According to recent data published by Infonetics, the number of IP Centrex seats grew by 25% in the first half of 2011. If this growth rate continues, the total will have more than doubled between now and 2015.
The research mirrors our own experience. In the past year, our customers have experienced rapid growth, which in turn has fuelled deployments of Easy Virtual PaBX licenses. In this respect, Gintel has outperformed the market, achieving growth of more than 60% since Q4 2010. This exceptional growth endorses the strategic direction chosen by Gintel and our investment in market-leading products.
But, while some of this can be accounted for simply from a fast-growing customer base, we can also observe that there is often a critical mass that needs to be reached in a deployment. When the installed base in a single operator exceeds a certain level, things start to snowball and there may be a period of significant growth.
Of course, this can take time to achieve. It requires considerable focus and energy, particularly in the early stages of a deployment. It requires that the fundamentals be in place:
- Focused sales team
- Channel support
- Differentiated product offer
- Strong product promotion and marketing
We have written about the importance of these factors in the past, but it’s critical to recognise that they are mutually supportive. For example, it’s necessary but not sufficient to have the best product; you must also have a motivated sales team that is primed to sell a solution that offers recurring revenues, not large one-off hits.
Similarly, service providers need to recognise that there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits all approach. Typically, a market needs a product orientated to the needs of SoHos, SMEs, enterprises and so on, each offering slightly different bundles of features that address the different concerns of companies of differing sizes.
And, it’s essential to have the ability to continue learning from interaction with the target market and customers by refining and tailoring the packages on offer. The principal of continuous improvement requires a sales team and channels that are able to engage with customers and report feedback so that the products can evolve.
There doesn’t appear to be a single, overwhelming success factor. Success in Mobile and IP Centrex is driven by a unified approach that combines all of the above. By taking into account these considerations, the chances of reaching that critical mass and outperforming the market can be significantly increased.
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