Every field services company wants to provide a good customer experience, so you're likely to schedule appointments quickly and make sure your tech arrives on time. And while you hope that the matter is resolved on your first visit, you may expect a service call to take a second trip before it's fixed. After all, the tech has to figure out what's going on, assess the problem and see if the parts are on the truck, etc.
If that describes your approach, I've got bad news. You're emphasizing the wrong standards. Customers care more about getting the job done right the first time than anything else.
In fact, a report from the Aberdeen Group suggests that the biggest complaints customers have is that the repair didn't get fixed the first time (61 percent), with fewer complaining about waiting to get an appointment (51 percent) or the technician showing up on time (41 percent).
In other words, your customer experience will stand out from the competition more i..

As healthcare enterprises — including hospitals, retail or hospital-based clinics, physicians’ practices and the myriad of other healthcare-related businesses — move away from on-site PBX model of communications to a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) model, many IT/telecom decision-makers are increasingly asking themselves—and asking Mitel—why they should move to the cloud.
Concerns about security top the list of issues, although we also hear that companies are not ready to give up on the expensive PBX systems that were purchased not all that long ago. These are legitimate concerns.
Because there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Mitel and its partners work closely with organizations to aid in the transition to a UCaaS solution, helping them protect their investments and make the change on their own terms, according to their own timeline.
Bottom line: In addition to offering further functionality such as mobility, switching to a UCaaS model saves healthcare enterprise..

Buying a communications system, particularly one as complex as a hospitality communications system, is no small feat. Hospitality communications systems are a long-term investment, and it’s important to find a solution that will grow and scale as your needs change. We have a guide not only to help you find the right communications hardware, but also to find a system that will improve your customer experience, boost employee productivity and grow with technology as it changes over time.
Not sure if you need a new phone system? Or unsure which system is right for you? We’ll help you find the answer.
Everyone uses mobile devices: do I really still need a PBX? Yes–even with the technological improvements that make integrating with mobile devices a necessity, your hotel requires a telephone system to address (at least) the following:
Inbound calls for reservations, business inquiries and guest calls In-house communications with the front desk and staff Emergency calls
I have an older..

Mobility, the speed of communications, and employee demographics have changed the business landscape. Today’s market environment is always moving, continuously connected and faster than ever before. Your ability to maintain and increase your competitive advantage in this dynamic environment is determined by how well your organization adapts to the new norm. By leveraging the most advanced communications and collaboration tools, you can improve the efficiency of daily communications between employees and with customers.
New expectations require new solutions To adapt and succeed, you must address the forces at play. Incredible advances in mobile communications technology have served as the catalyst for change. Most people now have mobile devices that are more powerful communications tools than the desktop computers that were in every office 10 years ago.
For many employees, a smartphone is the first thing they pick up in the morning and the last thing they put down at night. These dev..

With the advent of the digital communication age, customers have new ways to communicate and shop that didn’t exist 30 years ago. Effectively, for the customer — and therefore for your business — the world has become a much smaller place.
A customer’s interaction with a business today rarely occurs in person. Most contact happens through electronic means.
Thirty years ago, businesses drove technological advances. But today, consumers are driving technological advances. They are demanding the ability to interact with your business in the way that is most convenient for them.

The new digital experience Further, today’s consumer choices have broadened; they aren’t limited to visiting the local mall to shop. Instead, using digital technology, they can shop anyplace in the world. Just think about the holiday shopping season — because of expanding mobile commerce, customers can get their shopping done at the busiest time of year without setting foot in a store or post office.
Not long a..

Picture this: The largest football game in the United States. More than a million people attending related events over the course of a weekend. More than 10 law enforcement agencies are on hand to ensure the public’s safety, each with their own devices, running on their own communication systems: smartphones, two-way radios, laptops, desktops. A recipe for disaster? A Tower of Babel?
In this case we’re talking about a Super Bowl, but it’s the kind of challenge that government agencies face all over the world. The technology of state and provincial offices, law enforcement and federal agencies has grown organically over the decades. As a result, communicating across these different platforms routinely gets in the way of vital communications, collaboration and overall efficiency.
“You’re never going to get a whole bunch of government agencies at federal, state, local, county, across various disciplines to all choose the same platforms,” explains Niki Papazoglakis, Program Coordinator f..

When government agencies, schools and universities think about mass notification systems, the safety of the public or student body is usually the primary benefit they consider. But safety is only the tip of the iceberg. A sophisticated unified communications system that delivers robust mass notifications also improves productivity, interactions and agility.
When officials need to connect to the right people at the right time, notifications must be simple to craft and disseminate, with the option to send out messages to select groups of people across multiple devices. Staff, students and parents are demanding. They expect to be informed of events in real-time and through their preferred channels. The antiquated methods of phone chains and even website or social media posts no longer make the grade.
Mass notification systems yield big returns The good news is unified communications technology has advanced to the point where mass notification systems can meet these elevated expectations..

At Mitel, we’re fortunate to work with an incredible partner community full of deep, diverse expertise. So, each month, we’re going to share some of that expertise by highlighting partner blog posts about the business communications topics relevant to modern IT pros.
Today's Business Phone Systems Aren't One-Size-Fits-All By Marco
When it comes to your business, there are certain things that set your company and its workforce apart from the competition and the rest of your industry as a whole. Perhaps you proudly boast a mobile workforce that is always on the go. Or maybe you revel in conducting most of your work from your office space. Whatever it is, your business is unique and deserving of a business phone system that matches it.
Read the post. >
4 Problems Retailers Can Solve with Better Inventory Management By CDW
Recently, I drove to a large, brick-and-mortar bookstore in search of a specific novel. Although the book was on best-seller lists only a few years ago, t..

As a generation bitten by the travel bug, Millennials are an attractive target market for the hospitality industry. But as a fully digital and mobile generation, they’re also something of a challenge. Besides having high expectations for seamless, personalized service, Millennials orchestrate every aspect of their lives through their smartphones.
To create the kind of experience that builds their loyalty and earns high ratings on travel web sites, hotels must deliver sophisticated digital and mobile concierge services throughout a Millennial traveler’s stay—and especially pay attention to “the little things.” At the heart of this idea is a mobile app that’s fully integrated with your communications technology and property management system.
Consider, for example, the numerous touchpoints – and the revenue-generating opportunities – of the typical Millennial’s visit. While still en route to your hotel, they use your app to check in – and accept your offer of a room upgrade. Because yo..

In the quest to deliver a more personalized customer experience, businesses have found an unlikely ally in machines. From tiny sensors to artificially intelligent contact centers, machine-based technologies can help businesses better understand, serve and communicate with their customers.
This white paper, based on a recent survey conducted across six countries and 2,500 IT decision-makers, discovers businesses almost universally see machine-based technologies as a significant value-add in delivering a more personalized customer experience.
See an excerpt below or download the entire white paper.
Customer Experience Is King Every business believes they offer something unique to their customers that differentiates them in the marketplace, whether it’s a patented product or a specialized service. Yet, increasingly, the key differentiator for companies isn’t simply what product or service they deliver, but how they deliver it.
In a world where online storefronts can be launched in we..

With so much change in the communications and collaboration industry, it’s no surprise that people are hungry for information, and we’re excited that more and more of you are coming to our blog to get it. For those who want to see some of the year’s highlights, here are our most visited posts for 2017 and the top trends to look forward to in 2018.
Most Visited Post #1: 5 Essential Business Phone Headset Etiquette Rules for Work Basic headset etiquette is important for a well-functioning workplace, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to put these basic rules down in ink (or in this case, pixels). Feel free to pass them around your office—especially if you have any chronic offenders. Your coworkers will thank you.
Go to the post >
Post #2: 10 Perfectly Organized Server Rooms & Cable Closets That Will Make OCD IT Pros Smile Taming server rooms and cable closets is a daunting task, and doing it well is as much art as science. In fact, the results of a well-organized setup often end up look..

There’s lots of buzz around the cloud these days and cloud communications is no exception. But buzz isn’t always an indicator of a business case for technology purchases. Smart businesses are asking what’s driving the rush to the cloud—and they’re getting solid answers. So why are so many businesses moving communications to the cloud today? Here are 10 real-world reasons.
1. Cost Predictable monthly costs. This may seem like old news, but many companies don’t realize just how much they can save by moving their communications to the cloud. By hosting a phone system over the Internet, businesses are charged on an “as needed” basis, paying only for what they use. That makes cloud-based communication systems especially cost-effective for small businesses—eliminating the need to pay for the installation and maintenance of a traditional phone system.
2. Management Outsource IT support to the provider. The management of an on-site solution can be very expensive. Because of the complexity of..