ANSWERS TO YOUR MAINTENANCE QUESTIONS

Q: How can my business benefit from a maintenance solution?

A: Whilst many telecom companies advertise their ‘response’ times, Dataphone focuses on the time it takes to actually clear faults (measured from the time they were reported to us)

Service calls are categorised depending upon their potential impact on a customer’s business. Major faults – whereby access to telephone calls is impaired – are dealt with as a priority, and currently our average time to clear such faults is 1.5 working hours. More minor faults are currently cleared within an average of 3.5 working hours.

Often, faults on more up to date systems can be cleared by our engineers via remote access, although clearing faults on some types of systems require site visits.

We keep high levels of maintenance stock, which combined with careful job and route planning, ensures that our engineers respond to and repair faults as quickly as possible.

Our IS09001 accreditation, which involves regular internal and external audits, guarantees that our customers receive an effective and continuous maintenance service at all times.

Q: How can you reach Dataphone in the event of an emergency with your telephone system?

A: Our switchboard is open from 8am until 5:30pm Monday to Friday, during which time faults can be reported. During out of hour periods, including public holidays, calls for service are directed through to our out of hours call service which operates daily between 7am and 10pm.

Additionally, requests for service can be logged via this website, emailed, or faxed, depending upon your selected method of communication.

Q: Who do we employ to maintain customers’ telephone systems?

A: With a combined total of over 100 years’ industry expertise, we believe that our engineers are amongst the best in the telecoms sector. Not only are they experienced and knowledgeable, they know how to work effectively with our customers to ensure that their telephone systems run smoothly. We employ our own engineers – as opposed to subcontracting out maintenance work – and many of them have been supporting Dataphone customers for over 10 years.

Our engineers have worked for other telecom companies, and have often remarked how different it is working for Dataphone. One of our engineers, Mark O’Sullivan, who joined our company in 2007 says:

“One of the main differences between Dataphone and the other companies I have worked for in the past is the quality of customer support. The standard of work carried out by the engineers is better, they are better organised, and are more sensitive to customer needs”.

Our engineers receive ongoing training from equipment manufacturers to keep them abreast of new technology, but in addition, many of them – through their vast experience – support many of the older systems, which in some cases date back to the early ‘90s.

Q: Who are our customers?

A: Maintaining contented customers is a key aim of Dataphone, and testament to our excellent level of customer care, many have been in partnership with us for over 10 years; and a significant number employ us to look after multi-site applications. For example, for one client, we have supplied in excess of 150 systems nationwide over the last 12 years. Another nationally-based client has had 75 systems installed, and to date we have not had one single complaint from them about our customer service. We are very proud of this achievement and are happy to provide references from our customers upon request.

Our customers come from many industry sectors including: charities, schools, government departments (central and local), lawyers and barristers, accountants, travel agencies, and manufacturers: in each case, having a properly maintained telephone system is crucial to their business.

When choosing a company to support their telephone system, a customer needs to be assured of a reliable and effective service at all times. To help customers decide on a supplier, Dataphone are happy to invite them to their offices in Woodford Green (on the London/Essex border). In doing so, customers can meet Dataphone personnel and see for themselves the level of customer support provided. If you would like to arrange a visit to our offices, please contact us on 0800 111 69 66.

Q: Why do you need a maintenance agreement?

A: Your telephone system has just crashed: you can’t make or receive telephone calls, and your customers can’t get through to you! The loss of telephone service is a major problem for any business, and therefore it’s of paramount importance that faults are rectified as quickly and skilfully as possible.

Over 95% of our customers have chosen to cover their telephone system with a Dataphone maintenance agreement. This provides the peace of mind that when there is a problem, it will be dealt with swiftly by an experienced and professional company. Although manufacturers usually provide an equipment warranty in the first year, this does not cover the labour and carriage costs incurred when affecting repairs, and for this reason, all new systems installed by Dataphone come with a maintenance agreement.

In the event of a problem with your telephone system, our agreement will cover the cost of replacement components and all associated labour. Our engineers will respond quickly, and are equipped to resolve problems on their first visit. Faults may be rectified on site or via remote system access but either way our engineers will ensure that normal telephone service is restored as soon as possible.

We offer a range of service levels to suit customer needs, whether your business is a busy customer-focussed company operating during extended working hours, a school, or a small charity. Whatever your requirement, Dataphone can offer a suitable maintenance solution.