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President's Message:
TEL's History
A few words
about TEL and the Company’s past seem appropriate - I’ve been
talking about Dealers and Customers in previous Newsletters! TEL has
been chugging along now for 30 years – a good start. We expect
to be around for 30+ more!
TEL began as a
part-time venture designing and building “devices” in the
computer kit days – well before Apple 1, Apple 2 or Mac and
PCs. TEL designed one of the first successful microcomputer systems
and sold mostly to educational institutions. We sold a bunch of SUMs
(Single User Microcomputer) and MUMs (Multi-UM - up to 16 users), mostly as
teaching tools in microelectronics, and for typing instruction and word
processing (remember WordStar?). I was managing a large computer
center, so we designed several mainframe line concentrators and protocol
converters (remember proprietary communications hardware and “terminals”?).
TEL's microcomputer sales were taking off, but we didn’t have the
capital to keep up (remember, I had a full-time, “real”
job). A Howard Johnson property in Salt Lake then asked for a
“Room Status System”, then a “Wake-Up System”, then
an "Energy Management System", and then, when these worked, they
asked for a “Telephone Call Tracking and Billing System”
– and TEL was on its way!
The Howard
Johnson GM happened to be a big wheel in the HJ Users’ Group and
bragged about TEL at some meetings - and orders came streaming in.
Shortly afterwards – in early 1979 – I “joined” TEL
full-time! Our first big Account was Quality Inns International,
through its technical guys in Phoenix (techies were all in the Res Centers
in those days). QII had just bought several “Telephone Call
Tracking and Billing Systems” for big bucks (mini-computers), and we
negotiated a quantity price way below the mini-computer price. Not long
after that, TEL signed up with Best Western International, as well, and
then TEL was off and running! Interesting note: TEL prices today are
below those 1981 prices!
TEL has
installed 50,000+ call accounting systems since that first Howard
Johnson. Early QII and BWI sales agreements led to TEL’s Dealer
program, now our main sales channel. Thanks to you, TEL has done well
- we hope you’ve done well, maybe due a little bit to TEL!
We appreciate
working with our Dealers and Customers!! Let us know about your ideas
and hit us with your suggestions (praise is gladly accepted, but
constructive advice about how TEL can improve – and help you more -
is even more valuable)!
Any Dealers or
Customers out there willing to include your company’s history in our
Newsletter? We’d love to hear your stories!
Right up to
date: yes, the downturn has hit
us pretty hard, too, but TEL is hanging in there – and sure hopes
all of you are, too. The worst is almost over; better times are
ahead!! Be prepared for a big breakout when it comes. Good hunting!
John Gunter Sr.
President
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How to Promote
Call Accounting
Call
accounting has many applications for both hotels and businesses.
Hotels use call accounting to charge guests for phone usage, to verify
wake-up and emergency calls, and to monitor front desk and employee phone
calls. Businesses use call accounting products to measure sales
performance, to monitor for phone abuse, to bill clients for phone
consultations, and to plan for and allocate telecom expenses.
All of these
reasons, along with many others, indicate just some of the benefits of call
accounting. As a dealer for TEL electronics, it is your
responsibility to sell these benefits to your customers (and to benefit
from your customers!). And in order to sell these benefits, you need
to first promote call accounting as one of your services. Below is a
short list of some of the ways that you can better promote call accounting
to your target markets.
- Understand
the benefits of call accounting yourself;
- Receive
training from TEL on how to install and support call accounting
systems;
- The
dealer login section of our website contains support documents and
other helpful information. You can register by clicking
here.
- Provide
your customers with CDs that contain a free 30-day trial version of
WIN-SENSE 32 or INN-FORM PC (you can also download trial versions
online);
- On
your website, list Call Accounting as one your Products and Services:
- Describe
the benefits for each market you service;
- Display
pictures and screenshots of TEL products;
- List
TEL products on eBay and other online auction sites;
- Write
articles about call accounting in your customer newsletters;
- List
call accounting as an option on all of your bids, even if the customer
doesn’t ask for it;
- Talk
about call accounting to your customers;
- Call
local hotels and ask them about upgrading their systems (many already
have TEL systems);
- Ask
your account manager for a list of hotels with out-of-date TEL
products;
- Call
your existing clientele and offer a loyalty discount if they buy a new
call accounting system;
- TEL
offers trade-in discounts for existing customers;
- Ask
for help from TEL’s marketing department;
- Bundle
call accounting with another product or service;
- Send
out direct mailing campaigns to local hotels and businesses (TEL will
help you!);
- Survey
your local hotels and identify properties with upgrade and/or service
needs;
- Offer
discounts for trading out competitor products (TEL gives discounts for
competitor trade-outs).
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Tech's Corner: Old Systems No Longer Supported
In June, TEL
began sending upgrade notifications to all of its customers in an effort to
get properties to upgrade their old call accounting systems. While
many of these older systems have worked for 20+ years, TEL is no
longer able to repair or provide technical support for the INN-FORM XL v1.0
to v15.7 and INN-FORM Plus v1.0 to v4.2. Our inability to
support these products is due to the obsolescence of electronic parts and
the high cost of technical support that is incurred when supporting older
systems.
Because
certain TEL systems can no longer be supported by the manufacturer, we
recommend that dealers encourage their properties to trade in their old
call accounting system for the new INN-FORM XL v18.2 or the INN-FORM Plus
v6.5. These trade-ins will ensure that each property has a call
accounting system that is accurately billing for guest phone calls, accounting
for new area codes, prefixes, and dialing patterns, and includes the
latest product enhancements and features.
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