated with a technology futurist like Thomas.”

ABOUT TAG (Technology Assurance Group)

TAG is a national organization of leading independently owned telecommunications companies. TAG provides its members with the competitive advantage necessary to achieve a dominant position in their marketplace. Members benefit from programs including strategic partnerships with communication solution providers, best business and management practices, and advanced sales training programs. TAG’s mission is to leverage its members’ combined economic power, to increase their sales and profit margins, and to bring advanced technology to the marketplace. For more information on TAG, please call 858-673-5800 or visit www.tagnational.com.