Long and Foster Real Estate Companies - Essay Example

Long and Foster Real Estate Companies Dear Mrs. Lasansky: RE: REPORT ON THE NEW SIEMENS PHONE SYSTEM I have the honour of presenting to you the survey results of the new Siemens system, which included question samples you had provided me earlier for this study. I have undertaken revisions of this analysis since last February 2013 and finished the same on March 14, 2013. This survey consists of opinions of 60 office agents 40 agents out of the 60 residents of the Reston North Hills office. This report was made through the help of 3 other Reston office agents. I hope this survey will be of value to you. Respectfully yours, Erla Reyes Real Estate Agent Executive Summary Mrs. Anita Lasanky, this report is intended to address the need of a new telephone system which will ensure the upgrading of the Long and Foster Reston business to greater heights. The Siemens model that we are requesting not only allows for the optimization and streamlining of the business itself, it will also meet all of the needs of this growing business. The Siemens system after full incorporation will serve the Long and Foster Reston office agents with an aim to bettering their services. In order to efficiently use the services of the system, the agents will need to be trained in its operations so as to ensure the smooth incorporation of the system into their every day working environment. After successful integration of the phone system into the organization’s system, the company will immediately notice changes in its productivity levels. This system will in the long run boost the productivity levels of the company by more than 30% as it ensures efficiency in every task that it is programmed to undertake, including but not limited to the forwarding of calls from the office to the agents in a timely manner. This ensures that the agents are free to execute the rest of their mandates tasks thus making them more efficient. The system will also allow for the optimization and streamlining of the business itself, as well as meet all of the needs of this growing business. With this is mind, I have chosen to undertake this study with a view to studying this magnificent system and the impact it is going to have to this company both immediately after incorporation and also looking at the company as an organization that has to survive. Introduction Technology is rapidly changing in our world and an organization must embrace this change or be left behind. For an organization to run efficiently while ensuring maximum productivity, it requires resources that will facilitate its functioning noting to increase its productivity. These resources are brought in to facilitate the smooth running of the organization while enabling it to meet its set objectives. The telephone system is very important to an organization. One of the obvious reasons for this is to ensure that the organization maintains contacts with its clientele. The other reason is that the members of an organization need to communicate as between each other. Another reason is that the organization needs to maintain constant communication with its suppliers so as to ensure that the organization is always ready to engage its clientele with current services. The key word through all this is communication. A telephone system is essential to an organization as it enables it communicate. The type of telephone an organization installs is guided by a lot of factors some of which include:- Its size and abilities It clientele base What it seeks to achieve through its communication, i.e. its objectives. This paper will seek to tackle issues relating to Long and Foster Reston telephone communication system while focussing on the Siemens Phone System. Problem Statement This study was necessitated after realizing that the organization was losing its business. I sought to find answers that would enable the organization regain its customers and gain new ones. I set out to survey 20 agents in the office. I found that 80 percent; which is the majority of these agents, are extremely concerned about not receiving their phone calls in a suitable time. As a consequence, the office is losing at least 30 percent of the business due to the lateness in the transmission by the existing phone system which has proven to be inefficient. Any loss of business is bad to an organization but a loss of 30% of the organization’s business is a catastrophe. I set out to inquire whether other companies are facing the same problems and if so, how they are dealing with the same. I found that other companies were not facing the same problem because they had integrated a new phone system, Siemens Phone System that was better than their previous phone systems in terms of efficiency and productivity. In addition, I found that the business we were losing due to the poor phone system has led the owners of these businesses to the companies that had integrated the new Siemens Phone System. The new system appears to have improved their businesses production by at least 30 percent in comparison to when they didn’t have the system in place. This is the amount of business that Long and Foster Reston business had lost. The Siemens system was suggested or requested by the majority of the agents but after inquiring on the same, I found that Long and Foster has no written policy in effect related to this matter which is retrogressive. With this in mind, I interviewed the employees at Long and Foster Reston. The participants were basically asked 5 different questions stating whether they agreed or disagreed with a statement. The following are the questions asked in the survey:- 1. Are you getting issues with companies’ phone system? 2. Indicate the time taken to get relay information through the existing phone system. 3. Do you know what Siemens phone System is?  4. How likely would you support the new Siemens’ system? 5. Would you agree that the Siemens Phone System will increase business productivity by at least 30 percent? Findings A majority of the employees took issue with the current telephone system, terming it outdated and inefficient. They listed it as the main reason they were losing business because it had proved to be incapable of handling the amount of business calls that came through in an efficient manner. On inquiry as to whether they knew of the Siemens Phone system, they all answered in the affirmed but stated they didn’t know how the system worked. They however stated that their ignorance in its workings did not curtail their wish to have it installed in the organization as they had heard that it was a very efficient telephone system. Analysis A study into the Siemens Phone System begins with a study of the traditional phone system. The traditional phone system uses analog technology in its circuit. Whenever a call is initiated, it is delivered through copper wires from the caller to the called party creating a dedicated physical connection for a single call of high quality. However, this system is limited as it can only carry one call at a time. (Innovation, 2005) On the other hand, the Siemens Phone System uses VoIP technology which is an upgrade from the traditional analog setting. This technology ‘packetizes’ voice signals converting them into digital data packets which are then sent to the network upon which they are transmitted simultaneously with information, technology, and data to the appropriate recipient. It still uses copper wires but the same are now able to carry multiple conversations in addition to data traffic within the network at a particular time. VoIP technology can also be transmitted through cable, Wi-Fi and satellite among others. (Poe, 2009) Essentially, the IP packet (data, voice, and video) is now independent of a specific communications channel, and can be transmitted on any current communications channel or a future one, taking advantage of new technology developments as they become available. (Incorporated, 2009) This Siemens Phone System has recently made forays into VoIP technology thus raising its profile of POTS alternatives for small and large business. The private branch Siemens digital phone system could be an option that customarily uses traditional phone lines to place calls. The system uses an internet connection in conjunction with remote equipment and software. The Siemens has features like automatic attendant, voicemail, and call forwarding. This wide array of system support is what makes it conducive for upgrading an office system. This is because it can multitask on a whole lot of information, thus making it ideal for use at Long and Foster Reston. (Sturdevant, 2006) This leads to a myriad of benefits derived from such technology such as web based administration, voicemail at no extra charge, unified messaging, routing telephone calls over the internet avoiding long distance charges, remote users in multiple locations and the employment of industry standards. (Poe, 2009) The office agent will find that they can now get up to date information as the phone system will be able to relay current information as and when the same arrives. The phone system provides for a wide range of advantages as it can also be used to provide internet connectivity, video conferencing and as a data transfer conduit. This multipurpose approach to technology is fully embodied within the Siemens Phone System thus ensuring that it is an essential tool to have in the office. (Net, 2009) The previous problem of loss of 30% of business will no longer arise. If anything, business will be seen to and actually boom because the company will achieve a very degree of efficiency and this will translate into increased productivity. This will ensure that Long and Foster Reston is no longer bleeding business to other companies but will establish itself as a leading contender in service delivery to its clientele. Setting up the Siemens Phone System The analysis that I will be presenting next, will include a simple walkthrough of the easiest setup for these particular phones. The following information collected and presented will be a comparison on how relevant the information is to the company and to the topic at hand. Siemens is usually related with very large telephony installations, primarily in Europe, and its newest foray into VOIP will raise the profile of POTS alternatives for small and large business. We got a chance to take a look at Siemens new phone handsets, which contain all the system data needed to handle calls, including the entire number plan for phones on the system. (Incorporated, 2009) The ongoing debate around the role of IP wasn’t limited to voice communications. Different Sessions covering Fiber Channel, IP and InfiniBand continued the conversation about the best way to implement their services just by incorporating this new system (Interop-Show-Floor 2006). It is a feature of the Siemens Phone System that it can multitask and conduct a host of operations all at the same time. These include internet connectivity and data transfers over and above receiving and making calls, making it an important tool for any organization. (Net, 2009) The following chart is comparing two different Real Estate businesses. The blue bars show the business increase after they have adopted the Siemens phone system. The following are the monthly fees involved in installation of the Siemens Phone System, including training. The training will consist of basic tools on how to use the system, instructional videos, and service monthly fees. Cost: $1000 Material and Equipment fees: $600 One time Training: $500 Service: Monthly fees: $200 Conclusion For an organization to survive in a market that is always changing and still maintain its competitive edge, the organization must be seen to make efforts to remain competitive through incorporating changes that will ensure it remains a leader in the market it is in. Long and Foster Reston is no exception. The primary cause of its loss in business is its poor and outdated phone system. Incorporating the Siemens Phone System into its organization is a game changing move. This is because the company will drastically improve its productivity levels as it will be very efficient. However, every company is different, meaning not every company needs Siemens Phone System to survive. Each company should research into itself with a view to ensuring that it survives as an organization and is able to compete on an equal level with other companies providing the same service. Reference Incorporated, A. S. (2009). VoIP and IP Telephony Considerations - White Paper. Knoxville, Tenessee: Access Systems Incorporated. Innovation, P. S. (2005). Wireless Phone Systems for your Organization. Chicago. Net, T. (2009). SMB Business Telephone Systems—Options to Ensure. Connecticut: TMC Net.com. Poe, R. (2009, August 4). Integrating Mobile Phones with Your Business Phone System. Focus , pp. 6-15. Siemens. (n.d.). Consumer Products. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from Siemens: http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/#188160 Sturdevant, C. (2006, May 8). A View From the Interop Show Floor. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from eWeek: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/A-View-From-the-Interop-Show-Floor/ Read More