Question: I’m thinking of switching long distance companies.  Do you have any recommendations?

Answer: Yes, be careful!  There are typically two reasons why people switch long distance companies.  The first is to save money and the other is for better service.  Sometimes they hope to accomplish both.

Saving money on long distance is always an attractive proposition.  However, it is sometimes difficult to be sure if cost-savings will really occur.  Most long-distance sales people will offer to review your bills and perform a rate analysis.  Although many will do so accurately and with the best intentions, remember that they have a stake in the results.  If they are selling on price and their analysis doesn’t reveal a cost savings, then they have lost a sale.  We have heard too many reports from our clients whose bills actually went up instead of down.  Your best course of action is to do the analysis yourself.  However, this is not for the faint of heart – even seasoned telecommunication experts find phone bills confusing!  A backup plan is to insist that they put their promises in writing.  They should allow you to get out of the contract if the savings don’t materialize and pay to move you back to your old carrier.

If you are like most people, you are frustrated by the lack of service provided by your phone company.  I’m not talking about service options and features, but rather the availability of a real person to effectively resolve billing errors, answer questions, and handle service problems.  All too often, once the sale is made, your representative disappears and becomes unreachable.  This is either by design (often there is a separate group handling service) or because of the reality that they need to focus on getting new business. 

Carefully verify exactly how your account will be handled after the sale.  Will it be a person, a group, or a phone center half way around the world?  Talk to these people, remembering that you will be seeing them at their very best.  Get references and check them out.  Even better, ask friends and family if they have any experience with the company in question.  These independent comments are often the most revealing.

There is also a third consideration.  If you do decide to switch providers, there will undoubtedly be some transition problems.  This could include the inability to make long distant calls, options that are missing, features that don’t work as expected, and even quality issues.  A good provider will be able to quickly address and correct any such issues, but not all long distance companies will be able to.  And unfortunately, some never can.

When you get your first bill, there could be errors that need correction.  At the very least it will take time to somewhat understand the new format.  For each of these items, there is a direct and indirect cost.  Sometimes the unexpected side effects of changing phone service outweigh the potential savings or the desired service improvements.

Certainly, you should consider long distance alternatives.  Don’t make any change lightly or without careful consideration.

Learn more about telephone answering services and discover how the might be able to help you.