Depending on client requirements the following steps outline a typical engagement:

• Our engagement typically begins with an initial audit/review of the current environment to identify risks and opportunities for cost savings, optimisation and operational fit. This is also an essential first step to provide information for any tender or comparison of suppliers or solutions

• Our audit is often followed by more detailed discovery and the development of a strategy document that presents a range of medium to long term options and guides for a subsequent procurement phase. This helps our clients decide their favoured options for change

• In the procurement phase we seek responses from suppliers based on requirements identified. As explained in our procurement section, this may include a price and or service check against the market, a formal tender or closed tender. Our approach to remove as much work as possible from your team and to represent your requirements directly to suppliers to develop the best options on the market then support you with decision support material

• We also provide support with project management, technical guidance, change management, and problem-solving throughout the migration process often following a procurement phase.

Here are some of the reasons our clients tell us they choose our services.

• We have a wealth of experience in the telecommunications and unified communications sectors. This expertise ensures that our clients receive well-informed, strategic advice tailored to their specific needs.

• We offer a wide range of lifecycle services, from audits and strategy development to implementation and support. This comprehensive approach allows clients to rely on us across a spectrum of telecommunications needs, ensuring consistency and quality throughout the engagement.

• We have a proven track record of successful projects with various organisations, including local government, large enterprises and some smaller organisations.

• We pride ourselves on offering unbiased recommendations that are solely in the best interest of our clients. We do not have affiliations with specific vendors or service providers, which allows us to provide objective advice and solutions tailored to the unique needs of each customer.

• Our approach is highly collaborative, working closely with you to understand your specific challenges and goals. This ensures that the strategies and solutions we develop are aligned with your business objectives and operational requirements.

How long does and audit take?

An audit can be completed within a few weeks and produces a list of tangible areas for cost savings and optimisation.

What internal resource load is there for an audit?

We strive to ensure audits are low impact to your team. We begin with a short discovery session to understand your current environment and gain access to key artifacts and systems.  After this our team do the analysis and engage with vendors as required. Normally, audit work has a 1-2 hour impact on clients.

What information and artefacts are required for the audit?

Ready access to online billing resources, vendor contracts, as built diagrams allow the audit to proceed quickly and without a significant drain on our customers resources.

What telecommunications services are covered?

We cover a wide range of telecommunications services including: fixed and mobile telephony, Unified Communications and Collaboration, Contact Centre, Wide Area Networking, Internet, Local Area Networking, Wi-Fi and IoT.

How long does a procurement process take?

We tailor the procurement process to fit with our customer and the service complexity. Typically, from requirements gathering to vendor selection can take 6 to 8 weeks.  This includes a 4-week response period to allow vendors to provide a meaningful response. See our Procurement section for more information.

What are the sorts of issues we most come across in our audits and how common are they?

The most common issues are related to overpaying for services, underutilised resources, difficulties in managing service, equipment, vendor contracts, inconsistencies between services being billing and contracted services and a lack of clarity around service definitions.

What are the sorts of issues you come across with billing, invoicing and contracts?

We see many organisations struggle with managing multiple service providers and a mix of contracted services.  This is compounded by fragmented and inaccurate invoicing often with discrepancies between contracts and invoicing and what services are actually in use.         

What are the main technology trends we have seen in the marketplace?

Migration away from legacy telephony services to UCaaS and CCaaS platforms and the adoption of modern, flexible and secure connectivity environments build on commodity access services.

What is the main telco organisational trend we have seen in the marketplace?

Telcos are struggling to maintain their relevance as services migrate to the cloud and to over-the-top services.  Most are downsizing and adopting differentiated service models where only the largest customers have face to face support, while smaller organisations are moved to web-based support.

Why can’t I use the services from my telecommunication or IT service provider company rather than you?

As independent consultants we offer an unbiased view of service providers and products and services.  Additionally with our breadth of industry knowledge we can unravel complex solutions and services to ensure you are sure the services will match your requirements. In contrast service providers have a singular focus on their services regardless of whether they match your requirements.