This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Sumit Chauhan, co-founder and chief operating officer of Cerebrum X
As telecom companies look to modernize their vehicles, the benefits of connected vehicles could make these technologies the new standard for fleet management. In fact, 86% of connected fleet operators already surveyed have reported a solid return on their investment in connected fleet technology within one year through reduced operational costs. … [visit site to read more]
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Multiple items of interest from EMEA and beyond: … [visit site to read more]
A call reporting & analytics solution collects call data from a communications solution (PBX) and converts it into meaningful reports that support better business decision-making and efficiency.
Call analytics reports translate information about call duration and hold times, missed and abandoned calls, transfers and queue activity, and more into insights on team productivity and customer satisfaction.
This data is invaluable for end users, making it a very lucrative add-on for communications resellers to offer.
The post-pandemic workforce in our current economy is interested in two things: money & people. Businesses today want to be more efficient with their spending and costs while still making customer experience a priority. Thus the demand for call reporting is extremely high, though many businesses do not yet know what it is called or how to ask for it. Be one of the first to address this pain point and meet the market demand.
Selling a call reporting solution can increase your monthly revenue in a few ways. The obvious way is by simply making more sales. A call analytics add-on will help you to close more deals. But an even easier way to increase your revenue is by upselling to your existing customers. As we said above, the unspoken demand for call reporting software is there and your customers may just be waiting for it to become available.
Added-value solutions go beyond a simple increase in revenue. They also increase the value of each sale, increasing your bottom line at the end of the month. Adding innovative features and tools to your solution allows you to increase the price or create subscription packages with higher values. This means that even without making more sales, you will earn more from each customer.
As customers shop around for a telephony solution, they will start to narrow down their options to similar products with similar price points. The tipping point will be in the details, like extra useful features or innovative add-ons. Bundling in call reporting & analytics will set your solution apart from the competition and show them that your company is aware of their needs and highly attuned to the industry.
Meeting customer needs goes far beyond the sale. A well-rounded solution that evolves to include the latest trends will make your existing customers happier and give them confidence in your company. A product that actively supports their growth (like call reporting does) helps ensure their continued success. Take action now before other providers use call analytics as a door opener to start conversations with your customers.
Call reporting software is a highly marketable tool that enables end users to grow sales and reduce costs by making informed decisions, identifying and resolving issues, better managing resources, and enhancing customer experience. The next section outlines the lucrative benefits that you can employ in your marketing strategy to both existing and potential customers.
One of the primary benefits of call reporting and analytics is that it enables management to make informed decisions on resources, staff, and costs. Having an understanding of calling trends like peak call times or the most selected IVR options helps supervisors know where to direct their resources, for example operating with less spending at certain times and investing more at peak times.
Customer experience (CX) is a buzzword that all organizations should be aware of in 2023. Modern consumers expect quick, flexible, positive communication with companies. PBX call data can offer valuable insight into the customer experience with data on unanswered calls, returned calls, call transfers, and average ring times. This information can be used to identify problem areas and develop a customer journey map.
Awareness is the first step to increasing productivity. Call reporting presents data on individuals and groups to identify productivity and the conditions that support, or detract from, it. Perhaps the team with the later lunch break is missing more calls. Or the office with the fancy coffee maker has higher customer satisfaction rates. Identifying these scenarios enables businesses to increase productivity and, ultimately, sales.
Misuse of communications systems can be costly and waste valuable company time. A call reporting solution alerts management to unusually expensive calls, calls that last too long, and numbers that are dialed excessively. Identifying potential misuse of the system allows supervisors to take action before the issue escalates, thus reducing undesired spending and strengthening the team.
While the benefits for both resellers and end users is crystal clear, the high demand for call reporting & analytics is still not widely known.
Do you want to be one of the first to enhance your solution with a call reporting add-on? Bicom Systems is partnering with Apex BI to offer a powerful, web-based call reporting platform that integrates seamlessly with PBXware.
Learn more at www.bicomsystems.com/bicom-systems-apexbi or fill out the form below to get started:
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Three expansion projects of US local and regional interest and one new subsea landing item from the southeast: … [visit site to read more]
Smartphone shipments in Thailand and the Philippines continue to slide as South East Asian economies continue to grapple with macroeconomic pressure.
Analyst company IDC revealed the Thai smartphone market plunged 25.7% year-on-year in Q1 2023, only shipping 3.45 million units. High levels of inflation and economic pressures on disposable income were blamed.
Smartphones in the entry-level segment (under US$200) saw “steep declines” and now account for 51% of total shipments, down from 60% in Q4 (59% in Q1 2022).
The average selling price increased 26% to US$403 due to strong growth in the premium segment (above US$800), which now accounts for 19% of the market, up year-on-year from 11%.
The share of 5G smartphones increased year-on-year from 33% to 45% driven by the boost in demand for premium smartphones.
Samsung was the largest shipper with 23.8% of the market equating to 822.7 million units but this was a decline of 35.7% for the Korean manufacturer. Oppo was a close second with 22.3% and 769.8 million units a decline of 9.7%.
Apple saw the largest rate of growth in Thailand with 19.4% of the market, 668.4 million units, an increase of 34.9%. Xiaomi’s shipments grew marginally from 433.1 million units to 438.7 million units, leaving it 12.7% of the market.
Taking up fifth place was Chinese vendor Realme with 14.2% market share equating to 7.7%, a drop off of 12.5%.
IDC Thailand market analyst Apirat Ratanavichit: “The Thai smartphone market is expected to continue to decline in 2023. However, as the market is increasingly maturing, volume will be largely driven by the premium segment. There are some signs of economic recovery, and consumer confidence is increasing due to a pickup in tourist arrivals which should translate into increasing consumer spending in the smartphone market; however, political uncertainty still looms overhead.”
Philippines
As for the Philippines, shipments declined 11% year-on-year to 3.5 million units in the same quarter.
Chinese vendor Transsion, which owns the Tecno and itel sub-brands, ended Realme’s hold on the top spot by taking 19.5% market share, whereas Realme held 18.7%. In third was Oppo (15.5%), Vivo fourth (13.1%) and finally Xiaomi (11.9%).
“The last time shipments hit below 3.5 million records was back in 1Q20 when the pandemic just started and the first lockdown was implemented,” said IDC Philippines client devices senior market analyst Angela Medez.
“Though it seems that the market has finally bottomed out and is on its road to recovery with inflation finally slowing down, IDC anticipates shipments to remain flat in 2023 as vendors will remain cautious with inflation still above comfortable levels.”
The biggest vendor names in the network space are those who provide the optical platforms and routers. But in between those areas at the intersection of different vendors, technologies, and designs there has long been space for independent innovation. One company making its play there in recent years is Precision OT, which focuses on transceivers and related passive components. With us today to talk about their approach, new tech like 400G ZR, and today’s supply chain ecosystem is Keith Habberfield, SVP of Sales & Marketing for Precision OT. Keith joined the company three years ago after stints at CommScope, Comcast and Adelphia. … [visit site to read more]
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STC Group-owned company center3 and Alcatel Submarine Networks are planning to connect Saudi Arabia with Europe by building the EMC West subsea and terrestrial data cables.
In fact center3, on behalf of the consortium partners of the EMC Subsea Cable Company and Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), has this week announced the signing of the supplier’s contract for the construction of these two major cables.
The second phase of the EMC System (EMC Global), which will connect Saudi Arabia with Asia, is being finalised and will be announced soon.
center3 is an integrated data centre and data provider in the MENA region, serving hyperscalers, content providers, cloud providers, and global international carriers and enterprises.
The EMC (East to Med Corridor) project will enable Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Cyprus to leverage their geographic position, delivering what is described as a much-needed new data corridor. The key terms of the joint venture to build the EMC project were signed in July last year.
The EMC cable is designed, from its inception, to realise two national initiatives – Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Greece 2.0 – by transforming Saudi Arabia into a digital hub’ that connects Asia with Europe and Africa and positioning Greece and Cyprus as the European Union’s ‘east data gateway’.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce dependence on oil and diversify the economy. Greece 2.0 is a national recovery and resilience plan which will introduce fundamental economic and social reforms,
ASN will soon begin to construct EMC West, linking Haql (Saudi Arabia) with Genova (Italy) and Marseille (France), via Cyprus and Greece. The two cables – consisting of multiple fibre pairs – will have branches in Cyprus, Crete, and Athens.
The EMC system is expected to be ready for service in Q1 2026.
