Alpha Connectivity initially began in the telecoms Wi-Fi arena before moving into card payment services. Director Gavin Hughes explains on what sold him on becoming a Fidelity Energy partner and adding the additional service to the Alpha Connectivity portfolio, “Energy just fits really nicely in our portfolio, especially because we only look to give our customers the best technological solutions as well as support them financially. We do this either through getting the best deal by saving them money on card transfers or with business funding. But obviously energy is an area all businesses are having some difficulty with and it was a natural fit with my customer base and is now the biggest opportunity by far out of all the services we offer.
Energy also gives me access to certain verticals that do not have use for some of the services we offer and it is a simple product to sell. As a small business it has been really beneficial for us, we have been using energy to build our customer base and then cross sell our products in and ask them about their telecoms. You can have a fuller discussion to get to know their business and their individual needs which then allows you to offer advice and solutions that they really need from a consultancy expert.
There isn’t a great deal of training required to sell energy as it is not particularly complicated like some of the telecom products. Once we had signed as a partner it’s easy for us to get going and we have such a strong Fidelity Energy team and have been managed very well by them. If something comes up that’s been an issue or there is a lack of understanding from my part, the team are always there to help and offer support wherever needed on the deal.”
Alpha Connectivity’s partnership with Fidelity Energy only began earlier this year after most customers would have been impacted by the energy crisis, Gavin explains, “I have secured quite a few deals and I see a lot of businesses in a week through phone calls, meetings or business networking. I now build energy into my conversation as I do come across a lot of businesses that have been impacted by incredibly high bills or they have issues around their contracts. There is nothing we can do to lower any rates they are already contracted to, but what you can do is guide them and they can gauge what’s happening with the market. Letting them know what’s going on and being able to aid them to make an informed decision means my customers feel they’re getting the full range of consultancy from me.
The problem when you are adding a new product to your portfolio is you’re taking time away from the other stuff that you’re doing, but selling energy with Fidelity Energy is simple as they are incredibly supportive. There are a lot of people who only offer telecoms or just card machines or solely energy, but I now have a cross portfolio of products. Cashflow is really important to all businesses, so adding an additional product that comes with a recurring revenue stream is a no brainer. When the market is low you can support your customers to make savings and that makes them happy. When the market is high you can help them understand the reasons why and what options they have, which only strengthens the trust and relationship you have with them.
If any businesses are thinking about coming into energy and looking for another stream of income then I would certainly recommend it. Like the energy crisis, there’s always good times and bad times within the market. So having the variety of products and solutions gives me a nice balance and broadens my opportunities to support my customers. It creates a lot of opportunity and has only strengthened me as a consultancy expert and assisted me in building my customer base further.