Telarus Releases MPLS Research Tool
Telarus Inc., master agent and creator of ShopforT1.com, ShopforEthernet.net and VARNetwork.com, Thursday announced it has launched a carrier research tool focused exclusively on MPLS networks. Additionally, Telarus has launched a public-facing Web site, www.ShopforMPLS.com, to attract MPLS leads for its agents.
Based on three years of historical quote data, a Telarus agent now can upload 10,000 sites to the system and “know within 20 seconds which carriers have the highest ‘hit rate,’ so they know where to go with their opportunities,” said Patrick Oborn, vice president of marketing for Telarus.
“We firmly believe that MPLS is the future of WAN networks,” said Adam Edwards, president of Telarus. “We have invested heavily into software development that leverages our vast archive of carrier quotes in order to provide visibility into which carriers have the highest probability of being the best fit for any given multilocation MPLS prospect.”
The Telarus MPLS quote tool includes several key functions:
- Customer site list file upload function – This allows a customer to upload a site list, which is then made available to the Telarus agent when he/she logs into his/her private back office to retrieve the lead and view the customer record.
- Bulk location upload / SQL record creation – As part of an MPLS quote request, an agent only can send locations to a vendor if they have been uploaded and then scrubbed by the United States Postal Service (USPS). This function allows agents to copy and paste a customer location list in either tab- or comma-delimited text, which automatically is converted into customer location records attached to the mail customer record and then run through a USPS address filter for verification.
- Dynamically generated MPLS questionnaire – This questionnaire keeps most questions “hidden” (using JavaScript code), displaying only the ones necessary based on previous answers.
- Carrier serviceability based upon trailing 18-month GeoQuote archive data — Using Telarus’ GeoQuote archive of T1 data quotes, the system can determine if a particular carrier offers competitive broadband service in a particular area. Oborn said Telarus defines “competitive” as under $475 for T1 service with a three-year term, but, ultimately, the agent can set his/her own thresholds so see how it affects the results.
- Quote request standardization for vendors – Telarus found that the biggest gripe about MPLS quotes was that there was no standardized means of communication. Every quote from this tool comes in a standardized format. The MPLS tool was designed from the ground up with the input of many key Telarus vendors, including MegaPath Networks.
“This is the first key step to automating the MPLS quoting process, which will allow us to participate in a greater volume of MPLS opportunities that are aligned with our network deployment,” said Dan Foster, senior vice president/general manager of channels and SMB markets for MegaPath.
Foster said MegaPath will offer all Telarus agents a “hefty bonus” for all Q3 MPLS sales. Telarus will pass the MegaPath MPLS spiff through to its agents in line with its 100 percent spiff pass-through policy. The spiff will cap out at $10,000 per deal.
Other vendors available through the Telarus MPLS quote tool include ACC Business, AT&T, Accel Networks LLC, Cavalier Telephone and TV, Level 3 Communications Inc., New Edge Networks, Network Innovations Inc., NuVox, One Communications Corp., PAETEC, Telnes Broadband, TelePacific Communications, Time Warner Telecom and XO Communications.
