As many companies in our field do, North Florida Communications provides maintenance contracts for business telephone systems. Many customers wonder if they should have a maintenance contract for their telephone system. Let’s explore that thought.

Simply put, a maintenance contract is an insurance policy on your telephone system. The contract can be written to cover parts, or both parts and labor. You can choose to have 24x7x365 coverage, or 8-5 Monday-Friday coverage, depending on how important the system is to your business, and of course how much you want to pay. Having a maintenance contract allows you to budget for any problems with your system, saving you from any large, unforseen bills for equipment failures.

At North Florida Communications, we’ve added on to the standard maintenance agreement and changed the name to Managed Voice Services. Our plans provide:

1. Parts and Labor, or Labor Only- choose the coverage that is best for you. Includes damage by lightning.

2. Music-On-Hold- seasonally adjusted music

3. One hour/month Remote Programming- remote changes to your telephone and voice-mail system to keep everything up to date.

4. Annual "Tune-Up" visit- check out condition of phone equipment, replace bad cords, etc.

5. Additional On-Site Training- two one-hour on-site training visits at your request. We'll take questions from experienced users and help train new hires.

6. Updated Templates/Designation Strips- we’ll mail you updated phone designation strips for your telephones as needed. Up to two per phone/year.

7. Priority Response- Maximum 4-hour response time for major problems.

8. Inside Wire Coverage- inside telephone wiring is included. Network cabling can be added for an additional cost.

9. Telco Liaison Service- well contact your telephone company on your behalf for service problems and new orders.

10. 10% Discount on Additional Purchases- discount applies to parts and labor.

So, with NFC, you’re not only getting coverage for your equipment, but you’re also getting many more benefits. For most plans we provide a remote maintenance terminal that allows us to remotely program and monitor your telephone system via the internet. This box also provides music/message-on-hold that we adjust to different seasons.

We give you remote programming that frees up one of your staff members, while keeping your phone system up to date. Does your phone have the name of an employee that left two years ago? With our Managed Voice Services, we would take care of that for you at no additional charge.

Do you have employees that have been hired since the phone system was installed, and are not quite sure about all of the different features? With our plan, you get a site visit for training. Need to order a new line, but dread trying to work with the local phone company? Our included Telco Liaison Service would take care of that for you.

Is a maintenance contract right for your organization? Only you can answer that. Please give me a call if I can help.

Larry Nazworth

As is the case of many businesses, we are sometimes faced with the question, “Why is your competitor’s price cheaper?” for which there could be several different answers.

It could just be that one of our competitors needs the work badly and will do it at any cost. Many contractors are hungry for work right now, and this is understandable. Perhaps they’re just trying to keep the doors open and will do whatever it takes to get the business. That’s understandable, and somewhat difficult to compete with. More often, there are other reasons why our products and services may be priced higher.

In our local area, we compete with several topnotch competitors. These companies have been in business for a long time, some even longer than the 19 years we’ve been around. They strive to maintain high standards and sell top-of-the-line equipment and services. We also compete against many others who do not meet high standards and lack some of the following:

Licencing- In the state of Florida, a license is required to pull cable. If you take a close look at the companies that appear in the Yellow Pages under “Network Cabling” or “Telephone Systems,” I would be willing to bet less than half of those are licensed contractors. We’ve invested a lot of time and money to become a licensed Florida Limited Energy Specialty Contractor (License #ES12000686) and a Georgia Low Voltage/Telecom Contractor (License #LVT305390).

We’ve studied the books and paid all of the fees for these licenses so that we can be in compliance with the law. For whatever reason, many of our competitors have not made the investment. Our price will automatically be higher than theirs, because of our investment in licensing and continuing education. Would you hire an unlicensed contractor to build your house? Ask a potential contractor for their state license number.

Insurance- Automotive, Comprehensive, and Workmen’s Comp. are just a few of the policies that must be carried by most legitimate companies. We’ve got them, but what about the guy with the lower price?

If an installer accidentally knocks off the head of a fire sprinkler pipe, and your building is flooded, who will pay? Does he have insurance to cover it? What happens if the installer falls off a ladder? Is he covered by workmen’s comp., or will your insurance company have to pick up the tab? What happens if he falls on one of your employees? Will you be stuck with the medical costs and lost productivity costs? I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point. Ask a potential contractor if they have insurance!

Quality of Workmanship- As with any type of contracting business, there are various levels of quality. Few things bother me in this business like the poor quality of work I often see by other companies. Wires hanging from the ceiling, jacks not installed properly, equipment not properly mounted, etc.

It does take more time to do a job properly, we all know that. So, if we’re up against a company that takes no pride in their workmanship, they’ll have less time tied up in a job, and can charge less. Wouldn’t you rather pay a little more and have the job done right the first time?

Quality of Equipment- There are numerous brands of telephone equipment on the market today. There are some good products, and some not-so-good products. We’re very picky about the equipment we sell, how about the other guy? Will it work right next year when the warranty is up? Does the manufacturer have a proven track record? Ask!

Training- Unfortunately, many in our trade don’t have a good grasp on the codes and standards that apply to our profession. (Maybe that’s why they’re not licensed?) We do, and we do our best to abide by those codes and standards, which can cause our price to be higher than someone who doesn’t.

We’re a BICSI shop. BICSI is a professional association supporting the information transport systems (ITS) industry. We pay a premium to be BICSI members so we can benefit from the training they provide. We each spend 1-2 weeks a year getting certifications and continuing education so that we can be sure we’re providing the best service possible.

In addition to BICSI, we have numerous in-house training sessions throughout the year. What about the other guy? Ask what accreditations they have. What type of training do they participate in?

Cleanliness- I found out a long time ago that many office mangers were more impressed with my ability to operate a vacuum cleaner than all of my technical abilities combined. (I’m stretching it just a bit.) One of the things that set us apart from other contractors is that we make an effort to clean up our mess. Sweep, vacuum, wipe, whatever it takes. Of course that takes time, and that extra time could put us above someone else’s price.

In addition to cleaning up after ourselves, we also try to maintain a professional image with our dress code. Now, we may not be the prettiest people that walk through your door, but we do try to look the best we can. Hats and shorts are not allowed (except at construction sites, if applicable) and each installer has a company shirt, and a marked van. How about the cheap guy? Is he coming into your nice office wearing shorts and flip-flops? Is his worn-out station wagon giving your parking lot a bad image?

Company Investment and Longevity- Will the cheaper guy be around next week or next year when you need service? Does he have the proper tools and test equipment to do the job? Do they maintain crash kits for the systems they sell, or will you have to wait for parts if your system is down? All of this cost more money.

North Florida Communications has been in business since 1990. We’re committed to running a company without debt. That has greatly helped us during this bad economy. We’ll be here when you need us!

We invest in the proper tools and test equipment. If we sell you a new telephone system, rest assured we have a backup system on standby, just in case something happens to yours. Of course this all takes extra money. Has the other guy made the same investments?

I hope this gives you something to think about. Please let me know your thoughts. As always, if there is any way I can help you, please don’t hesitate to call.

Larry Nazworth