Real-Life Communication
New technologies that help companies run more efficiently are popping
up all the time. People who work as telecommunications managers must keep
abreast of what's going on with these technologies.
They must decide
what kind of telecommunications services are best suited to a company. They
try to get the best price for those services, like long-distance calling plans.
Finally, they have to convince the company that their decision is best.
"Personal
communication skills are very important," says telecommunications manager
Janay Doctor. "You have to know [how to communicate] with users."
You
are a telecommunications manager helping a company to pick a telephone service
package. Before you decide which package is the best, you have to be familiar
with the company's needs and the services available.
The company sells
housewares and computer office equipment via catalogs. Customers call into
the company to place orders, and the products are shipped out within a week.
The company is trying to cut costs by reducing the number of live operators
required. Up until now, they have had many different operators for each department.
The departments are orders, financing approval, human resources and customer
service.
There are a variety of telephone services available from the
local phone company. You research the services available. They are call display,
call waiting, three-way calling, voice mail, call transfer and multi-line
hunt service.
Call display shows the name and
phone number of the person who is calling. This feature would allow the employees
to decide whether to take the call, and to see who called while they were
out.
Call waiting allows the operator to put the first caller
on hold to answer an incoming call, or go back and forth between both callers.
An added feature named call answer allows the second caller to leave a message.
Three-way
calling is like a mini-conference call. It links up to three people at
a time. The first caller is simply put on hold while the user calls the third
party. Then, they can be linked. The user can decide whether to connect all
three parties, or just talk to each person separately. This feature is designed
to reduce the need for callbacks when trying to confirm schedules. Or it can
be used to have meetings between three people.
Voice mail allows
the user to record, store and retrieve messages without the hassle of an answering
machine. The service notifies the user of any messages, and can be accessed
through other telephones.
Call transfer allows the operator
to transfer a call to another person at another phone and drop out of the
conversation. This means the caller does not have to hang up and redial the
correct phone number for the line they want.
Multi-line hunt service
allows a caller to reach a menu with choices for the direction of the call.
This means a separate line isn't needed for each line, and can, if desired,
cut out the job of a live operator.
Write a memo to the
company's director suggesting which services would best suit the company's
needs. Explain the reasons for your choices.