How Pure Telecom plans to become a €20 million business this year
Paul Connell says utilities often carry a bad reputation – but he’s trying to change that.
PURE TELECOM IS on track to eclipse the gains it has already made and become a €20 million business this year, according to founder Paul Connell.
The telecoms company, which offers fixed-line, broadband and cloud-based services to both retail and business customers, has been slowly building momentum since it was set up in 2002.
However it is only in the last few years when trade has really begun to take off, with the company adding 10,000 customers to its books in 2015 and aiming for another 15,000 this year.
Connell said the telecoms provider was on target to increase its revenue by €7.5 million this year and hit its €20 million goal.
“This year we have hit the ground running. If you compare the first quarter of this year to that of 2015, we are up 22% on revenue and up 10% on customer numbers,” he said.
The latest company filings for the firm show it made an operating profit of €1.44 million in 2014 and had nearly €3 million worth of cash in the bank.
Pure Telecom's Paul Connell
Big deals
A €20 million deal closed with Open Eir last year to access its wholesale services and a contract worth €220,000 signed with Blackrock Clinic have also helped the company gain a greater foothold in the competitive sector, according to Connell.
He said the company is getting more shrewd at how it is targeting new customers and identifying what markets are ripe for the taking.
“Instead of me going out there to knock on doors, we are positioning ourselves so customers are coming to us through Facebook and various online campaigns.”
“We’re certainly getting more involved in the hospital sector. They are looking for economies of scale and there are many sectors like that, but the hospital one seems to be particularly working out for us.”
Fit for purpose
Connell said he believes a lot of the company’s growth can be put down to its honest sales policy. It will only sell its customers what they need and not pile add-ons into a deal just to make an extra buck, he added.
“If a customer is looking at voice over IP (calls), we will provide that, but we will also tell them if that is suitable for their business or not. If they’re looking at the options as regard to broadband connectivity, we will go through all of those options and advise them as much as we will sell to them.
“With a business customer, there is no point selling them something that they don’t need. If you do that, they won’t be with you for long. They will just move on to the next outfit. Our attitude here is that we sell what you need to make more benefit for your company.”
Treating customers right
While it should be obvious that customers are key to any business, Connell said there was a trend among many utility companies – telecoms included – to provide poor support.
A corporate reputation survey out this week ranked the telecommunications industry the second-least trusted of any sector.
“A lot of people would say to me they are ringing about their utilities and are frustrated with the service, so what we try and do is handle our customers with care,” Connell said.
“My business is built on one asset and that is my customer base. They are my crown jewels, so we have to do whatever we can to keep them there.
“I say to people that I get my customers on price by giving them a good deal, but I’ll keep them on customer service.”
