Voice is a Commodity
If we had a dime for every time someone told us that they have a unique way of how they did voice routing or managed their inter-carrier voice, we would be rich. Okay, maybe not rich ( a dime isn’t worth that much anymore). But certainly if we had $1 for every time someone said that they had a unique way of working in the inter-carrier voice business, we would be in fat city.
We pride ourselves on being experts in this industry and we definitely know a lot, we have seen a lot and we have done a lot. But we aren’t blinded by this experience to think we know everything. So, when someone tells us, “ We have a secret way of doing things”…we are always intrigued. Like maybe they got access to the FCOJ report before it got released. But, alas, we are always left wanting more after we find out what the secret is. Why? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Voice is a commodity. A commodity just like Oil, Pork Bellies or Frozen Concentrated Orange juice. There is little in the way of differentiation. Sure, people like to champion quality, or CLI or capacity, and there certainly are some differentiating capabilities there amongst those attributes, but in the end voice IS still a commodity. As a result, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to create any meaningful differentiation. So, that means everyone is left playing the same game. Trying to find the best angles, the best plays, the most innovative ways to offer, price and service the product. But, it is a commodity and that means these “best and innovative methods” remain elusive at best.
At GCS, we encourage our customers to focus more of their efforts and resources on execution and operational proficiency. That is where our experience tells us improved performance lies and where companies should invest their resources and their dollars. In our opinion, these investments yield far greater results that are real as opposed to chasing a differentiating attribute relating to a voice network service. This is why GCS, and our competitors in the market, exist. Voice has been around a long time. It’s the most widely adopted technology man has ever invented. While there will continue to be newly invented ways in which voice communication is delivered, the management of voice calls by carriers is a commodity. And like all commodities it offers little differentiation. Equally important, as with all commodities, the companies that succeed are the ones that are able to manage the commodity with optimized efficiency and scalability. So, if you have a unique idea, we would love to hear it and learn something new. But until then, we think you should be focusing on your operational performance and execution. And we would be willing to bet you one dollar, that if you do, you’ll realize success.