|
|
article page | 1
| 2 |
Today, the typical enterprise
is served by numerous wireless
carriers. If carriers can leverage
the appeal of fully integrated
communications across the enterprise,
the door is opened to enterprise-wide
agreements, reduced customer support
demands, increased subscriber loyalty,
and growth in market share.
Studies show that enterprise churn
tends to fall in the seven-to-10-year
range, compared with two to three
years for an average consumer.
Given the current cost of customer
acquisition, this makes the trade-off
worth it. There may be a change
in average minutes of use per subscriber,
but the lower churn, and increased
number of enterprise subscribers
in conjunction with seamless integration
will more than make up for that.
Master agreements can also pave
the way for sale of incremental
high-value, high-margin applications
in the enterprise.
|
|
The least intrusive, simplest solution
is the one that users will embrace
and that will benefit the enterprise. |
|
|
the enterprise, usage of the corporate
dialing plans could be enforced,
along with mobile phone policies
such as time of day or location
management, or limits on the
use of wireless data and personal
calling. As an added benefit,
if necessary from a regulatory
perspective, all mobile calls
could be tracked, monitored,
or recorded, just like calls
from office phones.
Dual-mode
cellular/Wi-Fi operation is
being deployed by some enterprises.
Mobile operators can capitalize
on this trend by working with
companies who are choosing
the voice over Wi-Fi path by
supporting them with a user
experience that is consistent
independent of the transport.
That is, the |
|
|
|
Overcoming Objections
Enterprises are likely to resist
initially if a carrier does suggest
such a partnership. Their fears, understandably,
are cost and control. If these enterprises
can’t handle the situation now,
they see it only getting worse if more
employees use mobile phones.
To win them over, carriers must convince
enterprises that a true mobile-PBX
integration solution will enhance control,
improve productivity, and keep a lid
on costs. Yet the offered approach
must, at the same time, improve the
overall business for the carrier. All
stakeholders in the convergence ecosystem – the
enterprise, the carrier, and the end
user – must have their needs
met for true, seamless integration
to be successful.
True
integration marries each employee’s
existing mobile phone – regardless
of type or vendor – with the
enterprise’s PBX or Centrex services.
With this integration, a single phone
number can be shared by the office
and mobile phone, operating according
to the enterprise’s policies
and the end user’s needs. Each
call from either phone has access to
all the PBX’s calling features
and money-saving corporate dialing
plans, along with a single, unified
voice mailbox.
In essence, every mobile phone would
function as a true PBX extension, without
special access numbers or handset software
to download, activate, and support,
along with the convenience of four-
or five-digit internal calls. The enterprise
and its users can manage and enforce
preferences and policies for mobile
phone access. Switching between the
mobile and office phones becomes seamless.
Finally, the carrier-provided solution would give the enterprise the control
it desires. The single phone number would be owned by
|
|
dual-mode device
works the same way regardless
of the network it is locked onto,
cellular or Wi-Fi.
What carriers need to remember is
that when enterprises take their
own PBX-mobile integration steps,
it isn’t a move intended primarily
to cut the carrier out of the picture,
but instead to gain and maintain
control. Unfortunately, the carrier
may suffer the collateral damage
from the enterprise’s initiative.
Instead, being proactive and driving
the integration can yield tremendous
benefits for the carrier.
A carrier-generated solution that
can offer three key attributes will
have tremendous appeal to an enterprise
struggling to deal with integration.
Those attributes are:
Most the enterprise-centric solutions
are vertically integrated. They require
use of a particular mobile device
and communications system. That pumps
up the cost of changing out mobile
phones, so a solution that can work
with existing mobile devices and
PBXs is very enticing. Solutions
that require additional software
on the mobile device create a user
complexity vs. convenience issue,
as well as support and potential
deployment obstacles. Again, the
least intrusive, simplest solution
is the one that users will embrace
and that will benefit the enterprise.
Through partnerships, carriers
will build lasting relationships
with their enterprise customers.
That will not only keep minutes on
the wireless network, but generate
more usage as the benefits of the
truly integrated solution are extended
to more employees.
|
|
|
|
