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Reducing communications costs in the supply chain
In a large supply chain there are a number of overheads that may seem unavoidable. One of these is the cost of communicating between different sites and suppliers. With the impact of the global recession still heavily felt in many industries keeping costs down and improving productivity is key to retaining business. Technology can be used to overcome some of these costs and provide a more efficient service, enabling you to offer more competitive rates to your customers.
Role of technology
For example, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems remove telephone call costs within a network, including overseas. Uptake of this technology is increasing as companies understand the benefits on offer and the early technical barriers of poor voice quality and security concerns are overcome. However, in an extended supply chain, especially one that includes a number of third parties, there may be more than one VoIP network in use. Calls between those networks will be routed over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and charged accordingly by your provider.
One technology that has the potential to tackle this pain point and provide free calls between different VoIP systems is ENUM. ENUM is an international protocol that maps your telephone number to the domain name system (DNS). It enables free calls over the Internet between different VoIP networks. This protocol can significantly reduce communications bills for supply chains by linking their VoIP system with those they call and receive calls from via the ENUM directory. All parts of the supply chain can be linked by registering their numbers in the directory to create a simple, stable and cheap link between telecommunications systems and the Internet.
Once registered, both a traditional PSTN telephone number and a VoIP address can be recorded against the ENUM domain in the DNS system. The VoIP number is then connected to the standard telephone number. When a traditional number is called from an ENUM enabled device, it will carry out a DNS lookup in the directory. If the called party is registered and has stored a VoIP address, it can be routed without relying on the PSTN, cutting out any costs.
The more people within your supply chain using ENUM, the more calls can be redirected over the Internet and the greater the savings. This has the potential to lower communications costs, helping suppliers to offer their customers the best possible price and remain profitable.
‘Always on’
In a competitive global market where cost and efficiency are key to winning or losing business more and more organisations expect you to be ‘always on’ to answer queries and respond to problems.
This is especially pertinent in a supply chain situation, when difficulty contacting the right person at the right time could cause costly delays. ENUM facilitates the development of applications with a follow me function. This allows users to set rules about how and when they are contacted, making all points of the supply chain always available. By combining this type of service with your VoIP service, improvements in productivity can be maximised.
Supply chains are struggling to drive down costs and improve efficiencies. Communications technologies, such as VoIP systems, could help supply chains manage costs more effectively. The ENUM protocol enables even more savings and improves productivity by making all VoIP calls free and publishing accurate comprehensive contact details. In this way, new technologies can provide a significant return on investment whilst also improving productivity when carefully planned and accurately applied.
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