South: Top 5 telecoms tips

• Firms urged to balance the right mix of fixed costs and operational flexibility for their requirements;

• Companies should avoid persevering with legacy telecoms services that restrict their ability to manage costs, says ntl:Telewest Business;

• Modern telecoms services can reduce operating costs and the need for travel while enhancing productivity and flexibility.

South East businesses looking to shave costs from their 2009 budgets should consider modernising some of their systems to make their operations more flexible, according to business telecoms provider ntl:Telewest Business. The telco, part of the Virgin Media group, issued what it believes are the top five tips for making communications expenditure more effective in saving business costs in 2009.

ntl:Telewest Business believes that the companies which will perform best in the coming year are those that are best able to implement strategic changes fast in line with market conditions, be more flexible in how they and their personnel operate, and gain greater freedom in reducing fixed costs.

ntl:Telewest Business’s top money saving tips for 2009 are:

1. Flexible friends

The Government plans to extend flexible working rights to 4.5 million workers in 2009, but pre-empting this to adopt company-wide flexible working policies will be money well spent. Giving employees the opportunity to work from home is cheap to set up, can double as a disaster recovery plan and ultimately reduce the amount of office space your business requires.

2. Presence of mind

Switching over from conventional business phone and directory services to integrated presence-driven services enables slicker communication between teams wherever people are. By using Internet Protocol (IP) to carry all communications traffic, companies can use tightly integrated services that enable people to know where their colleagues are and when they’re available, as well as collaborate more successfully. This can increase productivity by avoiding time wastage, as well as lower communications and travel costs.

3. Make your meetings virtual

Why bear the costs and time burden of the plane, train or the car when you can log-in for an important meeting from your own office or even from home? Videoconferencing technology is proven, instantaneous, reliable and affordable, plus good for the environment.

4. Put your head in the cloud

One of the biggest ongoing technology expenses for businesses is paying for and maintaining the software that enables them to function competitively. Cloud computing gives them the opportunity to access software on a monthly or ‘pay as you go’ basis via the internet. The range of cloud services is growing all the time, and ranges from Google’s range of free Google Docs applications to sophisticated customer relationship management packages.

5. Negotiation, negotiation, negotiation

Business telecoms have traditionally been provided on fixed terms in an off-the-shelf manner. Modern telcos are breaking this mould by enabling customers to design and change services that are tailored to their specific needs and budget requirements. This gives them the flexibility both to gain greater strategic value from telecoms and to realign cost structures or extend capacity quickly as their commercial pressures change.

“Communications technology is changing so quickly that businesses that ignore the potential benefits can suffer, even in a recession,” said Gerry Arthurs, Head of Business Markets for ntl:Telewest Business in the South East.

“Today’s telecoms services and getting the right advice on how best to use them can enable firms to be more resilient to market conditions as well as lower their expenditure. We may come to look on 2009 as being the year in which the internet delivered some of its greater benefits to British businesses in supporting them through tough economic times. Now is not the time to remain saddled with older telecoms services that restrict flexibility and enforce rigid costs,” he said.