| In the world of business, the ability to communicate | | | | Occasionally-although this is not very common-it just |
| effectively and efficiently with a wide variety of | | | | so happens that a serious error is made by a given |
| people, organizations, customers, etc., is fundamental to | | | | carrier in interpreting a price schedule, and a major |
| staying afloat in a competitive marketplace. In the | | | | window of opportunity is opened up for other carriers |
| absence of a robust communications platform, a | | | | to make good money and save their clients plenty at |
| business is inevitably destined to shrivel up and wilt-a | | | | the same time. In what is known as cherry picking |
| victim of its own inability to interact with other players. | | | | (which brings major savings to end users in certain |
| Yet any business owner or operator knows that | | | | circumstances), one carrier will consider a certain |
| communications costs can rack up at an impressive | | | | phone code range to be more expensive than another |
| pace, especially when frequent calls are being made to | | | | carrier considers it, and hence the latter carrier can |
| foreign and/or mobile recipients. And, of course, in | | | | pass off calls to that range to the former carrier, |
| today's globalized world, calling folks overseas is part | | | | charging their high rates while paying much lower rates. |
| and parcel of ordinary business activity and is most | | | | This is unusual, and is not really so much a risk as it is |
| certainly something that can not be extirpated from | | | | a fluke within the telecoms market. |
| the business agenda, at the same time, thanks to the | | | | Implementing a least cost routing (LCR) solution for |
| tremendous advances in mobile connectivity and the | | | | your business telephone communications can either be |
| ability of workers to stay productive and plugged in | | | | done by an in-house (rarely) or carrier's (more normal) |
| from virtually anywhere, calling mobile destinations is | | | | specialized LCR team, and separately it is possible to |
| also an absolute must within business activities, | | | | have automated LCR hardware and software installed |
| completely ineligible for being slashed from the budget. | | | | on site at your business premises that will do the |
| So, what's a business to do to guarantee that they | | | | routing all on its own. It is still much more common to |
| have a robust communications solution that doesn't dig | | | | see human LCR teams performing these functions, |
| too deeply into the bottom line? | | | | though the software path is becoming increasingly |
| The answer comes in the form of least cost routing, | | | | popular with time and seems likely to become a |
| the business solution par excellence for all kinds of | | | | common feature of large businesses within the next |
| telephone communications. The larger the volume of | | | | few years. If a business does decide to go ahead with |
| your outbound phone traffic, and the more frequently | | | | LCR software installation, there are certain basic |
| your offices happen to be making calls to foreign and | | | | functions which need to be met and that should be |
| mobile recipients, the more you should be interested in | | | | kept in mind during the purchase. First of all, the |
| least cost routing. And what exactly is least cost | | | | software must be able to load and process tables of |
| routing, you ask yourself? Least cost routing is simple: | | | | phone code ranges and price schedules automatically |
| it's a solution for overly expensive telephone bills that is | | | | from a default source; furthermore, the software must |
| implemented (in a variety of ways, as will be seen) by | | | | be able to compare dialing codes in the proper manner |
| finding a carrier with a route to the destination number | | | | and convert the carriers' price schedule, which is |
| that is priced as low as possible (within certain quality | | | | expressed in terms of destination names, into a |
| and reliability parameters, to be configured as seen fit | | | | schedule expressed in terms of dialing codes. |
| by the business in question). In order to really | | | | Additionally, the software must be able to measure call |
| understand least cost routing, however, it is important | | | | quality parameters and determine which routes to go |
| first of all to come to a clearer understanding of | | | | with based on values stipulated during configuration |
| telecoms carriers, and to think of them not only as | | | | (provided by the business, or if necessary, upon |
| providers of a service but also as customers. | | | | recommendation by an expert). Finally, the software |
| That's right: though you pay your carrier for their | | | | must be able to gather and arrange the pertinent data |
| services, your carrier in turn will pay another carrier on | | | | and pass it along into the billing/invoice system. |
| the global telecom market for the use of certain | | | | The possibilities with such software vary drastically, |
| routes. Essentially, it's a matter of different telecoms | | | | from the most basic systems that only include a few |
| carriers trading what are known as "termination | | | | of these features to very expensive systems that |
| services," which refers to the final leg of a phone call | | | | cover them all and much more still; generally, and with |
| before reaching the recipient. One carrier may have | | | | good reason, the cheaper the software the greater |
| routing options for a country or series of countries in, | | | | the complexity of the manual work which must be |
| say, the Far East, and will end up selling part or all of | | | | done to make the system roll properly, so beware of |
| those routes to another carrier, who in turn may turn | | | | "saving" money on cheap software in this regard. |
| around and sell them to another. This active trading | | | | With the increasing shift towards VOIP telephony |
| among telecoms carriers is what makes least cost | | | | platforms in business settings, least cost routing is |
| routing possible, and specifically minor discrepancies in | | | | becoming ever more automated and easy to |
| price schedules (either due to human/machine error or | | | | implement, and the hassle of dealing with various |
| simply as the result of varying valuations on behalf of | | | | carriers' bills can be eliminated thanks to the |
| these companies) allow for the margins in pricing that | | | | consolidation and arrangement of all costs via this new |
| make it possible for least cost routing to save a | | | | kind of platform. |
| significant amount in monthly phone bills. | | | | |