Last week, BT Business announced that it will provide ADSL 2+ services for business new customers or customers that re-contract at no extra charge. Managing Director of DMSL, John Carter, believes that, as well as giving resellers a much-needed boost during the downturn, that the offer will also lead to new opportunities being created for BT resellers.
“By encouraging SMBs to make the move to faster broadband speeds now, BT is going to bring many customers back into contact with their reseller partners and that’s going to open up all sorts of possibilities. Resellers needs to seize this opportunity, not only to re-sign customers – which in itself will generate income for them – but also to sell additional services such as on-line backup and managed services and to offer to review the current broadband and call plans that customers are on. It is highly probable that that can provide customers with a better service or reduced costs and earn themselves some additional margins at the same time.”
There will be potential to upgrade customers on BT Business Total Broadband Option 1 or 2 plans to the Option 2 or 3 schemes, Carter notes. BT Openzone Wi-Fi minutes are included as part of the Options 2 and 3 plans and BT Business Option 3 customers also receive free mobile broadband and other business services worth over £750. Businesses can also build their own communications package by combining their broadband with calls to UK landlines, mobiles and international numbers.
Resellers should also take the opportunity to encourage customers to sign up for the BT Business One Plan, which can help small firms reduce their overall costs by more than a third, he adds. “There are plenty of options to choose from – it is really just a matter of putting them in front of the customer. The 21CN upgrade offer is the ideal opportunity to do that and in the current climate, resellers need to grasp that opportunity with both hands.”
Based on BT’s 21CN platform, the faster broadband speeds will initially be available from 549 telephone exchanges covering some 40 per cent of the UK’s businesses. BT plans to extend that coverage to 55 per cent by March 2010 subject to customer demand.