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TeleBright.com Hopes To Make Better Telecom Shoppers
By Chris Bucholtz
October 13, 2000
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One of the most overlooked aspects of any e-business system is the relatively primitive technology that allows communication between computers over long distance. The public switched-telephone system works so well and is so ubiquitous that there are few times when IT administrators have any cause to think about it.
One of those few times comes when the bill for the use of these services arrives, especially for small and midsize businesses. Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 took effect, the number of telecommunications providers has taken off, and each has its own portfolio of rate schedules. The result is, in many cases, confusion.
This confusion could provide solution providers with an opportunity. TeleBright.com, a telecom analysis company, is positioning its services as a tool for solution providers whose customers need help with deciding what package of lines and rates is smartest for them.
"I don't think that the telecommunications industry needs to be that complex," says Chet Thaker, CEO of TeleBright.com and a 22-year telecom veteran. "That complexity opens up the opportunity for billing that makes no sense...These providers need to learn that they should differentiate with services, not with complexity in billing. Until they figure that out, our job is to cut through the B.S."
To do that, TeleBright.com functions almost like a Priceline.com for telecommunications rates. The company uses a proprietary technology called IntelliRate to compare the nature of customers' calling against billing packages from 35 national and local carriers. The Web-based technology instantly produces a report that lists plans from least expensive to most expensive and allows side-by-side comparisons of telecom services. It also identifies situations where bundled services offer increased savings. The site analyzes offerings for long distance calling, wireless, international calling, local service, Internet dial-up, DSL, T1 and Web-hosting.
Once the customer identifies the services it needs, it can purchase them directly from TeleBright.com. Once the sale is complete, TeleBright.com acts as the sales agent for the small business, tracking the sale through delivery and providing e-mail updates to the client.
While the service is currently offered directly to customers through the company's Web site, TeleBright.com also partners with solution providers to extend its reach into the market. "Solution providers can resell our analysis ability, and the service can be co-branded or offered under a private label," Thaker says.
Other sites offering similar services rely on customers drawing up requests for proposals "which work well for larger companies, but are too cumbersome for smaller companies and is certainly not what solution providers want to deal with," Thaker says.
TeleBright.com is in on the ground floor of a growing subset of the burgeoning telecom market. Forrester Research predicts that the online telecommunications shopping market will grow into a $47 billion market by 2004.
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