What Fiber Providers Want Network Planners and Agents to Know

There is a laundry list of things fiber providers wish that all network planners, potential clients and agents would know (and do) when pricing out fiber connectivity. The following is a helpful guide to make sure your circuit and quote requests don’t get “lost in the pile.”

1. Pick the winners. First, make sure to know whether your locations of interest can be serviced and whether they are on-net, near-net—or way OFF the carrier’s network footprint. The worst thing you can do is send out quote requests like they’re coming out of a Pez dispenser with no thought of which provider can actually serve the request.
2. Know the carriers’ business focus. Once you see the carriers that may be relevant because they are nearby, consider their current business focus before submitting a quote request. We say “current” business focus, because for many carriers their business model evolves based on a number of factors including but not limited to the economy, the geographic market, the product, etc. For example, if you learn that a certain carrier is focused mostly on monetizing existing infrastructure, it’s best to go to them only if you find that your location is on-net or very near-net (say, within 100 feet). On the other hand, there are carriers in build mode that will definitely consider constructing to a client if given a compelling business case. This is especially true if the carrier can light a building or area and reach several new potential clients. The key for you is to know the difference in the carrier’s model and base your quote requests on what the carrier’s emphasis is—not just based on which carriers you might see nearby.
3. Follow their rules. While it may be faster and easier for you to fire off a bunch of emails, that can become a black hole for your requests. Not only does your sales opportunity have the chance of being lost or worse, anything that makes a carrier’s job of getting you a quote more complicated means that you can expect delays in getting what you need back. Word to the wise: use the carriers’ stated processes, portals and online quote forms.
4. Get your facts straight. A corollary to #3 on using the carriers’ preferred process for receiving information is to have all the details of the opportunity at your fingertips and include them in the quote request. In many cases, you’ll get back a far better and more relevant quote – with less back-and-forth — when you take the time to give a complete picture of the use case. On the other hand, if you put garbage in, you’re likely to get garbage out.
5. Set appropriate expectations for a response – both for timing and pricing. You can typically adjust your expectations on how quickly you can get an answer and relative amount of the quote by knowing your providers   For instance, AT&T and Verizon will typically be available at most buildings but will also be the most expensive, and in many cases take the longest time to deliver a service (and send a quote).   The cable companies have a different mindset and process than most competitive access providers.  Typically, they require a “survey” before they can even quote you a quote. Whether they’ll be competitively priced varies widely based on market/product.  Other providers can usually give you a budgetary estimate in a day or two, but only if you do #3 & #4 above.
6. It’s always about money. Carriers appreciate when you have a sense for budget on a circuit request because it helps them to know if they can realistically compete for the business. They will have to spend sales and engineering time putting together quote information for you. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s better to disclose that and not waste the carrier’s time or your own if they can’t even come close to the price.
    
   Are you being put at the back of the line on your quote requests and you don’t even know it? If you send poorly qualified or unqualified leads to carriers, probably so. While it takes more time to carefully select the right vendors to quote and to put in a well-articulated quote request, the extra time is often worth it to ensure that the information you get back is timely, accurate and competitive.

We’ve been quoting services for more than a decade with hundreds of carriers. In addition to finding the “short list” of providers that fit your network requirements, our professional services team can manage the quote process from needs analysis all the way to installation. As a FiberLocator subscriber, you can take advantage of this service by clicking on the “Request Network Pricing” link within the online application or by calling us anytime.