Focus Your Resources

During economic uncertainty, some people pull back and stop all new initiatives and focus on reducing expenses as much as possible. While it is always a good idea to run a lean organization, I don't agree with the philosophy that we can save ourselves into profitability.

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Commscope Leads the Way With Structured Cabling

Commscope is a world leader in infrastructure for communications networks. Through its Systimax brand, which it acquired in 2003 from Avaya Communications, it holds the patents on twisted–pair wire. This is the same wire that was invented to carry the telephone calls early in our technology revolution. Twisted–pair wire has come a long way since those days. I remember back in the late 1980s when we were amazed at getting 2400 baud out of a modem. Today, we are transmitting speeds of 10–gigabit over twisted–pair wire. This is the only statistic that I can think of that is growing faster than the national deficit.

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Computer–Telephone Integration Can Enhance Your Customer Service Department.

In these challenging economic times, we all understand the importance of keeping in contact with our customers. In small and medium–sized businesses, we should understand that the customers are the boss and that they truly are the ones who sign our paycheck.

If we take this to heart and understand that we need to listen to them and strive to provide the things they are asking for quicker, faster, and easier than any of our competitors, then we really should make this process as efficient as possible.

Do we have a plan for what our process is when it comes to communicating with our customers:

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Is Your Website Sending the Right Message?

Atomic8Ball is a website development company based in San Diego. It has developed a better mousetrap for companies that want to focus on delivering a consistent message to their customers. We have recently partnered with Atomic8Ball to revamp the Connect site. One of the reasons we chose Atomic8Ball was to allow us to make the site a place for new information all the time without having to employ a web development specialist.

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When You Put Customers on Hold, Do They Hear Your Story?

Sometimes we get so busy doing all the things we do that we forget to inform our customers about all of the products and services we offer. At Connect, we also struggle with this phenomenon. We provide all types of technology services, yet not all of our existing and prospective clients know about all of them.

We have a service that we think can help with this. Connect has recently partnered with Audiomax message on hold systems. Audiomax can help by making the process of on–hold messaging simple for the business owner.

Audiomax has several professional voices to choose from along with myriad background music choices. If you are like me, you may also struggle with clarifying your message. Audiomax has script writers who can help you get the messages across to your potential customers with the greatest of ease.

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Connect Receives Major Award at 2009 TAG Convention

The Connect Group was invited to speak at the 2009 Technology Assurance Group (TAG) National Convention. TAG is an association of independently owned voice and data providers, representing close to $400 million in annual sales.

The audience consisted of the most successful and reputable providers in the United states and Canada. TAG's National Convention was held in San Diego.

The theme for the convention was "The Future is Leading Our Industry".

In addition to speaking, participating in the roundtables, and listening to the keynote speakers, TAG held its annual awards ceremony, where The Connect Group was honored for a large increase in new system sales.

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Visual Communications Will Improve Your Bottom Line

by Russ Palmer

The difference between the average small business that can't seem to break the million–dollar mark, the business with owners living paycheck to paycheck, and a profitable company with owners taking vacations and sending their kids to college comes down to a very simple issue: process. I've seen businesses possess drive, talent, intellect, even great products or services, and yet they go down in flames because they can't get their heads around processes that increase the efficiency and efficacy of communication between themselves and their clients. More efficient communication equals increased profitability and competitive advantage. The bottom line is this: Great companies invest in process, and investing in process means investing in technology.

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Emerging Technology Webinars

As technology advances at a rapid pace, we as consumers need to understand the goals of that technology to see if it will truly help us do our business better.

At Connect, we spend a huge amount of time just listening to the claims of the vendors of these technologies to see if they have merit. One thing I do understand is this: "We don't know what we don't know." Put more simply, if we don't understand what technology is out there, it is impossible to take advantage of it. One of the challenges we have had is getting this information out to our own staff and our clients. We have tried to set up information portals on the network, holding internal informational meetings and just on a one–on–one basis. We kept getting the same results: Some people within the company did not know the opportunities that were out there.

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