The Know-How
We bring the knowledge and experience of decades of telecom experience to work representing you as your trusted advisor. Best of all, our research, experience and hard work cost you nothing.
Why should we use OTA instead of going direct with the carriers?
Ten Reasons Why:
1. OTA can objectively present the offerings of multiple carriers all at the most competitive prices.
2. OTA represents the customer in negotiating the best deals and choosing services, no carrier rep can do this, their job is to represent the carrier.
3. OTA can design and implement solutions using two or more carriers to provide the best solution for our clients.
4. We know which carriers are best for each situation. The carrier’s direct rep may know this, but will never recommend anything other than their employer’s products and services.
5. Carrier reps consider their job completed when the customer signs the contract; while at OTA, this is when our job really begins. We project manage the installation, support the customer in training and trouble-shoot issues including billing disputes. Carrier reps have an 800 number.
6. OTA keeps track of the contract status and files non-renewals on all services unless the client expressly requests that we not, and that almost never happens. The direct reps hope you forget to keep track of the contract and let it auto-renew for as long as possible.
7. OTA checks invoices for mistakes, overbilling and price increases and challenges the ones we find. The direct rep hopes you don’t check your bills.
8. Before a contract is extended or renewed, OTA does a market survey to make sure that the carrier is still a good fit and when needed, we bring an alternative to the customer with our recommendation. The direct reps hope you never shop their competition.
9. When the carrier fails to live up their commitment, OTA holds their feet to the fire and sees that they make it right for the customer, the direct rep hopes you don’t notice.
10 OTA works for the client, the direct rep works for the carrier, wouldn’t you rather have a representative that represents you instead of the carrier? It cost the same, either way.
Does using OTA add to my cost of service?
No, every telecom product and service has a sales commission built into the price. If you buy from the 800 number or the direct rep, the commission goes to the internal sales department, but there is always a commission.
If We use OTA, will we still get the same support from the carrier that we would get if we went directly to them?
Yes. The carrier support is the same whether you purchase directly from them or through OTA. The difference is that you never have to talk with the carrier, we do that for you.
If I purchase service through OTA, can I still contact the carrier directly?
Yes. There is no difference in the support or response from the carrier, no matter how you purchase their service. However, the service and support that OTA provides is much better and more customer friendly, so you would not likely want to speak with the carrier directly, but you certainly can.
Why do we have to sign a carrier contract, can’t we just get month to month service?
Contracts serve a variety of purposes, but most business products require a term contract, usually 1-3 years. The contract does bind the customer to the service and guarantees a price to the customer for the length of the contract. It is true that some telecom prices go down over time so for the last year or more of the contract, you may be paying more than market rates for the service. In this event, we can usually re-term the service, which means having the customer sign a new term contract at the newer, lower market rate, so they never pay more than market pricing.
If the market price goes up, then the customer is protected against the higher market prices for the contracted term. However, the main customer advantage to signing a contract is that serious business services have a large cost of installation, often many times the monthly price of the service. By signing a commitment, the carrier can spread out these costs so the customer is not facing very high installation charges. This is especially true of dedicated fiber installations which can easily cost tens of thousands or more. This is also why shorter term contracts usually have a higher price than their longer-term versions, the costs have to spread out over fewer months in the shorter term agreements.
What if I want to change, upgrade my service before the contract is expired?
Carriers are most often willing to change service and upgrade with no penalty and moves can also usually be done with no extra fees by re-terming a contract. This is really where OTA can help our clients, we know what the carriers can do and what they should do, so we can negotiate from a position of strength on the customer’s behalf.
What can OTA do if the carrier does not keep their end of the agreement?
Carrier agreements, or contracts, are two-way deals, the customer commits to paying the contracted price and the carrier commits to supplying the service at an acceptable level of reliability and function. When the carrier violates their end of the bargain, OTA has several avenues to bring the carriers into compliance. Our first step is to bring a logical case to the carrier and ask them to comply with the terms of their agreement. If that does not work, we escalate to the upper levels of management and bring them in to help resolve the situation.
Why us?
Competitive Pricing
Once we have determined what new services, if any, they need, we shop all available carriers and make our recommendation.
Customer Support
For the duration of the services we provide, we are always available to consult with the customer, answer any questions and monitor their services, all at no charge.
20 Years In Business
OTA has been providing high-quality business communications products and services since 1999.
Independent Agents
We are independent agents, this means that we are not employed by any of the carriers or cloud providers, we work for our customers.
Contract Monitoring
We also monitor their contracts and re-shop their services as they near expiration to make sure their services and pricing is up to date.
How can we not charge for our service?
We don’t work for free, nobody can stay in business without revenue. We are paid by the carriers and providers of services that we bring to our clients. The provider or carrier bills the customer at their most competitive rates and the carriers pay us a commission, just like an independent insurance agent. Fact is that all telecom prices include a sales commission, sometimes they are paid to the in-house sales department and some are paid to agents like us. Either way, the commission is not added onto the prices, it is, however, always included.
