ci connect | Issue 5
Nexant Case Study
Nexant employs a large team of consultants who travel widely, providing essential technical advice to customers, often in remote corners of the world. Having Internet access when they are travelling abroad is a vital part of their ability to deliver a first class service.
“First and foremost we came to Community Internet because they were recommended to us,” says Nexant’s IT Consultant, Tim Cox. “Then we found that they offered the most complete package with the best support. We chose Jetset because of the country coverage offered. Other global roaming services didn’t adequately cover remote areas like the Middle East, which we need. Our last provider couldn’t offer the country coverage that Jetset does.”
Around 50 UK consultants and another 20 based in the US use the service to access the Internet and internal company systems and send and retrieve emails. It is essential for them to be able to communicate economically, reliably and easily. Jetset has delivered on all three.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the service has been the significant reductions in costs that the energy technology company has enjoyed since switching to Jetset.
“Our international phone bills have fallen considerably,” says Tim. “In the past, employees would dial internationally through London and would often also have to pay hotel telephone tariffs, making international communications extremely expensive. With Jetset, connections to local ISPs are charged at local rates, so international and mobile call charges are much lower.”
“For example, one of our consultants who travels to Togo in West Africa, used to pay charges of £11 per minute to download his emails – £110 for a ten-minute call. That cost has been driven right down. A similar ten-minute call now costs just £2.50. We’re making big savings of that order all the time.”
As a consequence, Nexant finds the service pays for itself very quickly. “In many cases we save the cost of the service by the second month of the year,” says Tim. “That’s extremely fast payback.”
Important though it is, cost is only one factor. Reliability is essential too, as Tim explains. “Sometimes international lines are weak and people have to cope with interrupted calls and lost emails. But with Jetset, reliability has greatly improved. We are no longer dependent on international lines, so we suffer very few failures. The problem of lost calls has virtually disappeared.”
Three years ago, when Nexant first started using Jetset, they found it very easy to implement, despite having more than 70 users. The software was simple to install and easy to use, requiring minimal staff training. Employees were trained in small groups, with the emphasis on practical, hands-on training. “The majority picked it up straight away and were able to get going very quickly. Again Community Internet was helpful in providing training for a core group of super users. They trained the trainers for us, and they then passed on their knowledge.”
Since then, overall feedback from Nexant staff has been very positive. “Everyone who has used Jetset has liked it,” says Tim. “What people like best is that, even when they are miles away in a different time zone, they can talk to an English-speaking person on the helpline. They don’t have to trouble head office at all. In the past I’ve had the occasional 2am phone call from someone needing help out in the field. That sort of call is now a thing of the past, as the consultants have access to excellent, local, English-speaking support.”
Nexant also appreciate the personal touch when it comes to the management of their account with Community Internet. “Our account manager is constantly in touch,” says Tim. “We never feel that he has forgotten about us. It’s a good feeling to know that he’s taking care of us and is genuinely interested in how things are going.”
To find out more about JetSet please call Jacqui Nicholls or Glyn Miles on 01865 856000 or send an email to info@community.net.uk