Looking at a new vendor (Carousel) Has anyone used them for Nortel Blue Equipment CS1000, Callpilot Etc. We are located in the San Franciso Bay Area. I know East Coast they are strong, but what about the West Coast? Do they have a lot of techs in the field? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
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Looking at a new Nortel Blue Vendor (Carousel) for California.
- Thread starter Latvia1
- Start date
I guess the best way to look at it is:
1. Do they have the resources to resolve your issues when you call them.
2. Are they available when you call them.
Feet on the street is hard to use when judging the provider. Most of the large service providers are moving away from rolling trucks in most markets. You will see some trucks in very large markets where the provider holds most of the market share.
Nowadays most providers will have a core of very good engineers, and I would say that Carousel will be able to provide that service for you. A dispatched tech to your site could be a Carousel tech, but it could also be a very qualified independent contractor that does work for them.
It's hard to keep regularly payrolled technicians in any market these days. It is one of the largest financial burdens for a Managed Service Provider. I personally have done contract work for may providers all the while representing them as I do the work.
Financial burdens are also there for the end customer. You have to cut your costs as much as you can and moving away from the large providers (Avaya Direct, ATT, Verizon, Shared..) you look to smaller more regional companies that provide this service. I know they can give you the support you need but they may use business partners. If Carousel does not have actual brick and mortar in your area, I am willing to bet they have a great relationship with a Business Partner than can work with them to provide you the service you require.
Bottom line is what are you willing to live with as opposed to what your business needs are? You need to clearly define what you want from your provider. If you want someone onsite within 2 hours of a reported major then make sure you outline that in your request for service, but also be willing to pay for that type of service. If you are the onsite tech and can work remotely with a Tier 2 or Tier 3 tech from Carousel then your pricing may be lower. It all depends on what level of service you need.
Some companies out there still want to see a van pull up with the company name on the side, but that is difficult these days, but you may lose out on some very inexpensive alternatives that will help your bottom line.
Hope this helps.
1. Do they have the resources to resolve your issues when you call them.
2. Are they available when you call them.
Feet on the street is hard to use when judging the provider. Most of the large service providers are moving away from rolling trucks in most markets. You will see some trucks in very large markets where the provider holds most of the market share.
Nowadays most providers will have a core of very good engineers, and I would say that Carousel will be able to provide that service for you. A dispatched tech to your site could be a Carousel tech, but it could also be a very qualified independent contractor that does work for them.
It's hard to keep regularly payrolled technicians in any market these days. It is one of the largest financial burdens for a Managed Service Provider. I personally have done contract work for may providers all the while representing them as I do the work.
Financial burdens are also there for the end customer. You have to cut your costs as much as you can and moving away from the large providers (Avaya Direct, ATT, Verizon, Shared..) you look to smaller more regional companies that provide this service. I know they can give you the support you need but they may use business partners. If Carousel does not have actual brick and mortar in your area, I am willing to bet they have a great relationship with a Business Partner than can work with them to provide you the service you require.
Bottom line is what are you willing to live with as opposed to what your business needs are? You need to clearly define what you want from your provider. If you want someone onsite within 2 hours of a reported major then make sure you outline that in your request for service, but also be willing to pay for that type of service. If you are the onsite tech and can work remotely with a Tier 2 or Tier 3 tech from Carousel then your pricing may be lower. It all depends on what level of service you need.
Some companies out there still want to see a van pull up with the company name on the side, but that is difficult these days, but you may lose out on some very inexpensive alternatives that will help your bottom line.
Hope this helps.
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