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Mixed Reaction to New BT Business One Plan

Networks & Network Services
There has been mixed reaction from the channel to BT’s new Business One Plan with DMSL, the distributor of BT solutions and services, hailing the BT’s latest ‘no limits’ offer on the Plan as a significant opportunity for resellers.

DMSL say BT is running a massive end-user marketing campaign designed to drive new business to its UK partners network.

According to DMSL the latest new BT Business One Plan package gives customers unlimited calls for £15 a month. As well as all normal inland calls, it covers mobile phones calls and most international direct dial calls and thus enables small businesses to make massive savings on their monthly costs. It is, says Managing Director of DMSL, John Carter, a great deal for any business that is just getting started.

“With the new BT Business One Plan offer, smaller firms get a great deal and as they only pay £15 per month for each line, they will always know exactly what their costs are going to be. No matter how many calls they make”, they will never pay extra charges. When you are just getting started or building up a business, that’s a real help. We think a lot of small businesses are going to bite BT’s hand off on this one – and that means more opportunities for resellers.”

DMSL is aiming to maximise the number of opportunities that the offer creates by running a massive nationwide marketing campaign targeting small businesses and start-ups, using co-ordinated waves of emails and telesales to generate qualified leads for resellers. These will be passed directly to local BT Partners who can then contact the customer to fulfil the BT Business One Plan order and offer any additional services that may be required.

The company’s unique through-marketing approach has brought thousands of new customers to hundreds of resellers up and down the country and BT’s latest offer is tailor-made for it, says Carter. “The BT Business One Plan offer is a very attractive one that will save small businesses money. But from the reseller’s point of view, it’s the associated opportunities that are more attractive. Our campaign will deliver brand new customers to their door and that means new opportunities – to provide BT voice and data and other products and services and become that businesses local, trusted advisor.”

DMSL says at £15 per month fixed cost with no extra charges the new unlimited plan is perfect for businesses that have multiple offices, home-workers or a field-based sales team. Capped call rates ensure that users cannot inadvertently run up costs and they are provided with one simple bill by BT. Any business that is likely to spend more than £500 per annum on phone bills can make big savings with the unlimited call plan – as much as 30 percent when the offer is combined with BT Broadband and or BT Mobile, according to the company’s own calculations.

Even if a business only needs two lines, it is almost certain to make savings, says Carter, and there are additional benefits and discounts available if it requires extra lines. Mobile phone contracts may also be added to the agreement.

The offer is available to new customers on 24-month contracts for new lines and does not include line rental. A fair usage policy also applies. However, BT’s own analysis shows that 99 percent of customers will pay nothing extra for calls of up to one hour. Additional calls are charged at underlying One Plan rates.

However Chris Goodman, Director at reseller Focus 4 U, disagrees with the DMSL assessment of the BT Business One Plane.

“To be honest this just proves that it is not just BT retail who are mis-selling this tariff but also their partners.

They say ‘With the new BT Business One Plan offer, smaller firms get a great deal and as they only pay £15 per month for each line, they will always know exactly what their costs are going to be. No matter how many calls they make’

This is complete rubbish. The fair usage policy means a maximum 300 minutes to mobiles and 5000 minutes to landlines for each line.”

Claiming users will never pay extra charges is ‘even worse!!!’ according to Goodman.

“This is incredibly mis-leading marketing and will only help to worsen the situation and put consumers in a vulnerable position where they will not have an accurate analysis done to establish real savings if any. There are so many little terms that make the plan less and less effective which are never mentioned.”