If you were working with a carrier, you may look at some of these services as verticals. Normally we would work in vertical markets. Vertical markets are markets that branch out from existing models. When you look at the OEMs you see niche vendors offering a specific service to them. If you try to expand into private markets, that is a vertical. The difference is that the use case may be different so you may have to offer a niche service that you couldn’t see to your prime customer.

So, let’s look at these services as vertical services. This is how scaling works. You start with expanding the existing service or coverage and then grow into new services. New services for your customers mean additional revenue for you. This doesn’t necessarily have to be new equipment or new spectrum, just a new service that fits into the existing network. It may require new apps or new backend management. 

Offering new services isn’t bad but for new customers there may not be a runway long enough to cover the initial investment. If it were a new customer, then partners could fill the gap. 

However, for an existing customer, you have the existing network and you could run trials at very little risk. If the customer wants it, you can trial a service, work out the problems, then go live. If it doesn’t work or the customer is disappointed, then drop it. Not a bad way to move forward. 

You may be able to absorb an existing service or product they have into your network, reducing the complexity and adding to your value. 

What is Scaling

When the network is built and installed, it’s not complete. As the selling team, you should remain in touch to support your customers beyond maintenance. This is when you have to be diligent. The customer may be happy with what they have, but then again, if the network is performing well, and as they expected, it’s your responsibility to make sure they can expand what they have. 

The problem I have seen with Wi-Fi networks has been that they install it and forget it. The customer can add new hotspots if they need to but for the most part it’s set it and forget it. That is not what you want to do with these networks.

If it were me, I would not only offer maintenance but as part of it offer monitoring KPIs like performance, dropped calls, throughput performance, maybe QoS if you can track it. Offer to add these performance reports, automate them, and throw it under the maintenance contract. This will help you and your customer see if it’s performing as expected. 

Then, when you see how much they use it you can see where it can be expanded and improved. 

Look for Opportunities

The customer may want to expand coverage or throughput. This is something that can usually be taken care of quickly and easily.

However, what if they want to try new use cases? What if they use it for IoT and now they want to try to offer mobile hand off or PTT, (Push-to-Talk) services? This is something you may be able to add quickly and offer new services for support.

There are so many ways to go and services to add. It all starts with talking to your customer. Make sure they know all the possibilities. Make a list for them.

• IoT services to track devices or people,
• IoT for lighting, heat, cool, and other environmental controls,
• Broadband handoff for their users,
• Secure and privacy on the network,
• Coverage expansion,
• Additional bandwidth,
• New test cases,
• Add on features like ML, AI, Digital Twin backend support,

You can help your customer better if you understand what they really want and their roadmap.

Don’t be pushy up Front

When selling the transformation, you want to tell them everything it can do. That’s OK but realize that this investment has to make sense for their business. They may want to run a trial, which is a good thing.

If they run the trial, make sure it adds value to their end game. You can run all kinds of trials, and the main failure I’ve seen in the past is that the trial has nothing to do with what the customer actually wants. Here are some examples.

• If they want to control their heating and cooling systems, show them that, not the small cell you had on the shelf to demonstrate throughput.
• If they want to roam onto their personal network, show them it can be done either by a demo or a visit to another customer if you have something to demonstrate.
• If they want to do manufacturing, make sure you have a model they can see.

My point is that it may take an investment to make it happen but if the customer sees something that has nothing to do what they actually want, you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

Ask for their Roadmap

Ask them if they have a roadmap for where they want their network to go. Don’t limit it to the wireless network, be open because this is a network transformation. It should be presented as a private network, but part of their network transformation.

Remember to look at where they came from and see how fast it happened. Their business may not allow them to grow as fast as you expect, the budget will dictate how fast they can add new services. So, looking at how slowly or quickly they got to this point will allow you to judge how fast they will move forward.

You can ask for their budget, but don’t hold your breath unless you’re truly a trusted partner or if you are coming in under a trusted partner. It takes time to build trust and when you come in offering them a network that will immediately eat up the annual budget, then you could lose trust and appear to only be interested in getting it all or making the biggest sale you can. Be honest and up front with them. 

Keep getting Feedback

I would recommend that you keep in touch with the customer. If you’re in sales or customer service. Oh, what does “stay in touch” mean anyway?

Well, when I say “stay in touch” I mean that you need to talk to your customer on a regular basis, like monthly or maybe once a quarter, and ask them questions about the network.

Here are some sample questions:

• How is the network performing?
• What don’t you like about it?
• What do you like?
• Are you thinking about making changes? Would you like coverage expansion to cover more of your office/campus/buildings?
• Are you thinking about adding new services that you’re not utilizing today?
• How is the latency?
• Is it handing off as you expected?
• Are there changes that you think you should make?
• Are the end-users happy or complaining? If so, what?

I am not saying you have to stick to this script, but it gives you a roadmap that you can utilize to stage a planned conversation with your customer. 

Always remember, a well-informed customer is a happy customer. While they may be busy, I think they will appreciate you taking the time to inquire about the network you sold them and built for them. It will mean something if they are having minor problems or if they want to make changes. The thing is, they may not be using it as they originally intended, but you won’t know that unless you ask. If they thought the use case would be one thing but then found out it was being used another way, perhaps you can optimize it to work better for the new use case.

I think that way you understand your customers and they feel like you’re listening to them.

The key is to make the customer feel heard and update them as new features come out.

Verticals Use Cases, Pros, Cons, and Notes

• Location tracking
  • Use cases – logistics tracking of packages, people tracking, safety monitoring in hazard areas, 
  • Pros – smaller solution for indoor or campuses to location packages, tools, inventory, or other things that are constantly lost.
  • Cons – this can be done today using Wi-Fi, so using a carrier grade network might seem like overkill. Also, you may need to install BLE, RFID, or LoRa networks to track the cheaper tags. 
  • Notes – this doesn’t have to be done with tags, but they are easy and cheap. It can also be done with software and cameras. There is a type of AI software that can identify objects or people using software behind cameras. This works very well but some people complain about privacy issues. As long as you do it inside your premises, you should be OK.
• Robotics for manufacturing and logistics
  • Use cases – movement of equipment, stacking and packing, manufacturing, or any repetitive task.
  • Pros – automation lessens human intervention, reduces safety risks, improves quality, and generally improves output.
  • Cons – hi upfront cost, normally very specific tasks, and more equipment to maintain. 
  • Notes – careful planning up front will be required. This may be the main reason for the network transformation. 
• Support Services
  • Use cases – NOC support for alarming alerts, outages, repair services, downtime tracking, KPI monitoring, and so on.
  • Pros – this is an ongoing service for support and monitoring that the customer may not be able to do themselves. That means recurring revenue for you. 
  • Cons – it’s labor intensive, even if you automate most of it. Luckily Machine Learning (ML, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in alarming and networks will make this easier to deal with. However, you still need human customer service for support and network support along with the setup of the monitoring and alarm services.
  • Notes – automation will make this easier. Also, set expectations, this means setting up your Service Level Agreements (SLA) ahead of time. You can monitor 24×7 using automation but maybe you only have 16×5 response time and support. (Support: hours x days meaning 16×5 = 16 hours and 5 days of support.)
• Aerial devices
  • Use cases – monitoring, tracking, logistics, delivery of packages, inspections, safety monitoring, security, quick response, or anything you might need overhead tracking and inspections. 
  • Pros – overhead space utilized, smart drones make it easy, cool to see, fairly cheap, much quicker than humans, easy to use, and once installed it’s very cost-effective. 
  • Cons – takes careful planning, should have air traffic patterns and control, understand FAA and local laws. 
  • Note – this can be done on a limited basis with Wi-Fi, so make sure the use case matches the use-case. 
• Cameras
  • Use cases – security, tracking of devices, safety monitoring and alerts, robot and aerial tracking, or anything that needs to be monitored constantly.
  • Pros – works very well, can add back-end software for tracking and safety features, 4G/5G coverage is generally better than other technologies, proven tech, and can add existing apps for any of these use cases.
  • Cons – privacy issues, requires more bandwidth than other applications, can put a heavy data load on a network, might need to improve memory to save data, and you may need to self-regulate who can access the data.
  • Note – this can be done with Wi-Fi which may be a cheaper upfront cost than using 4G/5G devices, it may also have local or state regulatory issues if the cameras have people in them.
• Controls
  • Use cases – temperature, pressure, humidity, water levels, and so on.
  • Pros – automation, alarms, tracking in real-time, and it exists today.
  • Cons – limited devices available in 4G/5G since this is already being done in wired and existing wireless networks, (Wi-Fi, LoRa, and BLE).
  • Notes – this is being done without LTE or 5G. It can be done with Wi-Fi, wired, LoRa, and BLE. You could continue with these models because they’re real today and fairly inexpensive. You could use the 4G/5G connectivity for the gateway, which you will need anyway. 
• Applications
  • Use cases – Add value to the network. Look what apps did for the iPhone, revolutionized telecom. If you can add apps in the network to solve problems like traffic, parking, monitoring systems, remote connection, private connections, alarms, and so on. 
  • Pros – think automation, alerts, communications, and real time updates.
  • Cons – you need an app to solve the problem. Make sure you have solutions lined up ahead of time.
  • Notes – here is where you can add value, it can be your own or third party provided, improving the value of the network, this can be something you pitch alongside the network transformation that adds value to the network.
• Privacy
  • Use cases – VPN, monitor network data, secure networks. Privacy can be secure without anyone monitoring it or it can be where a company monitors everything on that network to ensure employees don’t leak information.
  • Pros- financial companies find this important and are willing to pay extra for this service,
  • Cons – follow the laws to make sure you’re not violating anything.
  • Notes – This is a niche service that you need to have expertise in and qualifications. In other words, someone in your company has to be a trained and certified security professional. 
• Expansion
  • Use cases – this could be coverage expansion (more radios) or services expansion, meaning now you can offer broadband on top of IoT or network slicing.
  • Pros – if your customer is relying more and more on your network, you can offer more and more like a trusted partner would. 
  • Cons – you may need to expand or partner with someone to support your customer. 
  • Notes – just because you don’t have it in house doesn’t mean you can’t find a solution for your customer by bringing in partners. You need to keep in mind that the more your customer relies on the network the better it is for you moving forward. 

Stay in Touch with the Customer

It should be said that most customers will be glad to have you support them, but don’t be a pest or overbearing. With that said, you have to remain patient and calm without pissing the customer off. 

This may go without being said out loud, but I have been on both sides of the fence here. I have tried to stay in touch with the customer only to find out they thought I was being pushy and a pest. 

I have also given them space only to find out they found someone else to do the additional services because they felt I ghosted them.

To be honest, when I was on the receiving side, I did the same thing. I just forgot about some people or I didn’t know that they offered a particular service. 

In today’s world, we have email and updates that we can keep the customer in the loop on a regular basis. It makes sense to send something to them quarterly or maybe monthly. Not too often because you don’t want to be a pest or go into their spam folder. But make sure they know what services you could offer and that you’re their partner, not someone who sold them a network and walked away. Partners are friends and an essential part of moving forward. 

You don’t need to be in touch with your procurement contact only. Find out who the end users are and get feedback., Use your delivery people and NOC to stay in touch to understand what the end users needs are. Offer them the services or trials so you have support within the network. It helps when the people supporting the network give positive feedback on a consistent basis. Become partners with them for support, new features, and alarms.

Don’t be one sided. What I mean is that if you have a known problem or bug, or if an upgrade has issues, then let them know in a timely manner. Give them the details of how often it happens or when it happens. Explaining it as a “when this happens, this could occur” or “If you see this, then let us know right away” is usually appreciated by the support people. 

Procurement cares about the transaction and the money, support cares about the network, reliability, and growth. 

For you, make sure your team is all on the same page. It really helps when the NOC gives you feedback on the customers’ feelings. Are they happy, mad, frustrated, or what?

A quick story:

I remember working with a friend who sold radios to a customer and the customer was in over his head. Instead of support, my friend’s boss told my friend to move on, the customer has to figure it out on his own. This makes me angry because the customer should have been coached by the vendor better and made aware of what would be required as well as supported. Too many people in this industry want to push products and move on. 

To be honest, this pisses me off. It reminds me of all the time I had issues in the past. I had cars where the car dealer would not fix a problem until the warranty ran out and they didn’t tell me until it was time to pay the bill. I once installed some Point-to-multipoint radios from a vendor and had problems with little or no support, they left me in the old. I eventually fixed the problem but never sold their equipment again. 

So to burn your customer will make that customer not only never use you again, but let everyone they know in their network know about your horrible support. 

Summary

Your job isn’t just to sell the network or deliver a network and walk away. You have to make it work as best you can. Once that is in place, support it and offer services that will help your customer grow. Remember, the more successful they are, the more successful you will feel. 

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