Master agency Telarus Inc. announced Tuesday the launch of GeoScan, a new carrier research tool to address the needs of agents who specialize in large and complex deals.

The GeoScan tool, located in the Telarus agent back office, allows agents to identify the most qualified carriers for specific projects based primarily on the geographic composition of a customer’s access needs.

GeoScan primarily uses years of archived data from GeoQuote, Telarus’ patented multicarrier quoting system, to determine which carrier has “on-net” facilities for any given geographic area and how much they cost. By “scanning” through millions of previous quote archives, GeoScan is able to determine with a high degree of accuracy where a given carrier can offer competitive services and where they cannot. That’s because generally, a carrier with more on-net facilities to serve a given customer service area will offer more competitive rates.

To fine-tune results, a filter allows agents to change the MRC threshold as well as the size (in months) of the archive they’d like to use in their search. Typically GeoScans for 100 or fewer locations take less than 10 seconds; larger networks take up to 30 seconds. Agents can use the Telarus’ bulk location upload tool to import large numbers of locations prior to running GeoScan.

“GeoScan will revolutionize the way agents sell large telecom opportunities just as GeoQuote has changed the way agents quote transactional products,” said Andre Morgan, Telarus’ vice president of Web development. “In just seconds our agents will be able to see, in black and white, which carriers have the highest likelihood of providing the best price. Even more important, they will see which carriers not to contact — saving everyone time and headaches. “

Morgan explained that even carriers do not want to waste time and resources quoting a job that will end up being too expensive because a large number of locations are off-net.

“Most agents have a pretty good idea of where carriers have a presence,” added Lance Akins, vice president of sales for Telarus, “but when you begin to deal with hundreds or even thousands of locations, it’s very difficult to know which carriers have the best overall presence across all of the locations. GeoScan allows agents to instantly know which carriers they should take the opportunity to without having to quote every carrier we offer. GeoScan will not only make the agent’s life much easier, but it will also help them win more deals.”

“GeoScan, combined with our fiber mapping tool, really empowers high-end agents to do meaningful research on behalf of their clients, adding value and making themselves that much more indispensable,” said Telarus President Adam Edwards. “Best of all, these tools are not available to the direct sales channel, creating a real competitive advantage for Telarus agents and the channel at large.”