The success of our channel was built on independent agent/ partners like you selling the benefits to businesses and organizations of the savings, service and enhanced billing of CLEC/aggregators over big, impersonal and inflexible local exchange carriers (LECs). Initially, the two foundational products that grew the channel were voice services including POTS (plain old telephone service), PRI (primary rate interface) and dedicated internet access (DIA). Twenty-five years later, as POTS slowly migrates, internet access, in all its wonderful varieties and splendor, remains the principal service in dollar volume sold in the channel today. All other solutions up the STACK — from VoIP, SD-WAN, managed services and network security — can only derive from some type of IP connectivity. To our channel’s lasting benefit is the end customer’s insatiable demand for increased internet bandwidth, ubiquitous availability and mission-critical reliability. That said, prices for DIA and broadband continue to fall. And although it is satisfying to sell high volume, communications service providers such as NHC and partners like you rely on billing and residual commissions. So, what do we do to increase average revenue per unit (ARPU) on IP access? We “accessorize” the circuit. Wireless Backup One such accessory is wireless backup of the DIA or broadband service. If the primary internet service is mission critical, then the end customer should consider a 4G LTE wireless backup to the primary circuit. NHC offers a wireless backup service that is about the same cost as a POTS line. Usage is pooled among all the end customers’ locations. Consumption reports are easily available by location and overall account through our customer portal called MAP. I specify 4G LTE here instead of 5G for its ubiquity and lower cost — we offer 4G LTE service using multiple underlying carriers, and since this service is only used when the primary is not working, a low MRC with usage works. We also offer unlimited 5G fixed wireless internet access, but that is a different price point and not an accessory to a primary DIA or broadband service. 5G FWA is a primary internet service, and I highly recommend it for new installations, replacing older wireline service, and for applications such as SD-WAN, which demand two diverse hot connections. Proactive Management We are excited to introduce a new accessory called STACKguard SG-1 for both our installed base of DIA and broadband service, as well as new orders. STACKguard proactively manages internet circuits on the customer’s behalf. We monitor all IP circuits equipped with STACKguard 24x7x365 via two U.S. data centers, with one in the Eastern U.S. and another on the West Coast. We also inform the customer and partner (if desired) when the circuit is down and automatically issue a repair ticket. The NHC service assurance team collaborates closely with our underlying carrier to resolve the issue. In addition, we provide live updates on the ticket status for the customer through MAP, which is our online customer and partner portal. Think of how beneficial this could be for a customer with retail locations and limited technical field staff to manage service interruptions. Single or multilocation customers of any size will benefit from this service because repair activity will be engaged proactively without the need for an end customer to notify us of a circuit failure. Most importantly, we are pricing this service to be cost effective, for any IP connection is under $10 per month per IP circuit. So go ahead and accessorize that thing you do well. For more information, please contact your NHC representative or contact us at customerservice@ nhcgrp.com. o Glen Nelson is a 40-year veteran of the telecommunications industry and is co-founder, VP marketing & business development at NHC, The Communications Stack Provider and one of the largest partnerexclusive network resellers in North America. Accessorize That Thing You Do So Well CHANNEL MANAGEMENT By Glen Nelson 70 CHANNELVISION | MARCH - APRIL 2024
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