The RAK Report: February 2014

As we breeze into February, leaving the first month of the year behind, I can’t help but think…is it Spring yet?  Here in the Chicagoland area, we’ve been hit with the coldest and snowiest Winter in quite a few years. While the negative temperatures and terrible roads are reason enough to stay in and work, I think it’s safe to say we’re all ready for some warmer weather. I would even settle for temperatures consistently in the 20’s at this point – what a joy that would be!  Even with all of this bone-chilling cold, RAK has been hard at work finding savings and organizing our clients’ telecom programs.  Let’s get to it!

RAK is happy to announce that we’ve started working with Corboy and Demetrio, one of the nation’s leading plaintiff personal injury and civil trial practice law firms. After an assessment of their telecom bills, Ken was able to identify a savings of $3k-4k (about 10% of their current spend). While contract negotiations won’t begin until March/April, they’ve started implementing some of the identified changes in order to jumpstart their savings – a great start to 2014!

We’ve also started business with another client in Rolling Meadows, IL and have replaced their antiquated phone system with a Hosted VoIP solution. This resulted in a major upgrade to their communications platform capabilities and, in the process, saved them $200/month in line costs and $1K/year in maintenance costs.  Considering this was a smaller office, this savings was quite the find!

Through January, we’ve also continued our work with Able Alarm/Ace Monitoring, organizations that provide alarm and monitoring solutions. Currently, Ken is looking at options and pricing to replace their current PRI’s and Broadband with a fiber connection that would be able to handle both. In addition, we’re consolidating 6 AT&T invoices into 1 which will make their telecom program that much more straightforward to manage. While you’d think that the vendor would want to keep the bills consolidated for their own organization, at times they are often able to charge more because of these separate accounts. Something to think about when reviewing your invoices!

As always, RAK is happy to assist in the success of our clients’ businesses by making their communications system as efficient as possible. We’re constantly looking for ways to not only save our clients money, but to enhance their business through updated technology.  If you haven’t looked at your telecom bills lately (or even if you have), don’t hesitate to contact us for a no-charge initial consultation and audit.  We’ll not only ensure that your billing is accurate, but we make sure that you are on the most cost-effective plans that will usher your business into a new technological era.

That about wraps it up for this month’s update! If you’re in an area with Hoth-like conditions, we hope you stay warm and safe. If you’re in warmer climates, feel free to send a few degrees our way.  Until next time…

Respectfully,
Anne Kulinski & the RAK Consulting Team