Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Yes, you can save money on your AT&T bill.  If you do what I do, you can do likewise and I believe the same principles apply for other service providers like Verizon, Comcast, DirectTV, TimeWarner, etc.

1.  Call AT&T and ask them to review your bill and tell them that you need to save money.  Depending on your service area and depending on the day you call, there will generally be some type of  special offering.  

2.  Ask for something for free to keep you as a customer.  Do your homework.  I just got 3 free months of HBO, just for asking.  Shop around with offers from competitors and tell the person at the other end that you have a competing offer.  Make sure it’s true and make sure it’s comparable and / or better than AT&T’s offering.

3.  Have a set goal of 20%.  Assume you are spending $100 per month on your service, a $20 savings may not seems like a lot, but when you add it up, it comes to $240 per year.  When you calculate what it takes you "earn" $240, based on your tax bracket, it could be a gross amount of $300 per year or more.

4.  As a rule, AT&T’s offerings expire – and expire automatically every six months.  AT&T is not going to call you to remind you to renew your offering.  Remember, they expire.  So, put your expiration date in your calendar and call them the day after your offer expires and tell them you want to renew, or get another savings offering that is equal to or better than your present offer.  

AT&T is a terrific company with a great service offering, but I think they are dumb for not reaching out to customers when service offerings expire.  It would be a real PR coup for them, but someone inside AT&T who makes the decisions to do otherwise.

Give it a try and remember that your milage may vary.  Be diligent and be prepared to cut them off and move elsewhere if they don’t save you money.  The cost of replacing you as a customer is high.  It’s called customer acquisition.  

If you get a call center agent who does not budge, ask for customer retention and try this approach.  Let me know how it goes with a comment on this blog or an email to:  alan at weinkrantz dot com.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Source: www.voip-news.com

When there are natural or human-caused disasters, you need communication to be restored quickly and kept up so that critical communications can reach their destination. Verizon Business’s new Emergency Response Mobile Communications Service does just that. And they can do it from anywhere in North America.

“Obviously, the faster a company can overcome an unplanned communication disruption, the faster it can get back to business,” said Diane McCarthy, senior vice president, network field operations. “But to be most effective, ERMCS needs to be incorporated into a larger business continuity plan. We can help on that score as well by providing professional consulting services that can include developing, assessing and testing response plans.”

According to Verizon:

ERMCS vehicles use satellite links to restore vital business communications. Each self-sufficient vehicle is equipped with wired VoIP telephones and wired and wireless Ethernet access for laptops. Several vehicle configurations are available, including 40-foot and 53-foot vehicles that offer up to 24 individual work stations, each with its own telephone jack, Ethernet port and electrical outlet. These vehicles provide local, long-distance and international calling, along with Internet access and fax service.

“While the details can vary by company, a complete business continuity plan will include a way to reestablish communications,” said McCarthy. “The ERMCS can successfully fulfill that role by offering a complete package of communication offerings combined with reliability and flexibility.”

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business has unveiled new service packages designed for the small to medium sized business market. The packages combine wireline and wireless voice and data capabilities and also offer security and network management.

“With these new offerings, medium-sized business customers can take advantage of Verizon Business’ proven enterprise-grade solutions, tailored to their specific needs and with local accountability,” said Ray Wierzbicki, senior vice president, SMB & conferencing and collaboration for Verizon Business. “We’re harnessing the power of IP technology to address the increasingly complex and unique needs of mid-market customers and help them get to where they want to go — on their own path and at their own pace.”

According to Verizon:

The new service packages help smaller businesses more readily adopt Verizon Business’ leading portfolio of IP solutions. By employing the right combination of services tailored to their business requirements, Verizon Business small and mid-sized business customers can immediately benefit from streamlined network management associated with converged voice and data networking and the ability to introduce new IP-based applications such as voice and video over IP.

Verizon Business has an unrivaled record of deploying new IP-based technologies and guiding its customers down the IP evolution path. For a retrospective and prospective view of Verizon Business IP innovation, visit: http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/ipinnovation.

Of particular interest is the VoIP BizPak which contains VoIP with Internet Dedicated Access, Dedicated Toll Free and Managed Email Content services, along with Verizon’s equipment offerings.

Source: www.voip-news.com

VoIP & Gadgets Blog checks out GVDialer for Google Voice.

Open Gardens congratulates Vodafone on being named to the top 25 innovative companies list.

Everyone has an app store these days … and Verizon Hub will be no exception. Read about it on The VoIP Weblog.

VoIP Watch talks about some serious trouble that VoIP, Inc. execs may be facing.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business has unveiled enhancements to their Hosted IP Centrex, the cloud VoIP service. The enhancements allow businesses to create effective telephony solutions by leveraging their IP networks and applications.

“Whether companies want to reduce real estate costs, improve productivity, increase customer and employee satisfaction or reduce carbon emissions, the tools exist today for businesses to do the job right,” said Blair Crump, group president of worldwide sales for Verizon Business. “By thinking outside of the box – or in this case, the physical office — companies can transform their operations to establish a more global presence, or a more local presence, as their business requires, while controlling costs.”

According to Verizon:

The new enhancements are:
– Expansion of the company’s Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunks (BEST)
capability to Hosted IP Centrex. BEST enables cost savings by
allowing customers to use idle VoIP capacity in one location to
accommodate an increase in traffic from another location.

– The addition of features that enable Hosted IP Centrex customers to
make the virtual office a reality for remote workers, and allow
businesses to more efficiently establish a local presence. These
features include the ability to have calls made from a softphone — a
software program using a computer, headset and a broadband Internet
connection — appear to originate from the user’s business line;
easily register a physical location for E-911 purposes; and to
provision local business numbers for teleworkers that are in business
markets strategic to an enterprise.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business is paving the way for an easier transition to enterprise VoIP in Europe. The company says that the move will help European companies reduce their operating costs and make their network management simpler.

“Verizon Business is staying a step ahead of its competitors with its sharp focus on global enterprises voice and IP Telephony requirements, particularly in the area of SIP Trunking,” said Dustin Kehoe, principal analyst at Current Analysis. “Verizon Business has the largest IP Trunking deployment in Europe with availability across eight countries. The latest offer is multisite IP Trunking, which allows enterprises to use a centralized PBX that can support locations in multiple countries and allows them to eliminate premises gateways at remote locations.”

There is a new centralized model of Verizon IP Trunking, their premier business service. IP Trunking lets customers implement a central IP PBX hub in one location and extend their VoIP services to other sites across country lines. The centralized model allows the companies to have their VoIP service work in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the UK.

“Many European enterprises are looking to tackle the time-consuming and costly challenges of managing their voice services across Europe, and the centralized multisite, multicountry design of Verizon IP Trunking can help accomplish that,” said Rebecca Carr, vice president of global enterprise marketing, Verizon Business. “Benefits are maximized and network complexity is reduced — therefore freeing up valuable time for the enterprise to focus on its own business goals.”

Additionally,  Verizon Business has certified three additional IP PBX equipment platforms. Here’s the detes:

– Avaya Communication Manager 5.1, the company’s flagship IP Telephony
software platform.
– Avaya Communication Manager Branch, a centrally managed, session
initiation protocol (SIP)-based virtual workplace communications
solution that easily scales to meet the needs of large enterprises
with distributed sites.
– Cisco Unified Communications 520 System, an affordable, easy-to-manage
communications solution for smaller businesses, in addition to support
for Cisco Unified Communications Manager for medium to large
enterprises.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business’s Managed Unified Communications and Collaboration Service was awarded the 2008 Product of the Year Award by TMC’s Unified Communications magazine.

“This award from TMC and Unified Communications magazine underscores our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to help customers address critical business objectives,” said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president – global business products, Verizon. “Verizon Managed Unified Communications & Collaboration Service is a cost-effective, highly scalable solution that helps businesses and governments streamline business processes, drive employee productivity, accelerate decision-making, enhance customer service delivery and control costs.”

According to Verizon:

The service provides large-business and government customers with management of the newest capabilities of the Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0. Launched in December 2008, the service enables enterprises to deploy the latest in unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) technology, while helping reduce the complexity of managing, monitoring and maintaining these solutions. Verizon Business is the first global service provider to deliver a managed service based on the Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business is launching a new managed service that is intended to help corporate users control their UC solutions easily.

Verizon Business Application Management for Office Communications Server uses the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 platform. Users have enhanced communication capabilities with real-time IM service, web conferencing, VoIP and more.

“Unified communications is a transformative technology that has the power to change the way people communicate and work together to be more effective, creative and productive in the office or on the go,” said Michael Marcellin, vice president of global managed solutions, Verizon. “By managing this leading software-based solution, Verizon Business can help customers take the complexity out of introducing unified communications across an enterprise while keeping their resources devoted to their core business activities.”

So, what are the key features? According to Verizon Business:

– On-Premises Web Conferencing: Users can create, join and modify Web
conferences in real time. The technology makes collaboration easy,
with the capability for IM, audio, video, application sharing and
slide presentations built in and simple to use. Users benefit from a
secure, stable Web conferencing platform running within the Office
Communications Server platform.

– Enterprise Voice: This VoIP-powered solution allows users to choose
the best way to interact with colleagues, either by phone or computer.
For instance, users can place a call by clicking on a contact in
e-mail or IM, as well as access voice mail from their computer and
e-mail on their phone. Verizon Business Application Management for
Office Communications Server provides full integration and support
with any Microsoft-certified PBX or SIP Trunk. The technology is
particularly beneficial for workers who are traveling or
telecommuting, as the VoIP functionality enables users to place a call
from their computer wherever an Internet connection is available,
without incurring additional long-distance charges.

– Enhanced Presence: Enables users to choose the most effective means
for communicating with other users by providing information on status,
location and availability.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Verizon Business says that they had strong demand for IP-based communications in the fourth quarter of 2008.

“Our strategic IP-based services are the essential building blocks for the integrated communications and IT solutions that Verizon Business offers worldwide,” said John Killian, president of Verizon Business. “The ongoing strong demand underscores that multinational customers see strong value in services that can help them maintain their competitive edge under any market conditions.”

According to the company:

Sales of strategic services – such as security and IT solutions and a full spectrum of professional and managed IP services that help customers make the most of IP communications, infrastructure, network and technology — generated $1.5 billion in revenue in the quarter, up 8.4 percent from the fourth quarter 2007. This continued strong acceptance of strategic services shows that multinational corporations and government agencies continue to look for ways to better communicate and collaborate with customers, employees, suppliers and other key stakeholders.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Packet8 hit a service snag this week thanks to a DNS issue. Read about it on VoIP & Gadgets Blog.

The VOIP Weblog is talking about Skydeck.

Nimbuzz won an award. Read about it on VoIP News of the UK.

Andy Abramson is so not impressed by the Verizon Hub. Read about it on VoIP Watch.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Forget old school home phones. Forget landlines altogether. Verizon is setting out to change the face of the house phone. On Feb. 1, the company is releasing Verizon Hub, a touch screen home phone system. Verizon Hub will run on broadband connections, bringing together wired and wireless communications.

“The Verizon Hub reinvents the home phone system that’s been centered on your kitchen counter for years. We’re bringing huge new functionality to a common household device that will unlock its true potential. And in the process, Verizon Wireless is updating the tools busy families can use to manage their lives,” said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. “The Verizon Hub is going to change the way you think about what you want and need your home phone to do. Whether you’re thinking about getting rid of your home phone or can’t live without it, now is the time to try out the Verizon Hub.”

Centered around the kitchen counter? Uh, not mine, but okay. None the less, the Verizon Hub works with “virtually any broadband provider” according to Verizon.

According to the company:

Out of the box, the Verizon Hub will have all the calling features users expect from the most advanced home phones, plus visual voicemail and robust contact list management. Verizon Wireless has also added exciting messaging options, including text message calendar alerts and audible turn-by-turn directions delivered to Verizon Wireless phones from the Verizon Hub — with just a few simple taps on the screen.

Information will be at a family’s fingertips, literally from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons on the Verizon Hub.

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