“Cloud connectivity and hosted environments are extremely relevant to today’s small to medium sized businesses” said Moss. “What was once reserved more as an enterprise only offering is now much more commonplace – especially when paired with MPLS”.

Moss, a 10 year veteran of Call One and Chicagoland telecommunications went on to cite the paradigm shift in cloud-based services to the SMB space… “What’s helping drive this migration to the cloud is the overall breadth of service offerings that clients can use as their pathway to get to the cloud. Five to seven years ago, it was not common to see a 10 nodes or under MPLS network with drops at Data Centers. Now, the large majority of people asking for MPLS are demanding bandwidth at a colo. And with the various types of Ethernet offerings available, we can do on-net connectivity in addition to cost effect loop-based handoffs.”

About Call One:  Established in 1992, Call One was the first telecommunications provider to be certified by the Illinois Commerce Commission as a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier and continues to be one of the largest resellers of AT&T local network services. This relationship provides our clients competitive prices previously available only to larger customers through substantial term and volume commitments. By connecting to each of the other major carriers, Call One also provides our clients the flexibility to take advantage of new technologies as they become available.

About Ken Moss:  Ken Moss, Director of Data Operations at Call One, has worked for Call One in Chicago, Illinois since 2002. He holds an MBA from Benedictine University and is a member of Sigma Beta Delta Business Honors Society. He has held both management and operational sales engineer positions in telecom and industrial automation for nearly 20 years.

Follow Ken Moss on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ken-moss/2b/976/214

Follow Call One on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/542713?trk=tyah

Follow Call One on Twitter: @calloneconnects

Follow Call One on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/callonechicago

Then we took it a step further. Call One provides each of its employees with a subsidized transit pass, eliminating the need for an overly-extended carbon footprint. We’re no longer paper pushers either, thanks to a collective migration to an online database and networking system; one that makes our jobs more efficient, and of course, our earth happier.

So we’d like to invite you, our clients, our friends, and our peers to join us in our mission to Go Green. Taking small steps in your office environment will not only lend a hand to this collective initiative, but can also cut down on overhead costs within your company. And, there’s only one way to feel about that, pretty good.

Written by Jessica Sherman

Managing, and even changing perception is a doable task and actually quite simple. Effective perception management can be accomplished through properly setting expectations. Ask yourself, how do customers reach certain conclusions and perceptions? More often than not you’ll find the answer to be poor communication along with unrealistic or unmet expectations. Even worse, sometimes the answer is no expectations. Manage customer expectations using these simple, yet effective points:

• Deal with absolute truths – keep it black and white. Many times, issues get skewed because of perceptions, which sometimes can be false. Work the facts, and table the sometimes less crucial perceptions.

• Get the expectation right the first time. While expectations can and do change throughout the life cycle of a project, getting it right the first time goes a long way towards building good will and customer equity.

• Identify and correct any false or unrealistic expectations. They’ll usually present themselves in a timely fashion early in project stages. Make sure that they are identified and corrected in writing, and in a timely fashion.

• Communicate the expectation – make sure all parties acknowledge and understand expectations. Operations works under a different mindset than sales, so philosophies in message delivery do differ.

• Tough messages have to be delivered. Customers can be told ‘no’, but do it with tact and soft delivery. Always remember your audience.

When expectations are met, customer perceptions are positive. Perception may be reality, but Expectations Fuel Perception. Carry On.

by Ken Moss, Director of Data Operations for Call One

“Putting America Back to Work”

Call One is proud to announce its partnership with WLS Radio 94.7 FM, and their exciting new program “Putting America Back to Work”. Focused on celebrating local businesses, WLS Radio will be featuring companies who’ve recently created new jobs in their communities.  As a locally based Telecommunications Firm, it’s important to Call One that we find a unique way to contribute to this celebration.

For us at Call One, “Putting America Back to Work” is just another way we get to say Thank You. We know just how important it is to create new jobs, and provide opportunities for individuals who are looking to work hard, and make a difference in their community. So, if you want to share your company’s story, or want to nominate a business that has benefited  your community with new hires, head on over to www.wlsbacktowork.com, and share your story. If you are chosen, your business could earn a special feature on WLS Radio during the AM or PM rush-hours highlighting your company’s contribution in “Putting America Back to Work”.

For the third year in a row Call One made Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty List. Owning the number #44 spot was a little bit of a drop off from the previous years #37 spot, but a feat we are more than proud to boast about none the less.

Another three-peat for Call One in 2011 was being recognized as one of the 5000 fastest growing companies in the United States by Inc. Magazine. We were honored to be ranked number 3,027 last year and aim to improve this year. Read the Article.

In September Call One hosted the first annual Business Communications Summit in Oakbrook IL. The event, sponsored in part by ShoreTel, offered valuable FREE info on telecommunications infrastructure for businesses and a breakfast for current and prospective clients. Being the events first year attendance was modest, but one guest walked away with a brand new iPad2 that was raffled off to those who attended.

In November Call One President, Chris Surdenik, was featured in the Chicago Tribune as a “Remarkable Person”. The weekly article features a local Chicago area standout who tells a compelling story and offers insight or inspiration, and was read by millions. Read the Article.

In December Call One Employees orchestrated a charity toy drive for Chicago Inner City School Kids. The initiative answered 72 letters addressed to Santa Claus from second graders at a selected school, providing a little holiday cheer for those in need.

Each year the Call One “Give Back Committee” selects a charitable organization to sponsor and raise money. Aunt Martha’s Youth Services was selected in 2011 and we are proud to say we presented them with a check for over five thousand dollars that was raised from employee contributions and a 50% company match.

We also launched an entirely new web site last year (where you’re reading this blog right now) offering fresh content and easier access for our clients to view and pay their bills.

As you can see 2011 was an exciting year for Call One. We would like to thank all of our customers for allowing us to serve them, and giving us the opportunity to be the best business telecommunications provider in the Chicagoland area. We look forward to continued success in 2012 and beyond, and want to wish all of our readers the same. Happy New Year!

All public IP circuits (DS1 and above) are pro-actively monitored. Often, Call One Data Engineers are aware of a customer outage BEFORE the customer. We frequently generate pro-active repair tickets on our customer’s behalf. Our goal is to streamline the repair process as best we can – being proactive instead of reactive.

Call One’s NOC engineers are equipped to provide clients the best possible ownership experience. Our monitoring/alert system is completely turnkey. Call One engineers are notified via email within seconds of an outage on a monitored circuit. Macro-variables such as network weather reporting and correlated outage notifications are taken into account by our NOC engineers when assessing network issues. We use this information to proactively interact with our clients. Additionally, full bandwidth utilization and connectivity reporting are available on demand to our clients.

These service offerings give our clients a competitive edge. The client can rely on the fact that the Call One Data Services team has the experience and expertise to offer complex IP solutions with great confidence.

Our uniqueness is our flexibility and ability to adapt to our clients needs with the large pool of vendors in our arsenal. We’re not limited by geographic region or by price constraints. The combination of our pricing options and our technical expertise allows us to think outside the box and present network solutions that our competitors have difficulty matching. Call One Data Services – offering a true Client/Technology partnership. Carry On.

About the Author:  Ken Moss has worked for Call One in Chicago, IL since 2002. He holds an MBA from Benedictine University and is a member of Sigma Beta Delta Business Honors Society. Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn.

Value Proposition provides the groundwork as to why a client should do business with you. If you provide a client a value that they cannot find elsewhere, it becomes incrementally easier to secure that client over your competitors.

So, in telecommunications, what should your value proposition be? Simple, your value proposition is how you are going to do your job better, faster, and more accurately than your competitors, all at a fair and competitive price.

Know your client.
Listen to your client. Build a positive rapport with them. When clients trust and believe in your ability, it provides them a value.

Stay ahead of the game.
Be as proactive as possible. Find new ways to reach out to clients ahead of time. Take some element of telecommunications management off their plate. Be a valued part of their team.

Easing client pains.
Make their life easier by taking care of them. Clientss rarely get angry at a valued business partner that works hard for them. Ease their pains and you are providing value.

Stay focused on providing that premium client experience. It does not go unnoticed. Provide value to your client that cannot be matched by your competitors, and enjoy long-term success. Carry On.

Author: Ken Moss (kmoss@callone.com)

Nick Nolfi and family volunteer their time at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Nick had this to say about his volunteer opportunity:

“The opportunity to volunteer at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)
survivor conference came to me through the give back committee here at Call
One. This particular event was particularly special to me since my
Grandmother (mother to the 3 ladies in the picture) passed away due to
complications from Leukemia about a month before the event. At the event we
helped during registration and the serving of lunch along with other duties
that the folks at LLS gave us. It was a rewarding experience and I am
grateful to the give back committee for give us the chance to support this
event.”

Call One encourages our employees to volunteer their time via the opportunities that the Call One Give Back Comittee presents. Call One is very proud of Nick and hope that we can continue to serve our community.

The week of March 21st was the annual CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) trade show in Orlando.  It was truly a global exposition with companies from all over the world exhibiting their latest wireless technologies.

There were many interesting products and services on display.  New smartphones and tablets were introduced.  Machine to Machine (M2M) was the big thing the show.  What is machine to machine?  It is the communication between devices.  Did you ever wonder how a book is downloaded to a Kindle or how Chicago parking meters charge your credit cards?  The devices have embedded cellular modems that transfer the data. That’s M2M.

The biggest news was actually released just before the show started.  AT&T is buying T-Mobile.  This venture will make AT&T the largest carrier in the country.  It will set up a duopoly – Verizon Wireless and AT&T will have about 80% of the US wireless market share.  There has been many writing about potential increase in prices.  I don’t think that will happen, at least not right away.  I do think this merger will make it harder for device manufacturers.  Companies that make cellular phones and other devices that are activated on the cellular networks need to go through an approval process.  These processes are very extensive, to an extreme.  Speaking with a modem company, last week, I was told that their largest expense was obtaining and maintaining approvals or licensing from the carriers.  They are concerned that, with this merger, the two primary carriers will make it more difficult to obtain authorization for their products.  This could also make it more difficult for new or smaller companies entering the market.

Author: M. Mayer (mmayer@callone.com)