Newsletter

There will be more changes in technology over the next 5 years than there were in the last 50 years. Will your company be ready?

Free Technology Seminars are a hit – so we're offering an encore and you are invited!

Earlier this month, COMMWORLD and TOSHIBA presented the technology seminar – "Are you ready for an IP World?" People who attended came away with a better understanding of the basics of VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol – including what it is, what the benefits are and what challenges it can bring. They were treated to live demonstrations of technologies which can increase profits, efficiencies and customer satisfaction.

If you missed the first round of seminars, you have another chance. On Wednesday, July 23^rd and on Thursday, July 24^th we're going to do it again. For more information or to register to attend, please go to our website or call us at 816–763–1100.

All ratings by attendees were Excellent and Good. Comments included:

• "Excellent opportunity to learn. Presenters were obviously knowledgeable"
• "I was in awe the entire time..."
• "You blew me away!"
• "I am amazed at the technology."
• "The size of the group was nice. The presentation was very professional and easy to understand."

Come and meet members of the COMMWORLD team and get the information you need to know in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

You Can Offer Extraordinary Value with this Extraordinary Technology

Picture this...your Sales Rep...(let's say that's you) is meeting with the prospective client you have chased for months or maybe years. Everything is in place to move forward with the big order except for two things:

1. The prospect wants to meet the Customer Service Representative back in your office who will handle his account
2. The "Return on Investment" spreadsheet on your laptop needs to be updated with today's numbers.

You just answered all the prospect's requests and you gave him the information he needed to approve that big order. Do you think you would make that sale?

OK, maybe you don't have outside sales reps, but let's think outside the box. Do you have anyone who travels beyond your physical office that could be more effective if they could see, hear, chat, share applications, transfer files and collaborate on projects? Perhaps you've been thinking about telecommuting for yourself or other employees. Maybe you have multiple locations. Video communication and collaboration can take the place of face–to–face meetings between members of your organization no matter where they are physically located. It can dramatically reduce the cost of business travel and enhance productivity and the quality of work accomplished.

At COMMWORLD, we believe that technology should enhance efficiency, give you a competitive advantage and increase your profits. Ask us about video communication and collaboration to discover how it can benefit your business.

Everyone complains about poor customer service. Be sure they aren't complaining about your company.

People are so busy today that sometimes we forget about the basics of etiquette, courtesy and customer service. Etiquette never goes out of style and that includes Telephone Etiquette. Here are 5 Telephone Etiquette Tips to remember:

1. No one likes long–winded messages that seem to go on forever and ever and ever...then end with the caller suddenly rattling off their call–back number as fast as they can so it's impossible to capture. With the right technology, you can overcome this problem, but not everyone has that capability. Speak your name and call–back number clearly. It's a good idea to give the number twice.
2. Automated Attendant Systems which are poorly designed and give too many choices are confusing and frustrating. If you need to offer multiple selections, just give the caller 2, 3 or possibly 4 choices at a time.
3. It's just rude to let the caller think he is being transferred to speak to someone and instead sticking him in voice mail. Just a little courtesy would help. "Would you like to leave a message in his voice mail or is there someone else who may be able to help?"
4. When a caller is left on hold with nothing but silence, a few seconds seems like an hour. Callers wonder if they're still on hold or if the call was dropped. Time spent on hold seems shorter if there is something interesting to hear. Play the radio and you may be playing messages you really wouldn't approve. Plus, you're supposed to pay fees. A better solution is a professionally produced message on hold created to promote your business or to give callers useful information.
5. "XYZ Company, can you hold?" Click. It is great if your office is busy, but be careful how you treat incoming callers. If your business has more calls than the staff can handle, you may need to devote more people to answering calls. Or consider technology which allows fewer people to handle more calls effectively and with greater customer service. Whatever you do, don't irritate callers because they could decide to call your competitor instead.

Are You Looking for "The Answer"? You Found It!

Learn More

OneCoach is an international business growth network. The goal of OneCoach is to help more than 1 million people around the world grow their businesses so they can achieve everything they want in life.

Yes, it is a big, audacious goal. But everyone at OneCoach believes it is absolutely possible. OneCoach teaches that success in business (and in life) starts with having the right mindset. There is science behind this, and it has to do with changing your beliefs until you have absolute confidence and certainty. Then it's simply a matter of taking the right steps, in the right order.

There's much more to it, obviously, and that's why OneCoach founders John Assaraf and Murray Smith have just published, with Simon and Schuster,

The Answer:

Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life.

It's a remarkable book. It provides practical action steps to help any business grow, and a message of hope that needs to be heard right now in this economy.

Watch this video featuring John Assaraf and Murray Smith. Then learn more at www.ReadTheAnswer.com.

Meet Shane Fletcher

Shane is a Senior Installation Technician who has been with COMMWORLD of Kansas City for over 12 years. He has been responsible for continuing the COMMWORLD tradition of providing the highest "Quality" installations in the Greater Kansas City area. Shane graduated from DeVry Institute with an Associates Degree in Electronics. He has earned many certifications and holds the prestigious "Certified Technology Professional" degree. COMMWORLD has been proud of its "Quality" of installations from day one with each installing technician signing his or her work – like a work of art. Shane's attention to detail on EVERY installation he completes really does make it artwork. Shane is an avid NASCAR fan and among his other hobbies are golf and tennis. He is a proud Dad and devoted family man. All of us at COMMWORLD are happy to have Shane on our team.

Phone Facts...

It's hard for us imagine life without phones. Early in the history the telephone, the value it would ultimately bring was even harder for people to grasp. The following excerpts taken from an article by William Ecenbarger illustrate this invention's lowly beginnings.

In the fall of 1876 Alexander Graham Bell's lawyer offered the patent for the telephone to the then behemoth Western Union Telegraph Co. for $100,000. His offer was surreptitiously refused.

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
--Western Union internal memo, 1876.

The Chief Engineer of the British Post Office reported to his superiors, "My department is in possession of full knowledge of the details of the invention, and the possible use of the telephone is limited."

The first telephone was installed on April 4, 1877 in Charles Williams's home in Somerville, Mass. Since there was nobody else to talk to, he had a line run to his office in Boston so his wife could call him during the day.

For many years the telephone company discouraged the use of the telephone as a social instrument. It wasn't until the 1920s that the company encouraged the use of the phone for personal conversations.