Phone Systems Toshiba Toshiba Handsets

1. Do some research, ask questions, take note of other organisations' telecommunications. You use it every day. Can you book, amend and cancel an appointment at your Doctor using just your key-pad? How did they record a conversation, then email it to their boss? Why did the company next door manage the winter-freeze better than we did? The questions are endless – this'll start the ideas flowing, can I do this, can I do that? The next step is to find a company whose imagination and creativity is in tune with yours.

2. You'll find hundreds of companies claiming they'll rock your world given half a chance, but be careful, there's rocking and there's rocking. Remember, this new relationship will span the lifetime of your system – you need a partnership, your business will change dramatically in the next 5-7-10 years, what appears state of the art today, could be obsolete tomorrow. Choose to speak with no more than three or four companies; one might be your incumbent maintainer, if you're still happy with them and of course a recommendation is always good. Beyond that, look for organisations who have associations with big names, BT, Cable & Wireless, O2 etc., companies who can demonstrate awards for innovation and customer satisfaction. Ok, be prepared, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, but no knowledge (in this instance) could be extremely painful.

3. Know what you have – how many lines, how many extensions, diverts, night service, fax machines, modems, door-entry, public address, and so-on and so-forth. If you're not the 'keeper' of the system, ask the person who is to join you in the meetings. The salesperson will make a much better job of the proposal if they have the correct information – only you can give them that. But that's the past, you want to move on, move forward, start a revolution…well not quite, but this investment could revolutionise the way you work. Ask more questions.

4. Ask where's the pain? What's holding the business back, why can't I… Do you want to replace people with technology? (if only). Do you need another member of staff but can't afford one? Do you want to keep better control of people on the road? Do you loose new business because the phone doesn't get answered quickly enough? Are you open to litigation, fraud, uncontrollable costs, people taking the proverbial…. The 'b' word comes next – what's the budget. No point in getting a price for a Lamborghini when you can only afford a Ford.

5. Be honest, explain clearly what you're trying to achieve. If you're looking for a figure to put to the FD for budget, come clean. Any company looking for a 'quick sale' will loose interest & clearly wasn't interested in designing and implementing a solution for you anyway – no 'box-shifters' welcome here. If you need a lease arrangement, are you really eligible? More homework. You should now be ready to receive your visitors. Quick check - done the research, identified the business issues, got an idea about money. The telecoms industry is a very mature market and there are very few unique features to be found anymore. The question is, who can make best use of what they have?

6. Can the company [this person in front of me is representing] forge a successful business relationship with my organisation? Do they truly understand what I'm trying to achieve? Will they work with me to design a solution? Are they innovative enough to revolutionise the way we work? Can they truly deliver on time, in budget? Will they support us for the next however manyyears? So you've got three quotations on your desk. Three companies, proposing three different products, not dissimilar in price and more or less in budget. But, poles apart with their submissions. Digital, IP, hosted…. Have any of these telecoms companies captured your imagination, did they 'wax lyrical' about their product, do they know their stuff, were they genuinely sincere about solving your business issues – be candid, can you work with them?

7. Ask to visit them, see a working demonstration, go armed with numerous questions, take colleagues. Assess the organisation, do they look stable, will they be trading in 12-months, ask for reference sites. Arrange a techy-to-techy conversation, 'my people talking to your people' 'what plugs in where', 'what talks to what', 'who writes the middle-wear' blah blah..

8. Ask your favourite proposer to send a qualified engineer to perform a full & detailed site survey. Insist they inspect every nook & cranny, leave no stone unturned. Show and tell - highlight cabling compromises, working practices, health & safety issues; discuss layout changes, personnel. Be precise, it'll come back to bite you if you're not. You're company of choice should now be in a position to offer a final proposal. Arrange a meeting to discuss their solution. Invite decision makers,technical colleagues, key users etc., and ask them to prepare their questions too. If possible do this at their site, let everyone see who you're proposing to choose.

9. Get everyone's buy in. Change is difficult to manage; the receptionist will probably use this new technology more than the MD & FD will. Not easy to give the seal of approval then renege on it. Happy with your choice? Confident? Ready to go? Hold on a minute….

10. Go back, have you achieved what you set out to achieve? Remember that research, rocking your world, ROI's. Business pain, solutions, benefits, stability, trust, buy-in. The future! Happy, confident = then go sign on the dotted line.