Introduction
Most businesses are pretty good at reviewing things like software, devices and cyber security. But, despite underpinning all of the above, Telecoms tends to get less attention.
As long as people can make calls, join meetings and access the internet, a lot of businesses are satisfied.
Businesses don’t stand still though. Teams grow, ways of working evolve and new tools are introduced. Before long, the way people communicate looks very different to how it did a few years ago, but your telecoms hasn’t kept up pace.
Here are three signs that might be happening in your business.
#1 Your team has created workarounds
Every business had processes that nobody questions because they’re “just how we do it”. It might be staff using their mobile phones instead of the company phone system, perhaps certain meeting rooms are avoided because the connectivity isn’t great, or customer enquiries might get passed around between teams because the current process feels clunky.
People naturally adapt the way they work to make it easier for themselves. They find a way around an issue and get on with their day. Over time, these work arounds become normal, and what started as a temporary fix becomes a normal part of how your business operates. And as time moves on, sometimes businesses end up with workarounds for workarounds resulting in convoluted processes that are really difficult to navigate, especially for new employees or team members in other departments.
When this happens, it’s worth taking a closer look at the systems people are working around in the process and understanding what the barriers are.
#2 Nobody is quite sure what tools you actually have
If somebody asked you to explain how your telecoms environment fits together, how confident would you feel? For many SME leaders, the honest answer is probably “not very”.
Over the years, services get added, contracts get renewed and new tools are introduced to solve specific problems. What starts out as a fairly simple setup can gradually become much more complicated. This often results in everyone understanding the bit they use, but nobody having a clear picture of the whole environment. This can make problem solving more difficult and can keep you stuck with a specific setup for far longer than it suits your business for.
#3 Your business has changed but your telecoms hasn’t
Think about how your business operates today compared to five years ago.
- Do more people work remotely?
- Have you introduced Microsoft Teams or other collaboration tools?
- Has the business grown, merged or expanded into new locations?
- Have customer expectations changed?
For most organisations, the answer to at least one of those questions is yes.
Now think about whether your telecoms environment has evolved alongside those changes. Perhaps it still works fine, but is it actually a good fit for your business? For many businesses telecoms has stayed the same for many years whilst everything around it has developed.
Looking at the Bigger Picture
If any or all of these signs resonate with you, don’t panic. This doesn’t automatically mean that you need new systems or a major overhaul of your entire business. More often than not, you just need to take a step back and understand how communication actually flows through your business. Take the time to understand:
- How do employees communicate with each other?
- How do they communicate with clients?
- How do customers get in touch with us?
- What processes have become convoluted?
- Do certain tasks get passed back and forth between departments?
- Does your current setup reflect the way people work now, or is it still how your worked 5+ years ago?
These are simple questions, but not every business stops to take a step back and ask these questions. This is where we can help.
Time for a telecoms review?
Our Business Telecoms Review isn’t a technical audit and it isn’t about replacing systems for the sake of it.
It’s a structured conversation about how communication supports your organisation today, where friction may have built up over time, and whether your current setup still reflects the way your business actually works.
Sometimes the biggest telecoms challenge isn’t a fault, an outage or an expiring contract. It’s just realising that your business has changed, and your telecoms hasn’t changed with it.
Start the conversation with us here.
FAQs
How do I know if my telecoms environment needs reviewing?
Common signs include employees relying on workarounds, uncertainty around existing telecoms services and a business that has changed significantly without reviewing its communications setup.
What is a telecoms review?
A telecoms review looks at how communication flows through your organisation, how current services support the business and whether your setup still reflects the way your team works today.
Does a telecoms review mean replacing our phone system?
Not at all. In many cases, a review simply provides a clearer understanding of what you have and whether it’s still meeting your needs.
Why do businesses outgrow their telecoms?
Businesses evolve over time. Hybrid working, growth, cloud adoption and changing customer expectations can all affect how people communicate, while telecoms systems are often left unchanged.
What are telecoms workarounds?
Workarounds are alternative ways employees get things done when systems don’t quite fit their needs. Examples include using personal mobiles, avoiding certain meeting spaces or relying on manual processes.
How often should a business review its telecoms?
There’s no fixed rule, but it’s worth reviewing telecoms whenever there are significant changes to your business, such as growth, relocation, new ways of working or major technology projects.
What’s the benefit of a Business Telecoms Review?
A Business Telecoms Review helps you understand whether your telecoms environment still supports the way your organisation operates, while highlighting opportunities to improve efficiency, communication and user experience.
Want to keep in the loop?
Sign up for our Newsletter and get helpful articles like this one delivered straight to your inbox.