Westwind Digital Communications

The last blog got me thinking about how it is we convey what it is we do here at Westwind Digital. That seems to be an easy answer, but when talk about technical issues to non-technical people you can see the fog in their brains begin to form. Mind you we all have certain levels of technical talk we can be comfortable with. If you want to see a haze form in my eyes start talking about HTML code or TCP/IP. Zzzzzzzzzz, What? I’m sorry I just woke up.

My 30-second commercial sums it up best when I tell people we help business owners sleep at night. With Westwind Digital they do not need to worry about whether or not their phones are working. They do not need to worry about customer or employee shrinkage because of their video surveillance, and they do not need to worry if their accounts receivable department is able to send out invoices due to I.T. issues. It is a bit simplistic, but it lets the listener know about our three areas of business VOICE, DATA, and VIDEO in terms a business owner can understand and appreciate. Features like unified messaging, voice over IP, and structured cabling are just that, features. People who run small businesses have a hard enough job. Their #1 job is in to make money and if we can help save them money, then that is what will keep us in business.

Ok, forgive me with the obscure movie reference. How do I know it is obscure? I am a huge movie buff, it came from one of my all time favorites, and it took me longer to come up with which one it was then it will to type the rest of this blog. How does this translate to business telephones? Well I am the king of obscure.

It all stems from a recent experience with a customer here in the Oklahoma City metro (OK, it was in Midwest City). This company has four lines and a fax line coming into their office with a staff of 12 people. Not a bad size company at all. Their old phone system had died and hired another company to replace it for them. The office manager was not pleased with how the installation went and called us to help configure the system and quote a voice mail package that they opted not to purchase with the initial system.

In the end, the office manager went with an answering machine from a local retailer. For a home office or small company with just one line coming into the business that is an acceptable alternative, except if you are on a call at the time. It is the same with four lines, but a little worse as this is a company that is in the customer service business and depends on their phone system to make money. If the phone does not ring or they do not get their voice mail, well you get the point. The cost of the Toshiba Media Application Server (MAS) was in line with the phone system they purchased. Our sales engineers configure the system that best meets the customers’ needs. It is not as if we were trying to put a V12 in a Kia. In the end it was probably our fault for not explaining the voice mail package benefits to the office manager in order to justify the price tag.

Oh, by the way. In case you were wondering, the movie was Caddy Shack and it was Judge Smells talking to the Bishop in the clubhouse bar.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Let’s talk about video surveillance for a minute. We can talk about the security features that camera systems offer, the ability to control slippage and productivity as well as the obvious deterrent that CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) provides. However, one aspect of a video surveillance system that gets often over looked is its marketing assistance. With properly positioned cameras a business operator can observe the shopping and spending habits of customers, make record of foot traffic and monitor staff interaction with guests. The retail business uses a phrase called the ‘hold factor’; this means the amount of time a customer spends in a certain section of the store or on specific products. A video system can be used to capture the hold factor and narrow it down to preferred products or promotional items. This accompanied with the security functions a camera system offers can help you improve customer service as well as keep an eye on the shelves.

We all want to make our investments as lucrative as possible and get the most out of every dollar we spend. Having systems in place that have dual use increases that opportunity. Think about it this way; there used to be telephones and answering machines until someone decided to incorporate the two into one function and voice mail was born. The same applies to a video surveillance system; sure it’s main capacity is to protect yourself from lawsuits, deter and catch criminals who can crumble your business and make sure that your employees are working as diligently as you expect. However, for no more investment your system takes on a whole new role when used for marketing also.