Thinking about business phone lines?

Rogers now offers a Hosted IP Voice service for customers who require office lines for their business. Whether you are a large corporation or a smaller business, this solution might be of interest to you.


What is Hosted IP Voice?
This is a telephone service supported over the Internet (VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol) and eliminates the need for previous cumbersome service requirements, separate voicemail services etc.


An overview of Hosted IP Voice

• Eliminates the need for Key System services and separate voicemail platforms
• Requires Internet access to be enabled
• North American Long Distance, 1000 incoming toll-free minutes/month and integrated IP fax are included
• Features and extensions are managed by you, the customer, via a secure online administration portal
• Signing up is easy via a Rogers Small Business Sales Channel partner
• Live Agent customer support available 24/7

For more information on a Business Phone for your company, visit http://www.rogers.com/business/bc/en/smallbusiness/products/businessphone/plans/

Is a Family Plan right for us?

Family Plans are the name of the game at Rogers and Cellworks this quarter, and there are some amazing offers available to those who wish to get started with a new plan, whether voice or voice and data.


But many people don't realize the benefits of a Family Plan and what it can offer its users:

• Callers within the same Family Plan can call one another anywhere in Canada with no long distance charges at any time of the day, night, weekday or weekend - completely unlimited!
• Pooled minutes allow up to five users to take up airtime according to their usage - no need to worry about guessing how many minutes each person is going to need each month
• The option of additional features such as Unlimited Messaging or Unlimited Network Calling, for example, applies to all lines within the account - keeping things simple and streamlined
• Getting your teenagers started on a voice and data plan is extremely easy with the Family Voice & Data plans too, as everyone on the plan can share the data package - another way to simplify deciding on a plan
• If you find that the plan doesn't quite suit your needs, you can change it at any time without penalty or issue
• There are great offers on devices so that everyone can get a phone they love, whether it's a BlackBerry, iPhone, or a quick messaging device for those avid texters - some are even free!

And for ten more days (until June 30, 2011) any new Family Plan Voice & Data Activation gets you a Sony Playstation 3! 

Mobile Applications Are for Small Businesses Too!

App stores look like the new business to be in! With the market growing at an increasingly fast pace, predictions for 2011 have revenue at $3.8billion and 2014 will see an enormous jump to $8.3 billion.

There is literally an application for anything, and most are available on all smartphone platforms, meaning that application providers can reach an enormous customer base.

However, that customer base doesn't just include the regular consumer any more. Small businesses are utilizing applications to streamline their businesses for better efficiency and effectiveness. Applications that help track employees and products, assist with travel plans and help with invoicing outside of the office, are all used increasingly by small and medium businesses.

This is a great money saver for those companies that don't have the funding to invest in large scale, company-wide services. Although the applications themselves are less likely to be free, they are a much lower cost in comparison. Which works well for the smaller guys, looking to better use their money and ensure that they remain competitive.

With thanks to iQmetrix for their original blog - take a look 

, and for more information on the newest version of PocketRQ (the mobile application for POS provider, RetailIQ and RQ4), check out this link

Five Keys to Positive Phone Shopping

An interesting article came across my desk recently which talks to the fact that shopping for a new cellphone or smartphone can be a stressful experience for many buyers. The choice of devices available coupled with choosing the right plan can have consumers walking out of the store rather than into it.

iQmetrix has come up with a list of five keys elements that will help your customers have a more positive experience while in your store:

• Easy activation: The mobile phone activation process can be complicated, so any efforts to simplify the experience, through patient explanation and advice, will go a long way in increasing customer satisfaction.
• Fast checkout: Expediting the checkout process is essential to delivering a good phone shopping experience. Retailers must make efforts to avoid long checkout lines – customers don’t want to wait.
• Vast phone selection: Confusion is the enemy. It is important to not only offer a variety of devices, but also to present them in an understandable way. Store design and merchandising should clearly identify brands, categories, rate plans, etc. Retailers should meet customers’ expectations of product choice and quality, while avoiding out of stocks.
• Affordable prices: Customers want to easily compare costs of different phones, plans and accessories to identify a price that works for them. Once again, pricing should be straightforward, not confusing.
• Good customer service: Sales associates must demonstrate strong product knowledge while also being polite, genuine and helpful. Good listening skills are essential. Responsiveness is extremely important, as customers do not want to wait around for a salesperson to help them. 

Students Head Back To School with Smartphones

Originally posted September 23, 2010

This month has seen the return of students to their respective institutions, and what a month for wireless this has been!

With a huge influx of quick messaging and touch screen devices, such as the Samsung Corby Pro and the LG Neon 2, students have had their fair share of phones to choose from.

There has definitely been an increase in wireless activity among students, even from last year, as purchasing a new phone has become a staple of the "Back To School Shopping List".

And more students are moving away from the standard cellular device, embracing the Smartphone trend that offers a more feature-rich experience. Not only do these devices give students access to their email, but they can stay up to date with their friends on campus via the social networking sites that seem to be a standard on new devices.

Devices such as the Motorola Flip Out with MotoBlur, with swipe text technology for faster messaging, and the BlackBerry 9300 Curve, with 3G capabilities, have been extremely popular. Prices are now more affordable, and there have been some great Student Plan offers this year.

It has been an extremely busy time for us - some might say it has been like a second Christmas for the wireless industry!

New Contender in the Wireless Industry Space

Originally posted May 14, 2010
Apple announces the launch of the iPad...

...and Rogers Wireless is set to be the official carrier for the product.

Information appears to be limited to us at the Rogers end because there has been no word yet on whether our dealer locations will hold the product itself, or if we are just expected to provide the data activations for the device.

So far, two data plans have been announced for the iPad, and many of us are expecting customers to purchase the device at the Apple Stores, and then come to a Rogers location to activate or add their data plan to existing accounts:

• $15 for 250MB
• $35 for 5GB

And as with the release of the original iPhone, there are always the complaints that Rogers isn't providing an unlimited data plan. If you ask me 5GB is a serious amount of data!

In the past, responses to the lack of an "unlimited" data plan prompted Rogers to offer a 6GB data plan - an extremely popular plan with data users Canada-wide. And although the complaints continued, statistics show that the average user of an iPhone only needed about 500MB of data a month! So what's all the fuss about?! Especially when there is Wi-Fi built in.

And who's to say that things won't change as the iPad becomes a more substantial product within the Rogers Wireless space? Rogers has never carried a product quite like the iPad, and only time will tell as to how customers will react to it, purchase it, use it etc.

Experience with the iPhone might help our dedicated sales representatives to anticipate questions, concerns, and expectations for the iPad.

The iPad comes in two main specifications - Wi-Fi alone, and Wi-Fi with 3G - and has three sizes - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Pricing is likely to be similar to the US where the Wi-Fi 16GB model starts at $499.99.

It will be interesting to see how this new product impacts the wireless and notebook markets - Rogers already has their Netbook products out in the market, and the way I see it...the iPad is likely to blow all of them out of the water.

Watch out - the iPad will be here soon!

Social Networking....On Your Wireless Device

Originally posted April 21, 2010

Social networking has always been a personal affair, with special events set up to ensure industry colleagues, office-mates and others can meet and connect in one space with ease.

However with the introduction of websites online, social networking has become an increasingly online process, with fewer people meeting in person, instead choosing to instant message, ‘poke' and provide status updates so everyone knows what they are up to.

A further development has been the production of cellular devices that are centered entirely on social networking. Data plans are being introduced that allow users who might not necessarily want to surf the Internet, but still want access to all the popular sites, including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. And these options are becoming increasingly more affordable to all users, including those who might never have used a cellular device in the past.

A survey conducted by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association discovered that more than 65% of Canadians aged 16 and 17 own a mobile device, 30% of those are 13 - 15, and 5% of those are aged 8 - 12 years of age.

Wireless carriers see this young influential market as a target for building brand loyalty immediately, as these users are usually purchasing a device for the first time. In recent weeks, this market has been targeted specifically with the Touch phone products, providing users with unlimited text messaging, social networking, and lower monthly service fees.

The move from phone calls and physical interaction to online updates and texting may mean that even our desktop computers are set to become obsolete. And the expansion of features on cell phones now, such as cameras, picture / video messaging etc, all make it much easier to stay connected with everyone at all times.

This may mean that wireless carriers have to tailor more of their plans to suit the heavy mobile social networker - providing more for less. These users are likely to be a large portion of the market for existing carriers and those coming into the market soon.

Carrier Competition in Canda

Originally posted April 5, 2010
There have been endless rumours about new carriers coming into the market in Canada - rumours that have at times made sales difficult as a result of new and existing customer hesitation to sign any contracts.

As a result of recent spectrum auctions, there is a new "Three" set to enter the Canadian wireless market - WIND Mobile, Mobilicity and Public Mobile. The first two carriers are set to provide coverage in major areas across Canada, but Public Mobile is set to focus just on Quebec and Ontario for the time being.

Mobilicity (also known as DAVE Wireless):

• Set to launch in the spring of 2010
• Simplistic pricing is a dominant focus, with an intention to provide all-encompassing plans (the company has yet to provide specifics at this time)
• Will offer no contracts, no credit checks, and unlimited calling and data
• Will offer a selection of Smartphones from RIM and Nokia as well as USB Internet sticks
• Service will roll out in major cities, beginning with Toronto, and moving into Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa later in the year
• Mobilicity feels that its simple services will be what really set the brand apart from the other emerging brands

Public Mobile:

• Will not be offering data services at launch (spring 2010)
• Service plan pricing will be extremely simple - pay $40 and get unlimited talk and text within the company's coverage area
• Services will be set up and running in Toronto and Montreal with plans to extend to core cities and urban areas over the months following
• Phones can be purchased outright, with entry level devices costing less than $100 and "high end" models still remaining under $200
• Phones will include four or five at launch - there will be no BlackBerry devices or other Smartphones
• Over time, the intention is to add more features, functions and handsets as consumers demand them
• Public Mobile functions on the G-block of spectrum, which is a CDMA band - this means that only handsets that support the band will function  on the Public Mobile network

WIND Mobile:

• Service up and running in Toronto and Calgary since December 2009. Services in Ottawa and Edmonton are in progress and Vancouver will follow in Q2
• There are 40 stores in Toronto and Calgary, including 16 store-within-store concepts in Blockbuster locations
• Social and laid back feel defines the brand and is translated through the customer experience
• Target customers are the youthful, socially connected folks aging from 18 to 30 years old
• Second target market is the ethnic markets that have just come to Canada
• Premise behind WIND is the customer's ability to buy a phone outright, without a contract, and then select which plan options they require - for example, a BlackBerry Bold 9700 is $450 through WIND, compared to only $150 with Rogers (and a three year contract). There is question as to whether the higher price is worth the lack of contract, especially if the phone only works on the WIND network and nowhere else.
• WIND has roaming agreements that allow its devices to work outside coverage areas - postpaid customers are able to roam in the US; still working out issues to allow pre-paid customers to do the same
• Long-term goal is to become a national carrier
• WIND plans to expand its handset lineup, and is looking at third-party retailers

The common elements between each of these new providers, is the desire to reduce the need for contracts, provide simplified pricing options and to target the 30% of Canadians who still don't have a mobile phone.

What does this mean for the existing carriers? Incumbent providers - Rogers, Bell and TELUS - have to take steps to better their services, which have so far included remove the System Access Fee from customer bills. In addition, "The Big Three" have made it possible for customers to purchase devices outright, i.e. without a contract.

Aside from having to compete with the new carriers, Rogers, Bell and TELUS have to deal with their own situation - the introduction of Bell and TELUS' high-speed networks has the three carriers competing directly with one another now.

As a whole, the introduction of more competition is definitely a plus for the consumer, providing more choice, simplicity, and competitive pricing. Nadir Mohammed, President & CEO of Rogers Communications Inc has stated that "Competition will keep everyone on their toes, drive innovation and hold down prices. All of this will be good for the consumer." But what does this mean for the present carriers?

Only time will tell as we move further into 2010, and see the full emergence of these new companies. Wireless is about to get a shakeup unseen to date.