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A Matter of Trust

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

A Matter of Trust

Any business relationship is built fundamentally on trust. If you don’t trust the company you’re dealing with, you shouldn’t be dealing with them. And the notion couldn’t be more telling than when it comes to buying refurbished hardware. After all, you need your hardware to work and work well, you need it to be delivered on the day promised, and most importantly, you need to know that if something goes wrong with that router, or switch, or IP Phone, the company you bought it from will stand behind the product and replace it. In short, you have to trust that if you buy their product, they won’t leave you twisting in the wind.

The primary reason companies don’t buy used IT hardware, according to a survey conducted by Information Week, is because they don’t trust that it will work as well, or last as long as new products will. A lack of trust was the number one reason people throw thousands of dollars away every year on buying new equipment when the exact same product is available used. That’s how important ‘trust’ is.

So why trust us?

Here at MULTI-LINK, we’re worthy of your trust.

First, we’ve been in business since 1995. That’s almost fifteen years and we’ll be here for fifteen more. Without repeat business by customers who’ve had a positive experience with us, we couldn’t have made it this far.

Second, we work with the manufacturer’s biggest customers. Even companies that primarily buy direct from manufacturers like Foundry and Cisco come to us when in need of a secondary or alternative supplier. Sometimes the items they need are no longer being made or are available from the manufacturer. Other times, we can simply ship immediately when the manufacturer has a 6 – 8 week lead time. These companies frequently come back to us time and again.

Third, we stand by our equipment. Our rigorous testing standards and one-year warranty ensure that if something goes wrong—and we all know that on occasion it will—we won’t pretend we don’t know who you are. And we won’t hide behind a ‘Contact Us’ that’s devoid of a phone number. You can call us, email us, chat with us. We’re there to help because your problem is our problem.

Fourth, we’re big enough to deliver what we say we can. Although other companies may have good intentions, can they really swoop in when equipment fails and replace it quickly? We can. We maintain one of the largest on-site inventories of refurbished equipment in the nation and we can ship immediately.

One of our customers said it best:

“There is one and only one reason why we buy from MULTI-LINK – it’s called trust. Buying second user equipment can offer significant savings… if the gear you get arrives in a timely manner, if it is what you wanted, if it is cosmetically correct, if it actually works as specified, and if you get support when it doesn’t. Too many “ifs”, which is why we take no chances and we always try to work with people we trust. MULTI-LINK has rated #1 with us in this department for longer than ten years, and they are currently our only ISO9001-approved second user kit vendor. Any other vendors need to be approved one-by-one, deal-by-deal, before any orders are placed… with fingers crossed.”

It’s praise we’re proud of, and it’s praise we’ve earned. We’re looking forward to earning your trust too.

Quality Refurbished Equipment from a Source You Can Trust

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

If you’re one of the many business owners who needs to tighten your belt to adjust to the downturn in the economy, purchasing refurbished equipment for your upgrade instead of buying new, or purchasing used hardware to accommodate a downsize may be the most cost-efficient option for you.  Refurbished equipment is certainly less expensive for obvious reasons, but is it reliable?  The fear of buying anything used is the question of reliability and ultimately, if a product doesn’t last or work the way it’s supposed to, the savings is quickly offset by lost time and additional hardware.  So is it better to bite the bullet, pay significantly more, and buy new?  Or is it safe to assume that refurbished hardware is reliable enough to deliver on its promise of savings?

The simple answer is… it depends.  Like buying a ‘pre-owned’ car, some dealerships are much better than others.  While most of us wouldn’t think twice about buying a year old BMW from a reputable BMW dealer, we might not purchase one from the independent car lot that just opened up down the street.  The same logic applies to networking equipment and computer hardware for the same reasons.  Finding a reputable company that not only does a high volume of business, but tests and warrants refurbished equipment will definitely dictate whether your experience is a pleasant one or not. 

There are three things you should look for in the company you plan to buy refurbished equipment from:

First, find out how long they’ve been in business.  Longevity usually means more experience and solid business practices.

Second, look for specifics on the number of times a product is tested, and how long the used products remain under warranty.  Good companies will guarantee a used product for the same length of time that the manufacturer guarantees the same product new.  Some even offer better warranties than the manufacturer.

Third, ask the company if they have the product in stock or not.  If a company maintains a large inventory, and doesn’t have to hunt down, test, and refurbish a product after you’ve ordered it, that means faster lead times and you’ll end up with the product in your hand much more quickly.

If you follow those tips for finding the right company, you can feel much more comfortable in knowing that the hardware you’ve purchased will be delivered on time, in good condition, and will last at least as long as the manufacturer expected the same product would last if you purchased it new.  These companies exist, but so do the less reliable, fly-by-night companies.  Do your research.  It’ll pay off in the long run.

Is Your Company Out Growing its IT Equipment?

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Growth is good, but sometimes it happens more quickly than we expect causing all kinds of problems.  If you suddenly have more orders than you’re equipped to handle, it’s likely you’ll encounter issues with lead times, personnel, and even your IT equipment.  Because sudden growth is often a reaction to external circumstances going on in the market and outside of your control, it may catch you off guard.  Upgrading could be the key to handling the additional orders quickly and efficiently.

The first thing you need to do in this situation is hire additional staff to manage the extra workload. Because you’re playing ‘catch up,’ we suggest hiring a temp that’s available for hire in case you decide that this growth spurt is a long term trend.  Not all companies allow you to hire their temps.  Others charge outrageous fees – and the employee you’re hiring doesn’t see a penny of that.  Be sure to check into this first before finding the personnel company you want to work with.

Second, if you can’t produce your product more quickly, spring for quicker shipping.  Don’t make your customers wait for you to produce the product they believe you have in stock, and then wait even longer for ground shipping.  Pay the difference for overnight shipping yourself.  The gain of a happy customer will far outweigh the nominal fee your shipping company will charge you to ship more quickly.

Third, upgrade your IT network.  More online sales are lost because of poorly designed websites and slow load times than anything else.  If they love your product, but hate dealing with your website, they’re gone.  Even if it means upgrading to refurbished IT equipment from the current equipment you bought new, it’s worth it to have the right hardware to handle your infrastructure.  Just be sure to find a reputable refurbished hardware company to work with.  How do you know if it’s reputable?  Easy.  Find a company that offers at least a six month warranty on used equipment (a one year warranty is even better), maintains its own inventory, offers a trade-in credit on the routers and switches you no longer need, and encourages you to call and speak to a customer service rep (some companies hide their phone number or take it off their site altogether to discourage you from talking to them – stay away from those).

Having Trouble Using the Vendor You Want? Trading in Surplus Equipment Can Help!

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

We’ve all been there.  You need new IT hardware and you’ve found exactly what you want to buy, but by the time this company—which you’ve never worked with before—on your approved vendor list, it’ll be 2010.  So what can you do?

Consider using an IT hardware company that’s already on your list even if they don’t offer the product you need on their site.  Many companies that deal refurbished computer and telephony equipment have access to the same retailers you do.  They can act as a ‘middle supplier’ purchasing the product and reselling it to you for a very nominal fee.   Because the IT supplier is already on your approved vendor list, you can complete the transaction quickly and if your supplier typically offers a one-year warranty on the products it sells, the supplier may extend the same warranty on this product (even if the original company doesn’t).

For example, let’s say MULTI-LINK Communications Products (MLCP) is on your approved vendor list.  You’ve worked with MLCP in the past and have been happy with the refurbished equipment you’ve purchased from them, but this time, you’d like to buy a brand new telephony system.  You’ve found one from another company, but getting that company on your approved vendor list – or worse yet, go through the arduous process of getting them to accept your Pos—is time consuming.  Call MLCP and tell them the situation.  MLCP can purchase the product from the original company and sell it to you for a small fee.  In addition, if the original company offers only a three month warranty on the new product, MLCP will extend their standard one-year warranty on the product which could save big dollars in the long run.

Don’t be afraid to come up with creative solutions.  The folks at MULTI-LINK are happy to help you find the product you need even if they don’t advertise it themselves.  Give them a call.  When they promise excellent customer service, at MLCP, they mean it.

Cisco’s Quality Carries Through to Refurbished Gear

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

If you’re in the market for IT hardware, then you’ve probably seen plenty of support for Cisco Systems, the industry leader in data center, telephony, network systems, security, and unified communications solutions.  With as many as 14 billion devices projected to be connected to the Internet by 2010, a company’s success and longevity depends on the right networking systems and hardware.  With Cisco’s revenue at $39.5 billion at the end of the 2008 Fiscal year, it’s easy to see why Cisco is the worldwide leader.

But Cisco has not relied only in innovation and marketing.  One of the reasons that Cisco leapt ahead of competitors has to do with the high quality equipment it manufactures.  Since the company’s inception in 1984, Cisco products have consistently been praised by reviewers and customers for their top-of-the-line quality. They’ve truly created a company that stands behind their products and built a reputation based on reliability.

The downside to purchasing IT hardware like routers and telephone systems from Cisco, is that you do get what you pay for and Cisco products are not cheap.  As a matter of fact, often small and growing businesses simply cannot afford to upgrade their IT hardware as often as they really need to in order to accommodate their expansion.  That’s where refurbished Cisco products come in.

Because Cisco hardware holds its value much longer than many of its competitors, refurbished Cisco products are, most of the time, hold their quality.  This is evident in the number of alternate Cisco providers that have cropped up, eager to refurbish and resell Cisco products at discounted prices.  The important factors when choosing one of these alternate Cisco distributors are to be sure the company has been around for a considerable length of time and proven that they, too, are reliable.  Make sure the company you buy your used Cisco hardware from allows you to speak to someone on the phone (a website that does not advertise a phone number so that you can reach a rep easily usually spells trouble).  Also be sure that the company offers a guarantee on the products they sell.  For example, one alternate Cisco provider, MULTI-LINK Communications Products, offers a one year standard warranty on all refurbished and new equipment.  This is actually four times longer than the warranty Cisco offers on most of its new products.  Lastly, you want to make sure that the company you order from has a large inventory of Cisco hardware.  Some of the smaller companies sell you a product and then have to go hunt it down which means guaranteeing you a delivery time can be next to impossible.