Pacnet Triumphs: Supplier of the Year for Franchises

Pacnet , one of Australia’s leading business telecommunications service providers, has been honored with the inaugural Supplier of the Year award from the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA). As part of the 2008 MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards, the accolade was presented to Pacnet during a special ceremony at the FCA’s annual Awards Gala Dinner over the weekend.

According to organisers, this award recognises Pacnet’s long-standing relationship with the franchising sector and its reputation for delivering robust communications networks tailored to the needs of franchisors and franchisees.

Deborah Homewood, CEO of Pacnet Australia said: “We are delighted that Pacnet has been recognised for providing innovative communications solutions that are tailored to the needs of such a significant portion of the small and medium-sized business market.”

Ms Homewood also said that the award showcases the increasing importance of telecommunications solutions to the health and efficiency of a business. “When we first started working with franchises, market comprehension of the benefits of private IP networks was virtually non-existent. Pacnet’s focus and strategic approach to the sector has introduced new possibilities that private IP networks can offer to franchise businesses and the value it can have in improving communications and information transfer between franchisees and head office.”

Having recognised the importance of communication and the secure, fast and efficient transfer of data between franchise sites, many businesses in the franchise industry are looking to Pacnet to provide Internet Protocol (IP) based networks to assist them with such services.

An FCA Alliance Partner since 2003, Pacnet, the Asia Pacific region’s largest independent telecommunications service provider, has partnered with some of Australia’s best-known franchise brands to build their communication networks. One such customer is Bakers Delight - one of Australia’s finest franchise systems. Pacnet has worked closely with Bakers Delight to implement a national private IP network.

Explaining his decision to work with Pacnet, Peter Carrodus, Information Services Manager of Bakers Delight said: “We’re always looking for ways to help our bakeries better manage their businesses. Pacnet’s Private IP Network solution improves operations, enhances communications and creates cost efficiencies. Moving to this kind of setup seemed like a really big move for some of our franchisees but now they’re all asking why we didn’t do it sooner.”