Once upon a time, shopping for a T3 connection detailed the process of grabbing up a copy of a Yellow Pages Directory and searching it’s contents for a bandwidth broker or provider in your area. You might find a provider, but with little selection to choose from, prices did not come by as affordable.While obtaining a T3 business line was a necessity, it was costly and with fewer providers, you paid a premium rate for reliability.
Eventually the Internet came along and added a boost to the T3 bandwidth provider industry. This lead to an overwhelmingly influx of options and providers causing some confusion for those businesses wanting both affordability and reliable T3 connectivity. With all of this confusion, brokers found additional opportunity in providing quick and easy consultive services for businesses seeking T3 lines over the Internet, but not wanting to deal with multiple provider offers and sales pitches.
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?
Yes, you can save time by scanning providers available in your area instantly, and yes, you can scan the best T3 rates from the providers listed in the quote. The rates are usually right on target with your region, rarely off, and you may find a good enough price that fits your budget, but will you find the most reliable provider?
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.
Even though the topic of discussion is about T3, this can just as easily be any other bandwidth including larger optical carrier bandwidths such as OC3, OC48, OC96, and so on.
While pricing is a very attractive option when shopping for T3 service, pay more attention to the track record of the provider than how much you can save. A broker’s job is to work in your best interests however be wary if they are pushing towards only one provider. Not in all cases, but some, a provider may offer what is a called a spiff which rewards agents who sell a quota of services solely from them. Not that this necessarily means you will fall victim of unreliable bandwidth services, but it can still happen.
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.
Your broker should function much like an IT employee of your company and represent only the offers that will ultimately benefit your situation. If a broker starts trying to up sell you on bandwidth, this can be a bad warning sign.
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.
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.
So how do you find the right T3 provider and the right price for your communications budget? Well right off the bat, you need to find a good broker first. No need to revert to the old days, brokers get you lower rates, more so than if you went directly to the provider and a good broker is knowledgeable of the industry standards as well as the high performers.
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.
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 – Find 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
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