Five Questions with Kevin Grantham

A 30-year communications veteran, Kevin Grantham is the sales manager for SOURCE Inc. Kevin’s expertise is in public and private telephony, product marketing and development. Below are his insights on tips for increasing telecom ROI:

What is one of the most commonly heard myths when it comes to telecom ROI?

I often hear that executives feel there is little to no ROI with telecom equipment. However, if managed smartly, a telecom system can improve the bottom line.

Properly implemented, a communications system structured on the corporate Local Area Network (LAN) can carry voice and video communications in a way that older, “digital” telephone systems cannot. Thus, the infrastructure becomes more streamlined and easier to manage, and may potentially experience fewer equipment failures. Also, message quality can be enhanced thereby increasing productivity.

What are some secret spending tips for increasing telecom ROI?

IP Telephony systems use much of the same equipment that supports your data communications and desktop or notebook computers. The only parts that are unique to the telephone system are the telephones themselves, and possibly connections to traditional, or “legacy” devices. When you refresh your (LAN) equipment, Ethernet switches and routers, you are refreshing much of the telephone system at the same time and for no additional cost!

What is the biggest challenge in budgeting for telecom costs?

The biggest challenge in budgeting for telecom is managing the costs of service and support. The intangible costs of running a network on a shoestring budget adversely affect every department and reduce net profitability for the entire organization. It’s often more effective for enterprises to outsource network management, administration, capacity planning and technology evaluation. A partnership with SOURCE, for example, gives your enterprise a 24-hour help desk, administration, installation, repair, project management, asset management, refurbishment, advanced technology and strategic planning for voice and data.

According to many enterprises, telephones are overhead, are they not?

Telephones are an embedded component of your internal and external business processes. What if, instead of simply being a device to connect your voice to someone’s ear, your communications systems were integrated into your business processes and could differentiate between calls from a customer and supplier, and handle the calls accordingly?  

Today, unified communications systems can do just that. They are more than a “switch," connecting extensions; they are an active contributor to your business, resulting in more streamlined communication methods and less wasted time and motion. Instead of looking at telephones as overhead, consider the benefits of enhancing your telecom applications to increase resource productivity and customer satisfaction.

Why is measuring telecom ROI such a challenge for enterprises today?

Measuring ROI is difficult because many of the costs, or savings, are “soft,” meaning that they are measured at the bottom line, but are sometimes difficult to capture where they are incurred. Soft costs include loss of productivity from “down time” due to outages, lack of communications quality, lack of presence (the ability to know the status of a coworker) inability to access information, or communications systems and processes that are difficult to use or improperly applied to the needs of the users.