Why Hire a Telecommunications Consultant
for your Automotive Dealership
by Phillip A. Sherman for Automotive News

The decision to upgrade or replace your dealership’s current telephone system and its associated peripherals is not as easy as it was a decade ago. The advanced technology available to today’s businesses can be a blessing to your CSI. It can also be one of the most time consuming and confusing ventures in which any business can embark. After all, you spend your time enhancing the business skills necessary to make your dealership successful, not learning about today’s advancements in Telecom Technology.

Should you decide to "go it alone" in your search, plan to spend at least eight to ten hours or more explaining your need to the various vendors who will invariably descend upon you. Plan to spend another three or four hours reading proposals, four to six hours negotiating prices and contract issues, six to ten hours discussing installation requirements and at least eight hours agonizing whether the company you have entrusted with the most important piece of equipment in your dealership will perform as promised. That’s a total of twenty-six to thirty-eight hours spent on this most important of decisions.

The problem with this approach is that not only could the system technology be totally wrong for your dealership, but the vendor you select may not have the technical or financial resources to take care of your needs over a long period of time.

Fortunately, the solution to the search for the right system and vendor for your dealership is available. An experienced Telecommunications Consultant can make the process of selecting a new telecom system simple, predictable and cost-effective. A Telecommunications Consultant who specializes in System Acquisition has the training, experience and knowledge to find the best system and the best vendor to handle almost any situation. As an additional benefit, an experienced Telecom Consultant will save you 30%-45% on equipment in addition to monthly savings in long distance and local carrier charges.

How to select a Telecommunications Consultant

Many individuals who call themselves Telecom Consultants are, in actuality, agents for specific vendors or equipment brokers. These so-called "Consultants", derive their income from the vendors trying to sell you a new Telecom System.

When selecting an un-biased, independent Telecom Consultant consider the following requirements.

1. An actual Telecom Consultant derives his or her primary income from consulting fees paid by the client. Any form of compensation paid by the equipment vendor should be considered a conflict of interest. According to Miriam Webster, a consultant is "one who gives expert or technical advice." For this advice to be unbiased and truly objective, the consultant must be paid by you.
2. A Telecommunications Consultant should take enough time to get to know your particular way of doing business. As every dealership is different, no one telecom solution is right for every environment. The right consultant will look at every department of your dealership to find ways in which to increase productivity and decrease costs. If you have any doubts as to how the prospective Consultant works, ask for references and call them.
3. As with any industry, Telecommunications has changed dramatically over the last decade. The more actual industry experience a Telecom Consultant has, the more likely they will have encountered solutions that will help in your project.
4. The experienced Telecommunications Consultant knows the various manufacturers of Telecom Products extremely well. This knowledge gives the consultant the edge in negotiating the best price with all vendors bidding on your project. This can save your firm as much as 48% by the time the successful vendor is selected.
5. The relationships between the customer and the various departments within an Automotive Dealership require certain features and a degree of flexibility not required in a Real Estate office or Law firm. Make sure the Telecommunications Consultant you select has experience specific to Automotive Dealerships.

Your dealership’s Telecom Platform is your lifeline to your customers and your employees. An ineffective telephone system can have a negative effect on every aspect of your organization. With the help of an experienced Telecommunications Consultant, your future telecom platform will provide the benefits for which it was purchased for years to come.

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