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| Once again we have great new product information and company updates to share with you. Read about our new AireSpring Call Recording platform and learn how we are equipping our cloud business phone system, AirePBX, with call center features and technology. In our Partner Spotlight this month, we feature Karin Fields, CEO of MicroCorp, who shares some secrets to success in the channel. And finally, Kelvin Justice, National Channel Manager at AireSpring, is profiled in our Employee Spotlight. |
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| AireSpring IntroducesCall Recording |
 Give your customers the tools they need to monitor and ensure call quality and compliance. We are proud to announce AireSpring Call Recording, our brand-new platform which:
- Helps ensure adherence to corporate policy and regulatory requirements
- Improves corporate governance
- Allows proactive risk management
- Streamlines dispute resolution
- Increases sales conversions
- Serves as a coaching and performance improvement tool for agents and sales professionals
Call Recording is available as an add-on for all AireSpring voice network services, including AirePBX, PRIs, and SIP Trunking. AireSpring Call Recording is a fully-featured call recording and quality monitoring solution offered at a very competitive price.
- VoIP sessions are automatically recorded and uploaded to the cloud, smoothly integrating with all of AireSpring’s Hosted IP solutions
- Our easy-to-use online portal, available for all standard internet browsers, allows clients to quickly search, find and categorize their recordings
- Recordings can be searched by timestamp, incoming or outgoing phone number, and duration
- Recordings can be downloaded or emailed in Waveform Audio File Format, allowing clear and precise playback
- Customer databases can be linked to the platform for safe and stable long-term storage and backups
- Data, comments and labels can be attached to the recordings, ensuring that they can be easily categorized and retrieved
For more information about the AireSpring Call Recording platform, contact your channel manager.
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| AirePBX Plus: The Customer Service, Support, and Sales Team Solution |
 Many organizations havecustomer service, sales,and tech support departments that can benefit from aspects
of a contact center software program but do not require a full-featured, omni-channel solution. Those departments operate very differently from the rest of the company and need special tools that most business phone systems do not offer. That’s why we are proud to announce AirePBX Plus. AirePBX Plus adds on functionality that enables your customers to upgrade existing or new AirePBX installations into a fully functional customer service, sales, or support department. Most seats in a customer installation can use the standard AirePBX license, while sales people, support agents, and supervisors use the more robust AirePBX Plus functionality including:
- A real-time wallboard that displays performance statistics such as the number of calls in queue, average wait times, and agent statuses in a graphical format on any large monitor or TV
- Personal dashboards let agents manage their own performance by viewing individual details and statistics, dramatically improving productivity
- Monitor, barge and whisper functions allow supervisors to step in and help agents or sales reps before a call is lost, translating directly into increased revenue and improved customer satisfaction
- Customized call routing based on a number of algorithms including round robin, longest idle, circular or linear. When all lines are busy, incoming calls may be held in a queue
- Dynamic queue management allows agents and managers to join and leave queues as call volumes change or at the start and end of a shift. Multiple queues may be joined simultaneously
- Advanced on-demand and scheduled reporting features give supervisors the ability to manage and report on agent or sales rep activities so they can focus their efforts on improving and maintaining productivity
While it lacks the full degree of features and functionality of our award-winning AireContact platform, AirePBX Plus helps customers by providing a strong contact center foundation – giving small and midsize enterprises an advantage over their competition by providing the ability to transition to a hosted call center platform.
To learn more about how your hosted PBX clients can benefit from the economically-priced, diverse feature set of AirePBX Plus, call your AireSpring channel manager. |
| May Promo: Build the Perfect Selling Machine |
 The year is 2016. Telecom customers are no longer impressed with run of the mill products and lackluster services. To sell to them, you need the perfect selling machine.
Powered by QuoteSpring, AireSpring’s powerful quoting program, award-winning productsand the AireSpring Advantage, this machine has arrived.
QuoteSpring allows you to create and modify quotes in real time. At 150% SPIFF power, this machine turns connectivity deals into hulky commissions.
Will you lead the telecom agents in the war against mediocre products, poor customer service and delayed quotes? If so, contact your Channel Manager to terminate the competition with AireSpring. |
| See AireSpring at Call Center Week |
Thanks again to everyone who visited us at Interop, ITW, and ICMI! Call Center Week offers us another chance to connect with the contact center community.
Join us June 27 – July 1 at the Mirage in Las Vegas! We will be at Booth #509 talking the latest and greatest contact center technology and services.
For end user customers, expo passes can be purchased here. |
| Ben Hanni Wins $100 Amazon Gift Card in AireSpring May Training Raffle |
AireSpring is committed to helping our partners succeed. Each month, we offer training on AireSpring products and industry trends to help you surface opportunity and achieve more revenue. We always wrap up with a survey so we can learn even more about what you need to succeed. To thank participants for the feedback, one lucky partner wins a valuable prize. For May, Ben Hanni of BP Innovations was the winner of a $100 Amazon gift card. Congratulations Ben, we hope you enjoy!
Don’t miss our next training on June 16th at 11:00 a.m. PST, where we will cover AireSpring’s product set for call centers.
Register here!
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 Welcome to the latest edition in our series of profiles where we shine the spotlight on AireSpring’s amazing partners. This time we’re speaking with Karin Fields, CEO of MicroCorp.
Hello, Karin. Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. To begin, please tell us a little about yourself and your background and the history of MicroCorp.
I started my telecom career years ago helping out my husband, Brad Miehl, with back office work at his company, MicroCorp. Twenty years later, and I am serving as the CEO/COO of MicroCorp, one of the most successful distributors of telecom and cloud services in the country. Although I did not expect to invest so much into telecom, I am beyond glad that I did.
Brad started MicroCorp when he was in college. Originally we had a very small team of 2 full-time and 2 part-time staff. Now we employ more than 50 people across 9 states, we have two offices, and we have acquired two regional master agencies. Needless to say we have grown a lot in recent years.
From its inception, MicroCorp has operated as a support organization. We provide extensive back office support including quoting and managing orders for our partners, enabling them to focus on sales. We are the only master agency that manages orders from the sales stage until post turn up when the order commissions. We also provide a slew of resources for our partners from marketing and controllership resources to back office support and our TotalCare 365 technical support.
How long have you been partnering with AireSpring?
It has been 8 wonderful years, and counting, working with Daniel and Avi and the rest of the AireSpring team. Any time I need something, I can pick up the phone and call your Sr. VP of Sales, Ron McNab, or shoot him a text. Either way, I know I will receive an immediate answer. In this industry, responsiveness is of critical importance and I can always count on AireSpring to be proactive and communicative.
Tools like QuoteSpring and AireSpring’s comprehensive product set also make my team’s job easier. When there is a powerful quoting system and an attractive set of services to show customers, half the work is already done! Once someone becomes a customer, I can rest easy knowing that AireSpring’s repair and support team has them covered.
What would you say is the secret to success in this industry and being a successful agent/VAR?
It is incredibly important to know where your strengths are, and to know where you are not as strong. That way you can partner with organizations that accentuate your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. For example, we work with an amazing saleswoman who uses our TotalCare 365 program for customer support. While she knows that her strength is in sales, she realized that she does not have time to manage both the back office and engage customers. To solve this obstacle, she found a resource to manage the paperwork through MicroCorp. I think this is a perfect example of how to achieve success. You have to find your one primary area, whether it is data centers or security or disaster recovery, and become an expert. Then you partner with a business like MicroCorp to fill in the gaps.
Customers are much more knowledgeable than they were 15 years ago, and they can recognize when a sales person is speaking outside their area of expertise. Your customers will appreciate it if you explain to them the limits of your services, especially if you are able to leverage your relationships to provide them with solutions outside your expertise.
What is the “next big thing” you think agents and VARs should be aware of in 2016?
Right now the convergence of technology and telephony is very exciting. In terms of products, I see security as the next big thing. Companies are running more and more on large quantities of information. And the rise of the cloud has accommodated that increase. Thus, we have to further accommodate the explosion of information and data by implementing serious security measures within our networks. In other words, what has made business more convenient has also made it less secure. Security products are needed in just about any business. They will be mandatory in a few years.
There is also going to be more consolidation of providers across the industry. There are countless small cloud providers right now that will most likely be bought by larger companies. These small companies do cloud services well, but they lack the size and reach to make an impact. Larger companies can buy these companies and bring those great products to the forefront of the market.
At the same time, there is evidence that suggests smaller, more niche organizations are going to proliferate, particularly in the realm of security. As more services move to the cloud, security will become more and more important. In parallel, sub-specialists that dominate highly specific aspects of security will be in demand. With more and more information, companies need powerful tools and expert staff to make it through market transitions. Thus, I believe we are going to see much more sub-specialization within some organizations.
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of telecom?
I am an avid tennis player. I play tennis year-round and I work out 3 – 4 days a week. I also love to cook and entertain. Having 35- 40 people for a sit down dinner at my house is no big deal. I have been married to the same wonderful man for almost 26 years. We have two amazing children (3 if you count MicroCorp).
I am also involved with several organizations, including Women in the Channel, Women in Technology and Atlanta Telecom Professionals. I am also the Vice Chair of the Alliance. I believe that if you stop growing, then you stop going. You constantly have to learn and challenge yourself.
Thank you, Karin, for sharing your insights with us!
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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 time, we are speaking with Kelvin Justice, Regional Channel Manager.
Hello, Kelvin. To begin, please tell us about your professional background and your role at AireSpring.
I started my telecommunications career 26 years ago as an account executive at WorldCom. Throughout the 1990’s, I gained experience in sales and account management, moving between various well-known carriers such as Global Crossing and Sprint. During that time, however, I also began working independently as an agent.
It was as an agent that I first started doing business with the Lonstein brothers. They were running ADDTel at the time, but their reputation for quality services at competitive prices was already established. After they sold ADDTel, I did not hear from them for several years until I ran into Daniel Lonstein at Channel Partners in 2001, just after they formed AireSpring. I spent about an hour trying to sell him wholesale dialer traffic, and I think it was a good use of time because thereafter we resumed our business relationship. I probably would not have guessed then that it would last over a decade.
After working the agent side for about 9 years, I wanted back on the carrier side. I started taking classes to receive my IP Networking degree, so I needed a regular schedule to balance school and work. In the fall of 2012 I saw that AireSpring was looking for a Channel Manager, so I applied. A few months later I was working on the carrier side as a Channel Manager for AireSpring.
As a Channel Manager, my primary function is to support my Channel Partners and help them attain success. I won’t deny that my years as an agent affect the way I do my job either. In fact, I think this gives me a unique advantage in that I am able to empathize more with the agents I support. As any agent knows, executing a sale perfectly is not enough – the carrier can still fail to deliver. If that happens, you are left with an angry customer and no commission to show for it.
There is nothing we hate more at AireSpring than to see an agent’s deal go south, as it reflects negatively on our role as the ultimate Channel support team. That is why we work so hard to make sure every deal results in high commissions for our partners and high quality service for the end customer.
What do you enjoy most about working at AireSpring?
Ever since I started working with the Lonstein brothers, they have been known for the trifecta in telecommunications services: great product quality, high commissions, and competitive prices for end user customers.
I think the reason they have achieved this success is due to the company’s flexibility. I would even venture to say that no company can change or update orders as quickly as AireSpring. At most companies, if you want to change something about the order, it has to pass through multiple departments at a snail’s pace. At AireSpring, I have the flexibility to make changes to the product or even the price in 2-3 minutes. A lot of the agents I work with call me the ‘fastest draw in the West’ because I can revise quotes in no time. This is due, in part, to powerful quoting engines like QuoteSpring, which is so effective that I personally handle 95% of the quotes my agent’s bring to me.
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of the office?
I have a son who lives close to me, so we get to hang out more often than not. I am a huge softball guy. I still play all the time, and although I am not as sharp as I used to be, I can still throw a mean pitch and keep some of the younger guys on their toes.
As I mentioned, I also went back to school to get an IP Networking degree. In addition, I recently got an MBA to expand my knowledge of business and financial strategy. Both are immensely helpful in my work as a Channel Manager, but I also just enjoy learning new things. Currently, I am taking classes about investing so I can become smarter about how to manage my own finances. I think it’s never too late to keep educating yourself.
Thanks, Kelvin, for sharing a bit about yourself and especially for everything you do to help AireSpring deliver excellent service! |
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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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| AireSpringGeneral Inquiries
888.389.2899
Wholesale
888.389.2899 ext. 352 |
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