Newsletter |
||||
|
||||
Slamming and Cramming Costs...COMMWORLD Can HelpOne benefit of COMMWORLD's Telecom Bill Analysis is we're uncovering fraudulent charges and customers are getting their money back. For example, just last week we found a $600 refund for one client who had "mystery charges" on his phone bill. Often they're small...maybe $14 or $15 per month or they may be hundreds. What ever the amount, it adds up over the months and it could be happening to you. Here is just one way it can happen to you... 
The phone call begins, "Hi, my name is Daniel (or Jackie or Sam) and I'm calling about your AT&T services." "Daniel" or whoever he is has no idea what company provides your telecom services. He's just playing the odds that you're using the incumbent carrier in your area. He continues in a friendly, non-threatening way, "Are you the person responsible for your AT&T account?" He's hoping you'll say yes, but if you aren't the responsible person, he's betting you'll transfer him or at least give him the right name because, after-all, he is calling from "the phone company" and so it must be important. When he gets that responsible person on the call that day or when he calls back on another day, he asks the question again while the recording software is activated. "Are you the person responsible for your AT&T account?" Of course, if you are the right person, you answer, "Yes." Then his next question sounds something like this... "I'm calling to offer you a plan to reduce your local and long distance services", or "to upgrade your services with voice messaging" or "to offer a protection plan". At that point, good old "Daniel" has all he needs. He knows the phone number because he called you, he knows your current carrier and he knows the name of the person responsible for telecom services. According to the website of Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, "Once you give your phone number or an answer, you could get slammed." This is just one of the ways fraudulent charges can end up on your phone bill. Call us for a Telecom Bill Analysis or email your request to info@commworld-kc.com. Say Goodbye to AT&T Landline Phone Service ...
AT&T wants out of the business of providing the telephone service we've known all our lives. During the prime of AT&T's monopoly, then CEO John deButts named the company's main product "plain old telephone service" or "POTS". It's the landline telephone service delivered over the copper wire public switched telephone network or "PSTN". (Sorry for the acronyms, but the telecom industry loves them!) You probably use a POTS line or lines in your home and maybe in your office, but AT&T has declared that it's time for POTS to go and they want the Federal Communications Commission to schedule an end date. In its filing with the FCC dated December 21, 2009, AT&T referred to POTS and the PSTN as "relics of a by gone era". They went on to say, "Due to technological advances, changes in consumer preference, and market forces, the question is when, not if, POTS service and the PSTN over which it is provided will become obsolete." AT&T points out that 700,000 landlines are being dropped every month. As the customer base falls, AT&T claims that their costs are rising and therefore their revenues are declining. Their filing stated, "In view of the range of alternatives for voice service – many of which offer distinct advantages over traditional landline service – it is not surprising that the POTS business model is in a precipitous decline." A big problem regarding this transition is how to make up for the revenue generated by the FCC's Universal Service Fund which is based on the POTS network. (You may have noticed this charge on your phone bill.) This fund is used to subsidize phone service for remote rural users. Many regulatory issues will have to be resolved before the transition is complete.
Sources: Are you tired of settling for less than what you really want from your life and business?
Go here to learn more about this unique opportunity to work with John Assaraf, Founder & CEO of OneCoach or continue reading John's message to business owners... Dear Business Owners, You may already know that over the past 25 years I have grown four multimillion dollar companies, written two New York Times bestsellers, starred as a featured expert in the hit movie "The Secret" and appeared on numerous media outlets including Larry King Live and Donny Deutsch. Now, I didn't tell you that just to stroke my own ego. I want to share something important with you. As business owners we often are our own barrier to success. We let our existing beliefs and habits hold us back from realizing what we are truly capable of achieving. Through my experiences I have learned that there is a proven system to overcoming the mental barriers we go through in business. For the first time ever, I'm going to reveal the methods behind my success in a brand new program called "How to Master the Inner Game of Business". For years I have been studying the best science has to offer us about the brain and how to manifest its power into creating success. If you're committed to overcoming the challenges that may be holding you back from an abundant lifestyle, then this is your opportunity to learn directly from me... practical methods for taking your mental game to a whole new level. Learn more about Mastering the Inner Game of Business.To your success,
John Assaraf Get a Great New Phone System with Voice Mail and More for only $2.70 per Day!SAMSUNG Springtime Special...
The technology experts at Samsung - the world's second largest manufacturer of cell phones - have engineered a communications platform which helps small businesses run efficiently, give better customer service and control costs. Samsung is a manufacturer you know and trust with a reputation for high-quality products. SAMSUNG SPRINGTIME SPECIAL includes:
......All For $2.70 per day Some restrictions apply. Taxes not included This article witten by COMMWORLD's Bob Bennett was published in the February 2010 issue of KC Small Business Magazine.
How to Manage Change...or Maybe NotChange management is an elusive proposition. By Bob Bennett When it comes to managing change, people want answers. They want to read about and learn definitive "how to" solutions for business problems and changing conditions. They want to hear what the precise opportunity for success is, as opposed to the probability of failure. But if you don't find that in this article, please don't shoot the messenger. The effort to develop an all-encompassing, effective set of guidelines or processes for the purpose of controlling and managing change is about as likely as developing a set of rules for reliably managing smoke on a windy day or thoroughly harnessing lightning or effectively herding cats. The high side of success will be elusive to say the least. In their book, Who Killed Change, co-authors Ken Blanchard, John Britt, Pat Zigarmi and Judd Hoekstra wrote: "Every day, organizations around the world launch change initiatives—often big, expensive ones—designed to improve the status quo. Yet 50 to 70 percent of these change efforts fail. A few perish suddenly, but many die painful, protracted deaths that drain the organization's resources, energy and morale." Obviously, those organizations are not effectively managing change. Change is ExpansiveThe concept of "managing change" is an elusive endeavor, and just "change" itself is overwhelming. Type the word "change" and Google will return about 1,180,000,000 results. Even if two thirds of those results could be discounted due to duplications, one would still have a formidable number of combinations and permutations of "change" to attempt to harness, tame and ride. Change appears in many forms and arrives from many directions, both internal as well as external to your business. There are unlimited sources of change, including:
Seek Partnership
Change management entails comprehensive planning, sensitive implementation and above
all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the change(s).
Seek feedback and cooperation from those people who will be touched by the change.
Make sure they completely understand the need for change, and do all you can to
let them have a say in how the change process will be planned and implemented. Convincing
people to participate in the management of change can be as difficult as recognizing
and developing the changes needed to attain organizational goals. Success is more
likely if management communicates face-to-face with the people affected by and involved
with the change process.
When you consider of the complexity of change management, you can increase the chance for success by partnering with change management experts. These specialists have the knowledge and experience to guide you through the processes required to achieve the desired changes and successful results for your organization. If controlling change is so difficult, why can't things just be left alone and stay the same? There is a saying: "If you don't grow, you're gonna go—or something to that effect. In order to grow, things must change. Otherwise, we fall victim to Einstein's definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If growth is desired, then there must be change. Bob and Linda Bennett are the owners of COMMWORLD of Kansas City and are the Regional Owners of OneCoach,Missouri and Kansas. OneCoach is the leading provider of business coaching and business growth services to help small-business owners grow their businesses and live extraordinary lives. (816) 761-5100 // bbennett@onecoach.com Fun Phone Facts: the PicturephoneIn 1956 the "Picturephone" was invented. The transmission was crude only sending an image every two seconds. By 1964, AT&T was ready to try a marketing campaign to introduce the Picturephone to the world. They set up an experimental system to allow the public to make calls from the World's Fair in New York across the country to special exhibits at Disneyland in California. 
Visitors at the World's Fair and at Disneyland were invited into booths to chat with and see each other. COMMWORLD's Cindy Harries remembers going to the New York World's Fair as a child and she actually saw the Picturephone work. Of course, she had no idea what a big part telephones would play in her life! After using the phone, each participant was interviewed by a market research agency. The results were dismal. People didn't like the Picturephone. Many were impressed with the technology, but the equipment was too bulky, the controls were confusing and the black and white picture was too small. Despite those results, AT&T was convinced that the Picturephone would be a success. The company predicted that 1 to 3 million Picturephones would be generating $5 million in revenues by the 1980's. Trials went on until 1970 when a new and improved Picturephone was released to the public in a limited number of cities. Despite the improvements it was still big, it was expensive, people found it to be intrusive and there weren't many other people with a Picturephone that you could talk to. When the Picturephone was quietly pulled from the market, instead of earning $5 million, it had created a $1 billion loss for the Bell System. Sources: www.ideafinder.com , http://davidszondy.com , www.corp.att.com |
||||
|
You have received this email because you provided your email address to COMMWORLD
of Kansas City, most likely in the course of a business activity. If you do not
want to receive any more mailings,
unsubscribe.
Copyright © 2009 |
||||