AireSpring Partner Spotlight

To begin, please tell us a little about yourself and your agency.

Business Telecommunications Systems (BTS) was started in 1981 by my parents to provide enterprise class telephone systems, paging systems, and voice and data cabling. As the industry changed, so did BTS, and 43 years later, we are now one of the most respected communications companies in California offering a complete range of communication solutions. We are a solutions-oriented company with an award-winning service and support team, and we’re dedicated to continuing our tradition of quality products and a commitment to excellence.

BTS specializes in multi-site system environments, with current customers ranging from 1 to 60-plus site systems, with an average 95 percent customer renewal rate each year. BTS has consistently received several customer satisfaction awards year after year.

I started working at BTS right out of college along with my now-husband, who has been with the company for over 20 years. Other members of my family also work at the company.

What do you like about working with AireSpring?

I like working with the people at AireSpring, specifically AireSpring Regional Channel Manager Gabriel Valderrama. He’s responsive and really knows what he’s talking about. He has a way with customers, so whenever I have an issue with a particularly difficult customer, I get him on the phone. He helps put things into perspective. I’ve worked with other carriers in the past who don’t provide the level of customer service that AireSpring does, and I’ve been hesitant to bring salespeople into the call, but with AireSpring, I don’t hesitate to involve them and their expertise.

Along with the great team and outstanding customer service, AireSpring’s pricing is always fair, and the quotes are easy to access, which makes it easy to sell a range of solutions, especially as the industry grows and changes. We primarily rely on AireSpring for our voice and data for on-premises solutions, because even though the UCaaS side of our business is growing, we still have a robust customer base for on-premises solutions. The project management team at AireSpring is fantastic—extremely organized, in communication with customers, and always keeping us aware of what’s happening with our projects.

What would you say is the secret to being a successful technology advisor/sales agent in today’s marketplace?

Having a customer-focused approach is key to being a successful technology advisor. Building a relationship with customers where you can establish trust is important too. They need to be assured that we have the depth of knowledge to address any of their needs.

Another important part of being a successful technology advisor is doing a full audit of the customer’s carrier services before we start the quoting process. It’s important to understand the customer’s history and their goals for the future, and then focus on simplifying their needs and reducing their costs. A lot of our customers have multiple sites, which comes with different carriers and designs, so we try to look at their needs holistically and present a future-proof design and solution.

What do you foresee happening in the channel in 2024? (or, What is the “next big thing” or “things” you think people should be aware of or get involved in etc.? )

Solutions related to cybersecurity are a hot topic in the channel today, especially because customers are increasingly moving their day-to-day operations to the cloud, where their data is more protected. That comes with requiring additional bandwidth for internet services. One of the next big things is also connectivity—increasing other options for bandwidth. Along with those, we also want to make sure our customers with rural sites have better ways to connect if they don’t have access to fiber, or if they need backup. Backup services are so inexpensive these days that we really try to encourage our customers to choose those as well.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of telecom?

My free time is spent raising my two boys Jacob, 14, and Anthony, 12, who are extremely active. We split our time between Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol (which is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force), sports, and camping. My youngest plays soccer, and both of my sons used to play football, but we moved Jacob out of that because he wants to be a pilot in the Air Force, and we didn’t want to risk him getting hit in the head. I was also the den leader of their Cub Scout Patrol for 8 years. We really enjoy helping the boys with their merit badges. Jacob is one merit badge and one rank away from earning Eagle Scout, so we’ll be gearing up for that project very soon.

When time permits, we love to travel. My husband and I both volunteer our time with Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol. I also enjoy hiking, fishing, baking, and camping at the beach. We have a 13-year-old golden retriever, Maverick, who comes to work with us every day, as well as a few other animals at home, such as rabbits, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, and several fish. We also love to go on cruises when we have the time, so hopefully we’ll get to do that next year.