Is the business to business connection entering its LAST DAYS?

I have been trying to figure out for many years now, how I can provide my customers a way to communicate with each other to connect sellers and buyers.  It’s slowly working…we think?!

Our past efforts in connecting businesses and services with ATL’s referral “Marketplace” forum didn’t take off like we expected.  However we have been successful in matching up several businesses with our new blogs including the Baltimore area CLEC and the NY shared fiber. Yes, the “Marketplace” forum is DEAD but we have an idea on how to revive the buyers to sellers connection network through our interactive website!

 If you want to let others know you have a service to offer or you need something to buy, you can post it on ATL’s blog.  Since ATL never recommends carriers and never takes money from someone for referrals, this is the most I can do, but I hope it works. ATL is truly here to help make successful connections as we have since 1993!

ATL has a client that is looking for a vendor for DIDs.  They need about 2000 to start then will ramp up from there. He wants to get them ”on the fly” and pay usage. Is there someone who can help him?  Please answer through the comment on the blog.  If you would rather not put you contact information, after you place the blog contact ATL with that.

ATL has been a RespOrg since 1993 and works with every carrier.  After fifteen years of experience, carriers know they can rely on ATL to properly set-up their records and never risk our reputation of integrity by recommending carriers, taking money from carriers, or changing records for our own use.

Why then, would XO Communications suddenly decide to change their policy to prevent their customers and prospects from using ATL?  Here are the reasons in their words, and my responses to them:

• XO nor GC have the control or knowledge of what traffic is being sent to us.

This is not true.  A toll free number doesn’t work unless the carrier puts the terminating number into their switch, so calls can’t complete unless the carrier knows about it.  I wonder how Global Crossing feels about being included in XO’s statement.  ATL is RespOrg for tens of thousands of GC numbers and has had a great relationship with the company back to when it was Allnet.

• ATL is not a customer of XO; XO will have no recourse to pursue any compensation from traffic sent to XO under the ATL RESPORG ID

ATL is not a customer of any of the carriers.  That’s the point of being an independent RespOrg.  The carrier’s contract is with their customer.  If they want recourse they simply add that to the form they already use for 3^rd party RespOrgs.  Then, if their customer chooses to reroute traffic in a way that affects XOs cost, the customer pays the difference plus a premium. 

• Because ATL is not a customer of XO’s, XO would need to work with “Customer” (I consider the customer involved in this propriety)  to remove ATL unwanted traffic, technical issues or disputes regarding billing; resolution MTTR would be jeopardized

I don’t know what MTTR is, but she is absolutely right, she would have to work with her customer and apparently she still doesn’t understand what an independent RespOrg is because there is no ATL traffic.

• “Customer” being XO’s customers would need to be assigned as having authority for ATL RESPORG ID in order to avoid slamming issues or disputes

Since XO would not be doing the porting I don’t know where she was going with this.

I tell my customers that since RespOrg is just a cost, there is only one reason why a carrier would not want their customer to use an independent – they are not confident enough about their service and rates to allow the customer easy control.  Since, by FCC rule, the choice of RespOrg belongs to the end user, this is really just a refusal to carry the traffic for their customer.

Do you have a comment?

AT&T wants to move increasingly into the world of internet and wireless networks and leave the landlines behind and I can’t blame them.  Maintaining copper in the ground is expensive, but I have a question.  Where is their toll free department?   Is someone reminding them that huge changes will be required?  Toll free origination works only on CIC codes belonging to landline carriers?  Is AT&T abandoning the toll free business?

I have toyed with the idea for about a year of closing ATL’s office and having the employees work from their homes.  ATL has long time, very responsible employees and I am not concerned that our customers won’t be served, but I wonder about the loss of the camaraderie of our staff.  ATL is a fun place to work and none of us are too worried about making fun of ourselves.  I you don’t believe it; look at Esther’s picture on our website.  Believe me, we got her permission to do that and the chicken has a long and honored place in our history.  Have any of you undergone that change in your organizations?  Tell me what you think?

Is your Carrier Identification Code (CIC) code established in just a few, or even just one, geographical location?  Can you offer great rates in that area if no calls go to your resell contract?   ATL can provide you with the ability to originate toll free calls only where your CIC code is active.  Your LD carrier never sees the traffic so they don’t charge you for the calls.  Once this multi-carrier routing is active use it to get your foot in the door for customers that say they only use the national carriers.  You can guarantee them that their favorite national carrier is there for them to fall back on.  When they find out how good your service is ask for more.  Imagine the rates that could be provided if a bunch of regional carriers got together.  Call us and we will tell you how to do it.

It always surprises me how few companies make use of multi-carrier routing for toll free calls.  Besides the obvious use for disaster recovery, multi-carrier routing is powerful for effectively using your carrier contract rates and a negotiation tool for your next contract.  LATA/NXX routing can save you money when dealing with the on-net, off-net contracts.  There are companies that are doing this really well right now.

ITEXPO

I’m off to ITEXPO and looking forward to speaking tomorrow on one of my favorite pet peeves carriers who insist on having it all even when it is not to the advantage of the customer.  If you are interested check it out.

Are you at ITEXPO?

I am looking forward to meeting a lot of people at ITEXPO, so if you are going to be there, post a comment.  I’ll follow them and see if we can meet.  I will be there until early Thursday evening.