That was Then; This is Then, Too

Posted by Dan Caruso
February 20, 2008

That was Then; This is Then, Too

Do you like that as a tongue twister?

The past few posts referred to the disconnect inferno of the early 2000’s. “That was then,” is the hallway chatter I heard throughout the telecom universe. “It is good it is behind us.”

Is it? I don’t know if you noticed, but we might be smack in the middle of a recession. The telecom industry continues to consolidate. Technology continues to change. If disco returned, I might be somewhat nostalgic. If the telecom meltdown reared its ugly head, nauseated would be a better description how those in the telecom world would feel.

My point is this: disconnects need to be a focal point of operating a telecom business in both good times and bad. Preserving revenue is just as important–perhaps even more important–than selling additional revenue. Culture, business process and incentive plans should reflect this.

I hope those readers who are part of Zayo, Envysion and NGT reflect on this. In addition to observing evidence of this in your day-to-day work situation, I’d like you to ponder additional ways in which we can combat disconnects. And by the way, combat is a good word for this topic–especially in tough times. Remember the swimming upstream analogy–simply swimming harder is not a good plan. Combating disconnects requires focus, cleverness and persistence. More on this in future posts.