There was a time when finding T3 services involved picking up a phone book and searching the local pages for a provider in your area. Yes, you would find a provider for your connection, but another issue at hand would be price. Providers were fewer in numbers, and you more than likely had to pay premium dollar for your Internet and voice communications. While it was a necessity, it was expensive.
Internet technology eventually caught up with the industry some years ago and not only did more providers than you could count on your fingers and toes pop out of the wood work, but so did the brokers. Naturally the brokerages started to pop up too to save T3 shoppers the hassle of consulting with each T3 provider one by one,and of course, to cash in on some commissions.
It was in this time of need that real-time quotes became a new industry standard. Everywhere you look online now, there are offers for instant quotes from tons of providers and brokers, made to save you time, but are they good for saving money?
Alright, you get the opportunity to view instantly different providers and their rates. You can size up the pricing options all without the hassle of a high pressured sales person keeping you on the phone line to reel you in for that sale. The reality is though, are you viewing the best negotiable bandwidth rate? More importantly, which provider will be the most reliable for your IT needs?
You might, but you are possibly risking your business and more money if you end up with the wrong provider. Money can equate to lost sales, man hours for employees, and lost productivity. The decision to go with less than satisfactory service provider can easily be attributed to the attractive pricing options.
What would downtime do to your business? Might you loose a large number of clients? Loose out on new sales? How much per hour do you pay your employees and how much will you be paying them before you realize your business is at a halt? Productivity is a high commodity in the business world, you don’t want to loose it.
While T3 bandwidth is the highlight of the topic here, you could just as easily fall victim to bad service with any bandwidth type. The larger the bandwidth, the bigger the disaster, obviously.
Make sure when observing the best prices on T3, that you discuss in depth the reality of the provider´s track record for performance with the broker providing the quote. If your broker tries to sell you entirely only on one provider, be aware that they may be in amidst a spiff period where they are compensated more than usual for offering one provider over the others. When this happens, you may not be getting the best advice, however, this is not to say that a bandwidth provider offering a spiff isn´t a high value provider, but all the same, you may end up paying more for a T3 connection during a spiff if the wrong provider is providing a spiff to agents.
Well now your question might be, “how do I find good price and reliability?” That answer to that question all relies on finding the right broker to represent and consult you in the bandwidth purchasing. While it may sound simple, it can take some time to find a broker that is going to take care of you in the purchase process, the rewards outweigh any hassles of choosing the wrong provider.
You need a broker that can consult you through your technical needs just as much as your financial needs. There are a lot of brokers to choose from, so be vigilant and picky when choosing a broker you want to do business with.
When consulting with a broker, remember, unless under a contract that states so, you are not obligated to do business through that broker. Do not get intimidated into purchase decisions that you feel won’t wholly benefit your company. To further avoid dependency on one broker, obtain consulting from multiple agencies, this will help you better compare facts and opinions that will ultimately lead to your T3 lease.
There is one kind of bandwidth broker that has the best pricing advantage for any company seeking bandwidth at a more reasonable rate. This kind of broker acts as both wholesaler and broker. This T3 broker has already purchased the bandwidth that they are selling and this means they are able to negotiate in-house lower rates for you without having to bargain with the actual provider, giving you bigger savings. You are able to still get a choice of which bandwidth provider network you work with so you aren´t as much at risk going with an unreliable provider.
One kind of broker that is rare but very beneficial when it comes to quality and pricing is a wholesaler. A wholesaler basically has purchased bandwidth already from multiple providers and has the power to negotiate at much lower rates while offering leading providers.
Another thing, because you consulted with a broker doesn´t mean you are obligated to purchase services through them. Unless you have signed some binding contract (unheard of) you are free to make your own decisions, including consulting with other brokerage firms. Actually, it´s highly advisable you do just that. By having more than one broker consult with you, you are able to gather information from other parties to better help you see which provider is probably the best for reliability and service.
There is one kind of bandwidth broker that has the best pricing advantage for any company seeking bandwidth at a more reasonable rate. This kind of broker acts as both wholesaler and broker. This T3 broker has already purchased the bandwidth that they are selling and this means they are able to negotiate in-house lower rates for you without having to bargain with the actual provider, giving you bigger savings. You are able to still get a choice of which bandwidth provider network you work with so you aren´t as much at risk going with an unreliable provider.
(c) TopSavings.Net – Shop affordable T3 Pricing and OC3 bandwidth options for your business bandwidth needs. Also shop and compare business phone services such as toll free numbers and Hosted IP PBX.
t3, ds3, t3 line, t3 internet, t3 service, t3 broadband, business bandwidth
Loading...