Reseller The Missing Link hits back at global crisis with telecommunication offering

To invest in this space it has taken on four staff; two business development managers with experience in telecommunications, a telemarketer, and customer service support team member.

Karen Drewitt general manager The Missing Link said the company has been a Telstra dealer for over six years, originally specialising in providing its data products, but became a whole of business Dealer two years ago.

"With increasing convergence we see an enormous opportunity to be able to provide clients with a 'whole of business' ICT offering," she said.

"We have also seen a shift in the responsibility of telecommunications within our client base.

"Traditionally telecommunications was handled in either the finance or administration areas, now it is becoming the responsibility of the IT manager.

She said using Telstra's infrastructure and solutions, it can offer a tailored service to the SMB market.

"It's a win/win for our clients. We have seen a greater penetration of outsourcing within our small to medium client base. Company's love the flexibility and the ability to access appropriate resources for appropriate requirements," added Drewitt.

She said tailoring the level of resources required allows companies to better manage their costs and clients understand they can access skilled resources without having to employ another firm.

"You only have to look at the increased adoption of managed services, and the advent of cloud computing to see the trend is not only in our client base but across the market," said Drewitt.

"During economic downturn it makes sense for businesses to focus on core activities, and we see this as a great opportunity for us. Our investment in improving the service through an enhanced remote monitoring system allows us to provide an even better service for our clients."

The Missing Link felt it was the right time to invest in the skills and people who had experience in the telecommunications space.

It believes that whilst business is tough at the moment there are still a lot of companies investing in their infrastructure or streamlining their communication needs.

"With excellent staff we are in a better place to win that business and when the economy recovers we have resources to cover the upturn," said Drewitt.   

The company recently won a deal to sell LG Aria phone systems, both direct and through the Telstra Business Systems (TBS) program.

"This complements our existing partnership with Alcatel-Lucent. We are excited about the opportunity, LG Aria are an extremely successful vendor on the TBS program and have an excellent partner support program," added Drewitt.