Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007 - (Page 12)

service that will be guaranteed by the operators. But services accessed by both networks will be very similar. The difference will generally be in the service quality. Customers will pay only for services, while the major portion of payments will be shared between service providers and network providers. A dream? Yes, yet quite possible. Lane Nordquist, HickoryTech: If you look across industries, when conglomerates were developed of non-complementary products, generally speaking, they were not wholly successful. Those companies that did become successful found a way to develop complementary products and services that leveraged what they knew best and did the best. In the case of telecom, I really believe that’s providing the best, most reliable communication service in the world, delivered over the best network in the world. Finding the way to provide complementary products and services utilizing that telecom industry investment is probably going to divide the successes from the failures. It’s a tough business to be in, and it all is going to come down to how well you execute, how efﬁciently you can execute and how effective you are in dealing with your customers. Vern Dosch, NISC: I see two voids in the telco industry that are being ﬁlled quite nicely in other industries. One is—I wish we could have a national effort on an interfacing protocol. There are no standards out there. For now, I think there’s a lot of wasted effort and situations where interfaces are not put in place, because it would make telcos more competitive. The other void—I wish we would see the independent telcos adopt a national brand. Every rural electric in the country, for example, all 800 of them, has its own brand and its own logo, but they are also a part of Touchstone Energy. And when you put all those little parts of the rural electric co-ops together, you end up with a national brand that is probably larger than anything else that’s out there. What advice would you give to a telecom—specifically a rural telecom—to be more successful? Bob LaBonté, CDG: My advice would be to embrace competition and use this challenge to foster an attitude of entrepreneurship within your organization. Fred Brott, Intec: Rural telcos don’t have the economies of scale rendered by the large subscriber bases of the Tier 1 and even Tier 2 carriers, but emerging technologies should help ease the cost of burden and allow rural carriers to offer more services over their existing networks. But, it’s important to never forgo quality or customer service to save pennies, as the larger carriers continue to encroach on areas formerly serviced only by rural operators. Glenn Miller, Midwest Data: Evaluate your vendor relationships and make sure you are working with partners that have your long-term interests in mind. Make sure you are getting some local coverage in the media, even if means tooting your own horn to get it. The folks in your community need to see that you not only provide a valuable service, you live and contribute to the success of your community. Vern Dosch, NISC: A lot of customers feel really slighted and burned by deceptive marketing practices. I think rural companies need to take the high road and to be absolutely honest with their special offers. I also see an opportunity to engage with those customers who you know to be early adopters. If you do a good job of paying attention to them, they become your advocates and raving fans for new products and services. Lane Nordquist, HickoryTech: Know your market and your customer. As a rural telco, if you don’t know who your customer is, I would have to say shame on you. Know who they are and provide the kind of service to them that literally makes them want to be part of you. One thing we do know is that change is inevitable. It’s how well you adapt to it that ultimately determines whether you’ll be successful in the future or not. COMMUNICATIONS CROSSROADS www.ustelecom.org AM 329242_gps.indd 1 7/24/07 9:51:59 12 http://www.ustelecom.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

Communications Crossroads Winter 2007 Up Front Contents Cover Story: Billing Redux Business Advantages: Reaching Consumers with Special Needs Technology Today: Femtocells: The Jury’s Still Out Industry Calendar Index to Advertisers TELECOMPAC

Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

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