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AireSpring Receives 2017 AT&T Strategic Product Award AireSpring was once again a strong presence at the AT&T Partner Exchange® during the 4th Annual Summit in Dallas. AireSpring was presented with the AT&T Strategic Product Award for achieving the highest total new sales revenue this year. AT&T's awards program celebrates solution
As an AT&T Elite Platinum Solutions Provider, AireSpring has been a participant since the program was launched in 2013, working closely with AT&T on a number of technical and development projects. The annual Partner Exchange brings together the premier solution providers of cloud services and hosting, VoIP services, VPN Connectivity Solutions and other AT&T products. Attendees are able to connect, collaborate and learn about channel trends, as well as strategic opportunities and services to enhance their businesses. The conference provides a chance to celebrate members’ successes and deliver important new opportunities for strategic growth in the channel. AireSpring CEO, Avi Lonstein stated, “We have been a core partner of AT&T since the inception of the Partner Exchange, and have enjoyed an extremely strong relationship with this outstanding team. We look forward to working together with AT&T to create sophisticated, robust connectivity and cloud solutions that best meet our customers’ needs. We are honored to be recognized by the Partner Exchange for our collaboration and sales leadership.” AireSpring Replicates Traditional Key System in the Cloud Offers Free Mitel 6865 Phone on a 3-Year Contract
The advantages of cloud hosting add built-in disaster recovery for businesses that make the switch. Users enjoy all the benefits of the AireSpring Advantage with White Glove Service, a reliable and diversified network and the AireSpring Escalation List up to our CEO. AireSpring is offering the Mitel 6865 next generation SIP phone FREE with a 3-year contract. Other upgraded phone options are available. Learn more about this exciting new system during our December 14th Partner Training Webinar, or contact your AireSpring Channel Manager for more details and a demo. AireSpring Partners with FiberNet Direct for Added Ethernet Access Connectivity AireSpring continues to expand its roster of carrier providers by announcing a new partnership with FiberNet Direct (formerly FPL), a Crown Castle Company. Now, AireSpring connectivity offers FiberNet Direct Ethernet Access Premium, delivering a high-speed fiber optic connection directly to the customer location. FiberNet Direct joins the growing ranks of AireSpring providers that supply advanced carrier-grade Ethernet services across the U.S. FiberNet Direct ensures quality connections through their geographically diverse peering exchanges for higher speed, greater reliability and enhanced service. They have the capability to fulfill any network need with high speed connectivity, ideal for quickly moving large volumes of data, with FE line rates from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, and GE 100 Mb to 1,000 Mb.
Instant pricing, updated rate sheets and availability information on FiberNet Direct service is already accessible in AireSpring’s QuoteSpring online quoting tool, with the following roster of AireSpring products:
AireSpring’s interconnected carrier and broadband partners now total over 20, with an ever-increasing number of fiber lit buildings, forming part of one nationwide IP network. They join the lineup of carriers used to deliver our signature managed services with one bill, one point of contact and free 24/7 AireNMS network monitoring. Start quoting FiberNet today! Please contact your Channel Manager for more information. |
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One More Month to Earn Gifts & Prizes--Go Above & Beyond Your Spiffs with the AireSpring Fourth Quarter Promo!
Who doesn't want Managed Connectivity, one bill, one point of contact, and FREE 24/7 network monitoring? Especially when you could be earning:
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Learn how AireSpring's new Cloud Hosted Key System brings cloud-hosted, full-featured functionality to small business communications. Many small business clients find themselves trying to manage communications in a challenging business environment while struggling with old, end-of-life (EOL) key systems. Chances are, they can't find replacement parts or upgrades and they lack true support. Meanwhile, many existing cloud-hosted PBX products may not be a workable solution for their existing key systems. Now, AireSpring has launched its new Cloud Hosted Key System. This VoIP solution emulates the traditional key system that small businesses are accustomed to using. Join our Partner Training webinar to learn all the ways AireSpring's new Cloud Hosted Key System gives small businesses the reliability of a hosted cloud system tailored to their needs. John Kitchen, Channel Manager and AireSpring expert Technical Overlay Trainer, with Solutions Engineer Chuck Long, will share an in-depth view of the Cloud Hosted Key System features and functions that your small business clients are waiting for. This webinar provides a clear, practical playbook to demonstrate the system's advantages over existing key systems, including:
WHAT: AireSpring Partner Training Webinar
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Sandler Partners Year End Sandler Partners Year End Celebration -Dallas Sandler Partners Year End Celebration - SoCAL |
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TCG Holiday Party Shooters Waterfront FTL |
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Telarus Innovation Conference Canyon Creek Country Club |
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TBI Bootcamp |
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Welcome to the latest edition in our series of profiles, shining the spotlight on AireSpring’s amazing partners. This month, we’re speaking with Paul Bedigian, president of Green Razor Communications. Paul, please tell us a bit about your background and the history of Green Razor.
What made us successful in this environment was focusing on service and support, not just trying to compete on price. Besides that, we were the guys who were always there when a business needed supplies immediately, say for an unscheduled meeting. We could instantly reroute our driver to deliver, and be sure that we had the right inventory on the truck, rather than wait for a cumbersome system to check. That hyperfocus on service was the genesis of my whole career. Eventually, my parents sold the business, and I got into the technology field, just as the dot-com bust hit. I was working for a telecom equipment manufacturer, Accelerated Networks, Inc. Our main competitors were ADTRAN and Cisco. We made the boxes that went into the central office, enabling the CLEC to provide an end-to-end voice and data solution to their clients. After the bust, the CLECs had no money to spend on building their networks and our source of customers was shut off. My next move was to go to work for MPower (later acquired by TelePacific, which is now TPX). I did very well in sales there, winning awards and qualifying for the President's Club. After a couple of years, I realized that the channel business idea was something I could get into, instead of working for the carrier. That rang a bell with my entrepreneurial roots, and I knew it was what I wanted to do--to go out and start my own company. It felt like a natural next move. As a result, in 2006 I left MPower and started Green Razor. How do you differentiate yourselves in the industry? The first step in differentiating the company was our name. I wanted a real name, not just an acronym without meaning. I thought about what we were trying to do, which was to help people cut costs and save money. The color of money is green, of course, and the razor is a reference to cutting costs, as well as cutting edge solutions. That's the story behind the name, Green Razor. We also differentiate ourselves on service. Our fit in the marketplace and our focus has always been the area I know best, working with vendors that need a partner to take care of provisioning and support, so they can focus on their own core competencies. As a rep, I always loved sitting with clients and discussing applications and solutions, so I drew on that experience, thinking of my days of focusing on customer service and support. I never just sold products and then moved on. I also managed the installation and made sure it all went smoothly. Over time, I started to network with customers' vendors, working with them and getting the best support for our customers, who noticed that it was not the usual telecom treatment for them. Customers are happy to be able to deal with us for everything instead of having to go to a lot of different vendors. We have about 80 agents, the majority of whom are referral agents. They range from those who just want to refer clients, to those who just need escalation support and training for new products, to those who want full white glove service, with tiers in between. Everyone in the industry is recognizing that IT consultants are the key trusted advisors for the customer. Now that the worlds of IT and phone have converged, everything goes through that IT person. Master agents are recognizing that these are the guys with influence to help drive business. Fortunately, this dynamic is the core DNA of Green Razor. I know how the IT people like to work and how they want to be supported. What do you like about working with AireSpring? We know a lot of the key people at AireSpring. When I'm asked why I do business with AireSpring, I say because you guys are so easy to work with. I know the people, they are a family business, not a micro-business. If something happens, you don't get siloed off into a different department, or forced to deal with an automated system. You don't have to talk to a call center in an unknown out-of-state location. We have a relationship with your people and they trust us, as well. I tell customers that we've successfully done tremendous numbers of orders with AireSpring. I've been working with Mike Nesci [Senior National Channel Manager] since 2006. This is a guy who wants to help you and wants your business. He wants to win, which is a good thing. I am very loyal to him and we think he does a great job. If there is a problem, I call Mike and ask him to help. I've also had a chance to connect with the owners, Avi and Daniel Lonstein [AireSpring CEO and COO], at the AireSpring Channel Partners luncheon. I know Ron McNab well [AireSpring Senior Vice President, Channel Sales]. I tell customers about the AireSpring Escalation List, with access all the way up to the CEO--I just show it to them, and explain that I have never had to use it, because the company is so responsive. Also, AireSpring does not have a direct sales team, you are not going to compete with me, unlike a lot of other carriers. Another advantage is for internet circuits, for example with AT&T, you get the AT&T network circuitry, but instead of relying on their support and provisioning, you can work through AireSpring where you're managed by a carrier that is easier to deal with. What would you say is the secret to being a successful agent? I realized early in my career that there is no secret sauce. If you work hard, learn the product and are disciplined about getting new business and taking care of your customers, you'll be successful. Here's an example: I was out cold calling one day and in one call, sold a deal that was half my monthly quota--a big deal. Instead of calling it a day, I finished that building, sold two more and made my full month's quota by staying there and working. It's not about luck, the more effort you put in, the more you get in numbers. It's always a numbers game. Another insight happened when I was at Accelerated Networks, the telecom equipment manufacturer. I had earned the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification to get the technical background that I felt was needed, yet I couldn't sell anything in my first two months. I thought knowing more than anyone else would be the secret, but then I spoke with a very likeable, funny agent in the office. I asked him how he was selling so many T1 circuits, and he answered that he had no idea what a T1 was, but it was obvious that he knew how to talk to people and gain their trust. I realized that I was over-explaining everything and killing my chances by talking above the heads of my prospects. What is the “next big thing” you think agents should be aware of in 2018?
SD-WAN is not just for large multi-location users, and it is not just an MPLS replacement. AireSpring has killed it on inbound/outbound service, showing how traffic does not all have to go through the big VeloCloud box, which gets very expensive. What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of telecom?
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At AireSpring, we know that it is our dedication to customer service that sets us apart, and customer service begins with great employees. Here is your chance to get to know the AireSpring team that oversees your orders and delivers great service every day. This month we are talking with Don Greenstein, Vice President of Account Management. Hello Don. To begin, can you tell us about your professional background and your role at AireSpring? I developed an interest in computers and automation early on in college, when it was all about mainframes. I studied computer science, linguistics and math. Then, when personal computers came out I thought that was a great thing and looked for a job where I could learn more about it. I got my foot in the door with Executive Software, which had a mainframe focus. At the same time I began learning more about PCs and DOS, then looked for something more involved with computer automation and desktop. I found a position with ADDTEL which was my first entry into telecom, and where I got to know the Lonsteins. I worked with network and billing systems and learned about database and systems set-up, becoming expert in the back office functions, at the same time training myself on PCs. I stayed at ADDTEL until the sale of the company. Over a 25-year period in telecommunications, building experience in switching, billing and computer telephony integration, I’ve held senior management positions at SA Telecommunications, EqualNet Communications, Relay Point Networks, Coyote Network Systems and Maverick Telecom. My new role at AireSpring as Vice President of Account Management means I’ll be building the Account Management group into a team that is even more involved with the customers, keeping them engaged with us. I want our team to become an asset and a resource for the agents out there to use. A big part of my task is to help team members understand that developing relationships builds confidence over time, encouraging all our customers to re-sign with AireSpring. How long have you been with AireSpring? I returned to work with the Lonsteins at the newly formed AireSpring in 2002, when it was just the Lonstein family, myself and a few others. I served as the tech/operations guy, and did all of the billing as well as setting up all the automated provisioning. AireSpring was basically a startup then, so really, everyone did everything. Eventually, I became Vice President of Operations and stayed until company growth demanded splitting off some of those functions in order to build and hire more people. I was here until 2015, then after a two-year sabbatical, I came back to AireSpring early this year in the role of VP Account Management. What do you enjoy most about working with AireSpring? I enjoy the fact that the company really cares a lot about its agent and customer relationships, the people involved and about their own employees. Other companies are often all about the numbers and nothing else matters. Here at AireSpring, the emphasis is on taking care of your customers, agents and employees. You hit your numbers by delivering good service and by being open and honest. I think my deep technical understanding of the industry and the systems at AireSpring lets me help solve problems and address issues from the customer perspective. I have a lot of credibility with both the technical and operations staff, even the sales engineering people, because I trained most of them and have worked with them for years. If there is a difficult situation with a customer who has had what seems like an insurmountable challenge, I’m the one often called in to get to the bottom of the issue, because I can see the customer’s point of view. What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of the office
literature and linguistics led to a fascination with sci-fi. I read all kinds of sci-fi writers, including the classics from Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and others. And, of course, I’m always learning more about the next wave in computer and telecom technology.
Don, thank you for sharing your story with us! |
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AireSpring is an award-winning provider of Managed Connectivity and Cloud Communications solutions providing fully managed and connected end-to-end, next-generation solutions for multi-location enterprise customers, including:
AireSpring's services are delivered over its revolutionary nationwide MPLS Mesh Network, providing customers a fully integrated, end-to-end solution from a single vendor.    |
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