Cutting through the noise

That old proverb about leading a horse to water doesn’t take a lot of thinking about, does it? It all hangs on understanding that the horse has its own built-in awareness of whether or not it’s thirsty. Now try leading a business owner to a conversation about the risks of relying on hard-wired copper alarm systems, payment devices or key-holder alerts in the context of the imminent retirement of the PSTN network.

The first problem is they don’t even know what the PSTN network is. Why should they? Up until very recently, copper was the only connectivity game in town anyway. We sold them lines and minutes and added functionality, but we never sold them existential understanding of the nature of communications networks. Still less its bewildering jargon-laden acronyms.

Even if you know what PSTN stands for, does that combination of quasi-technical words really make sense to somebody who makes boots for a living? Was it ever intended to?

The second problem is they understand about broadband and the benefits of high-speed fibre infrastructure. But, again, until very recently business owners’ experience has been more a succession of frustrations than a joyous ongoing path to enlightenment.

First they watched Openreach building fibre connectivity right past the gates of their commercial parks, on its way to housing estates so the big telco resellers could capitalise on consumer demand for TV streaming products. Then once high-speed business-grade connectivity finally did become available, they faced a bewildering barrage of push marketing activity as various resellers clamoured to connect them to fibre.

Tackling misconceptions

This all feels like ancient history now. And there’s certainly no question that many businesses simply wouldn’t be with us today if their provider hadn’t convinced them to swap out that old tin front-end for digital voice and UC infrastructure well before the covid pandemic hit.

But it’s important to remember that less than a decade ago, most business people’s experience around the fundamentals of network connectivity was almost entirely negative. It involved technology largely beyond their comprehension, delivered (or not delivered) at a pace which left them in no doubt that the network builders saw them as second-class customers.

If you were cutting your teeth as a business manager ten years ago in that kind of environment, you’re probably in a senior role somewhere by now. How are you likely to react when somebody comes along and tells you there is a need to take action before the PSTN is switched off?

As Phil Laws from Openreach told the Parliamentary Digital Policy Alliance think-tank back in April this year, “One of our biggest problems is that they think we’re trying to sell them something”.

Laws and his colleagues have been trying since 2019 to alert the business sector directly and via trade bodies as varied as the Federation of Small Businesses and the Association of Convenience Stores. They have tried everything from newsletters to battle-buses.

They’ve whittled most businesses’ unwillingness to engage down to three reasons which can be paraphrased as: they think we’re trying to sell them something, trade organisations don’t always see things from their members’ point of view, and nobody ‘owns’ the plan.

The comms industry is currently engaging with customers about the need to undertake a risk assessment they didn’t know was needed, on a range of services and products they have always been able to take for granted. It’s probably helpful to have an idea where these customers are coming from.

Trusted advisors

If they think we’re trying to sell them something, let’s start there. Yes, we are. We are trying to sell them our expert understanding of the telecoms industry. In much the same way as lawyers sell them their expert understanding of company law or surveyors sell them their expert understanding of construction design and build regulations.

The PSTN retirement is a major opportunity for providers to emphasise their role as trusted expert advisors, rather than allowing themselves to be seen simply as suppliers of utility services.

Let’s work with the people they trust. Fit To Switch’s initial proof-of-concept engagement with Manufacturing Management magazine has already yielded some useful insights. Both into business managers’ understanding of the risks and into the way in which our messages land with professional readers.

Further specialist titles will be featuring Fit To Switch editorials and messages from our National Champions between now and October. Other titles in sectors including healthcare and home improvement are already asking for content for their own specialist reader sectors.

Peace of mind

Nobody owns the plan. But that’s precisely the golden opportunity for the Channel. Ofcom, Openreach, DSIT and DCMS can’t do it. Apart from tripping over their respective terms of reference, none of them has any direct knowledge of, or empathy with, individual business customers.

So Fit To Switch exists to focus the power, diversity, experience and local knowledge of Channel businesses. This approach will make resellers the obvious go-to resource for business owners seeking peace of mind.

We might still find we have a few problems getting the horse to drink. But the first stage, surely, is to make sure the hand on its bridle is a reassuringly familiar and trusted one.