VoIP takes getting used to for some people, and one customer wasn’t sure what was going on. He called into support because he wanted information on accessing his voicemail and wanted to set up call forwarding features just in case he missed a call. I began to tell him the keystrokes that he would need to press from his handset, and he asked why would he need a handset? He then went on to say “I’m talking on my IP now, right? My wife left this box that looks similar to a phone, but she said we have voice over IP services. I thought I had to talk on my IP to get the service to work.” I had to calmly explain to him how his service worked, and we both shared a laugh at his expense. He told me that golf is his thing, and he leaves all the “tech stuff” up to his wife.

A woman contacted technical support to get assistance with her email. Her son had purchased the computer for her so that she could “email her friends,” and she wanted information on which “button” she needed to click to make her mail arrive because she lost the instructions that her son had provided. She was able to tell me that she was using Thunderbird for her email client because she said that she was scared to close the program because she may not find it again if she did! While I was providing her with instructions on how to send and receive her email, she said “I don’t know why they changed the mascot from the cat people because my son used to love that cartoon when he was a little. I think they should bring it back.” Being a Thundercats fan myself, I found that pretty funny. At least that’s what I believe that she was referring to.

Having just gotten a new computer because her old one was compromised by a virus, a customer contacted technical support to verify advice that had been given to her. She said that she had been talking with a friend who told her that she needed to go to Walmart and pick up “an anti-virus and firewall.” She said that she had gone to Walmart and waited for nearly 15 minutes in the Garden Center to see if they had any firewalls that she could connect to her computer.

We couldn’t make these up if we tried! Hope you enjoyed the laughs!

The post Tales from Tech Support – Take Three appeared first on ZCorum.

They’re Already on Social Media Anyway

If you surveyed your customers to find out how many of them are already on social media websites, you’re likely to have a lot of raised hands in the room. Most are using social media whether they are connecting with friends and family, looking for informative content, networking, brand-watching, or playing the ever-addicting Candy Crush Saga. They are there! According to Statistic Brain, there are over 1.2 billion Facebook users and 190 million tweets are sent per day, so chances are, you’ll be able to provide customer service-related content or help when your customers are online.

Connect Instantly with Your Customers

When your customers have a question or an issue that your customer service team would normally address, customers are more inclined to think that social media will provide them with a more rapid response. Typically, traditional customer service measures such as email and phone contact are tried and true methods, but because your customers are already on social media sites anyway, being able to instantly connect on platforms that provide entertainment while addressing customer service is an ideal approach. Your social media customer service team should be ready to respond with helpful information or at least direct customers to where they can find the needed information.

Address Multiple Users with the Same Question

Ever heard the old adage “killing two birds with one stone?” Of course you have, but while I wouldn’t necessarily be able to kill a bird with anything, this concept has a ring to it. Think of the times where you may have been experiencing a network outage, and your customer support lines are ringing off the hook with the same question on each call. Using social media for customer service provides you an opportunity to address multiple customers that may have the same question. What if three customers need information on how to check their broadband data usage or where they can look to reset their email passwords? Timeline posts and even cross-posts to different social media sites can ease the burdens of the unknown and provide valuable information to your followers.

Good Experiences Can Increase Customer Base

Think about the last time you purchased a product or service based on a raving customer review that was provided because of great customer service? Did that make you become more inclined to use the product or service? Oftentimes, when customers have good experiences with your customer service team, they are likely to post about it on your social media pages or leave comments about how you were able to effectively address a question or concern. Good experiences and social media are satisfied customers waiting to happen.

How are you using social media for your customer service needs? Leave a comment and tell me what works for you.

The post 4 Reasons Why Social Media and Customer Service Go Hand-in-Hand appeared first on ZCorum.

Scott Helms on Migrating to DHCP

ZCorum’s Vice President of Technology, Scott Helms, is featured in this month’s edition of Ask a Broadband Expert. Scott has been with ZCorum since 1998. His complete bio is included in the interview download. This month Scott takes the interview seat and provides insight into why a telco or DSL operator should migrate to DHCP from PPPoE or PPPoA.

DHCP doesn’t just solve IP address  management problems, it can save you at the bank when it’s upgrade time. Want to know more? Read Scott’s answers to DHCP questions and find out the number one reason operators switch, why most telco or DSL operators may already be equipped to make the switch, and more.  

These are just a few of the questions Scott answers in the full interview. 

So, how does DHCP work in the DSL world?  DHCP Enforcement and Option 82 

So why would an operator want to switch?  The number 1 reason!

So why don’t all operators switch?   Scott’s take on the future

So chances are they’re already equipped to switch?  This might surprise you!

Watch a short video excerpt of the interview:

A few more excerpts…

Who in the Telco world does this issue address and why?

Helms: The primary audience could be almost anyone in the telco/DSL world concerned with transitioning to DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).

How did we get to DHCP Technology and why?

Helms: Let me give you a little bit of history and it’ll make more sense. In the early days of DSL most operators chose to do PPPoA (Point to Point Protocol Over Asynchronous Transfer Mode). It was the only good choice. Operators could still do DHCP or static assignments of IP addresses but both of those options left you vulnerable to having inaccurate IP information if you needed to answer law enforcement or a copyright abuse case or any other reason you’d need to know who had a certain IP address at a certain time. The other advantage that PPPoA had was that it worked with another system that operators were already comfortable with, which is RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service).

So if it worked so well, why did they change?

Helms: ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), which is the “A” part of PPPOA, was being phased out of operator networks because of the cost difference between an ATM interface versus an Ethernet interface. In many cases the difference was multiple tens of thousands of dollars. There was never a real technical reason for the phase out. Over time DSL networks began moving away from having an ATM core and transport network with PPPoA to having an Ethernet core and transport network in PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol Over Ethernet). So largely everyone moved over to PPPOE because it was pretty painless, and most often didn’t require any replacement equipment.

This sounds like a great solution. So why is DHCP now preferable over PPPOE…

Read more….

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Simply complete the below form and we will email you the full interview in PDF form.

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Have a question that you need answered about broadband? Ask a broadband expert and your question could be featured on our site next month. Ask your questions by filling out this form or in the comments section of this article. 

The post Why Should I Move From PPPoA or PPPoE to DHCP? appeared first on ZCorum.

The Down Side

The “paperless office” concept has been around since the 70’s although modern technology has anted-up the concept for several businesses.  Many of these businesses would prefer to become completely paperless, but there are several factors that are preventing this from happening and allowing the companies to relinquish their “paper-holding.” When placing full reliability on paperless options, you’re bound to run into a problem or two because even with the most savvy implementation, technology is subject to errors. Your doors will be opened to numerous issues including security breaches, system failures, and even human error. These problems create other problems within your organization, so it’s essential to always have a back-up plan in the event that something goes awry.

Things are Starting to Look Up

With every down side, there are always positives to look forward to. Several businesses have greatly benefited from going paperless. Adobe conducted a study gathering information from an online survey from several U.S managers participating in a paperless office environment. The reports show that over half of the respondents (51%) believe that digital workflow makes filing and managing documents easier. Sixty-one percent said that working digitally cuts cost, and nearly a third of them feel that it gives them an edge over other businesses. Businesses would prefer that their daily operations are as seamless as possible and going paperless seems to be a solid starting point.

So, What Will You Choose?

Just like any other technological development, the pros and cons must be weighed to determine the benefits. Some companies will jump at the chance to go paperless while others will take a more traditional approach and be a little resistant to change. You’ll have others that will meet them right in the middle. Whatever you decide, ensure that you choose the option that works best for you.

Just in case you’re undecided on whether you’d like to step into the paperless world, maybe this “very” short film may help you decide.

The post The Paperless Office: Which Option are You Choosing? appeared first on ZCorum.

In order to do this, you need to create something your customers already want and are actively searching for. And that something is content. For today’s article, I’m going to describe the first step in creating this customer-attracting content: researching your buyer persona.

The buyer persona is a hypothetical profile of your ideal customers. It includes demographic information and describes what the potential customer values, wants, fears, and objects to when shopping for your product. This persona helps you relate to your customers as real humans and guides both content creation and distribution.

“You’re discovering what [your ideal customer] is passionate about, which can lead naturally—organically—into a discussion of how you can solve a problem or improve their lives, and why your company is the right choice to help them,” Nimble CEO Jon Ferrara told Software Advice recently.

To create your buyer persona, you need to follow these three essential steps.

Survey Your Real Customers

In the most simple terms, your ideal customers mean those people with the highest propensity of purchasing any of the services that you offer. Rather than making assumptions, why not collect data about your real customers’ demographic profile, likes, dislikes, challenges, motivations and pain points?

The best way to garner this information is through customer interviews or surveys. Here’s a list of the kind of information you should garner:

• Their professional title, or role in their organization
• Key facts about their company
• Demographic profile: Gender, age, income
• Challenges they face without your types of services
• How your products/services help them overcome broadband barriers
• Quotes from these conversations to post along with your persona

As a final step, interview your sales team to define the buyers’ primary objections. What have the buyers cited as reasons they are not purchasing your broadband services at this time? Or, reasons they are still considering your competitor’s offerings? What other common questions do they have?

Refine Your Persona with Team Feedback

Once you have your persona mapped, create a physical representation of that persona. This should include an image, name, and all of the characteristics you gleaned from your interviews with customers and your sales team.

Post this information in your sales room and in your customer service departments. Invite your team to add onto these profiles with sticky notes, a white board, or another predefined process. Do they keep getting the same questions over and over again? Are customers using your  services in a way that indicates they valued something different when they were still shopping?

All of these answers will help your content creators better target these personas.

Customer service can also help refine your personas in another way – they can help prioritize your marketing spend. If one persona requires more support, follow-up, and “hand holding” post-sale; marketing might choose to focus efforts on attracting a different customer profile.

Validate Your Persona Online

Finally, using these demographics, find your ideal customers on the web and see if their interests / concerns / values match yours. If your buyer persona is a working mom with two kids, find relevant blogs and look for articles geared towards professionals. “How Busy Moms Maintain Work-Life Balance,” for example.

Look for relevant blogs, on news sites, and even competitors’ website. Then open a few articles from each and read the comments from readers. Take note of which articles are shared and commented on most and see if any trending topics emerge.

Of course there are a few more steps needed to ensure your article, blog, marketing collateral, white paper, eBook, or other content attracts the right customers – optimizing it with appropriate keywords, for example – but it all starts with defining what kinds of customers are most likely to buy from you, and targeting your efforts in that direction.

The post Guest Feature: Researching Your Buyer Persona appeared first on ZCorum.

McDonald’s and Wendy’s recognized the need for consumers to get what they want without having to pay for stuff they don’t want. So, it’s too bad that the cable content providers haven’t realized this as well since they continue to fight against the move to provide a la carte content and pricing options for cable providers and their subscribers.

Senator John McCain’s latest attempt (he already tried once in 2006), to introduce legislation that would require pay TV providers to offer subscribers more a la carte cable TV video subscription options may have a better chance of making it through this time. As cable operators continue to lose video subscribers to over-the-top services such as Netflix and Hulu, the number one reason quoted for subscriber churn is the high price of cable.  And, consumers are starting to “cut the cord” in record numbers. The proponents of a la carte options claim that this would lower the cost of cable TV and result in more subscribers signing on.

The bill’s supporters are quick to tell you that it’s not the cable operators, for the most part, that drive up the cost. It is the content providers that say to cable companies “You have to put this channel in your basic tier or you don’t get it at all.” Oh and by the way, we’re also raising the amount per subscriber you have to pay for that channel.” The consumer is forced to buy all kinds of programs they don’t want or need to get the few channels they do want.

But, this all-or-nothing structure from the content providers seems to be coming back to bite them in the remote.  As costs to operators go up, those costs get passed on to subscribers in order for the operator to make a profit or else go out of business, as some smaller cable operators have already had to do. When subscribers are presented with increasingly higher bills every month, they’re starting to look for other alternatives for their TV content and could eventually “cut the cord.” The consumers toss their cable bills, but let’s be honest, you can’t get everything that’s on cable over-the-top. For the operator, he has fewer subscribers meaning less revenue which in turn means fewer orders to the distributor. It’s basically a lose-lose-lose.

To turn it around, consumers are overwhelmingly in favor of the a la carte cable TV programming model, as most enjoy their cable TV service but don’t want to have to pay the high prices for programming they don’t want and never watch. Let’s hope the McCain bill passes, and the content providers take a lesson from Burger King. If not, consumers and entrepreneurs alike will continue to find their own solutions to “have it your way.”

The post A la Carte Cable TV: Can You Have It Your Way? appeared first on ZCorum.

Passion

When employees are passionate about the work they do and actually enjoy their job or career, they are dependable and accountable. Passionate employees are caring and work hard to meet or exceed the expectations of the company. They also tend to be disappointed when they are unable to accomplish assigned tasks or meet goals that are provided. Passionate employees demonstrate that they are willing to work hard to achieve greatness and look towards management for advice and mentoring as they understand the benefits.

Attitude

Another good employee attribute is having a good attitude.  Employees that are positive tend to influence those around them to be positive as well. These types of employees are very accepting of constructive criticism and welcome feedback as a way to improve. Positive employees are always willing to assist with any assignments and are great at helping others.  They tend to remove themselves from negative or derogatory situations and often try to steer others towards being their best.  Good attitudes certainly go a long way.

Work Ethics

Employee that possess good work ethics are eager to absorb information and take initiative to get things done. These types of employees are assertive and don’t always need to be told what has to be done. They see something that could possibly improve the company and take the necessary steps to make it happen. Rarely are they not available for their scheduled shifts, and these types of employees always notify the appropriate personnel when emergencies or other issues surface. They pride themselves in flexibility and are ready to take on any new assignments or responsibilities.

Loyalty

Although I’m providing loyalty as the last of my good employee attributes, I believe this to be the most important attribute for employees to possess.

Employees that are loyal stand behind the company 100%. They stand up for what the company believes in and wants to work out any problems to remain employed. Loyal employees do not spend time seeking other job opportunities, but instead, they focus on how they can grow and become a better employee within their current company. When employees are loyal, they take their job very seriously and work diligently to make the company a success.  Loyal employees can be trusted, and they are honest and truthful in all situations. Most often, they put the interests of the company first and personal issues often come second.

Are you a good employee?  Do you possess these good employee attributes?  If not, make an effort to re-focus, and I can almost guarantee that your employer will take notice to the change, and you’ll be setting yourself up for success rather than failure.

The post 4 Good Employee Attributes appeared first on ZCorum.

Broadband Experts Answer Provider’s Questions in New Monthly Blog Feature

It’s not always easy to find the answers to your broadband management questions, and you don’t have the time to spend online sorting through thousands of websites looking for answers. So we’re offering the opportunity for you to ask your broadband questions directly to our experts in our new monthly Ask a Broadband Expert feature.

Each month ZCorum will feature broadband experts answering selected questions about broadband and technology.  Ask a Broadband Expert is the best place to ask any broadband technology related question and get help from the real experts. You’re welcome to post questions related to all things broadband, from software and network management to equipment and people. You can submit a question, review previous questions and answers (coming soon), and learn about hot research topics in this blog the first week of each month.

Whether you’re just gearing up and have start-up broadband questions, are already offering broadband but need some technical expertise to improve your operation, or have a technical question that is giving you fits, whatever the question, we’ll help you find the answers you need.

Ask a Broadband Expert: Brady Volpe on Codeword Errors

This month’s Ask a Broadband Expert features Brady Volpe, a highly respected speaker and industry thought leader on broadband. Mr. Volpe is a frequent presenter at industry trade shows, conferences and regional seminars.  He has published numerous articles in worldwide trade journals and authored several white papers on DOCSIS protocol and VoIP test and analysis.  You can find him on Twitter at @bradyvolpe and on LinkedIn here.

Brady recently wrote a white paper for broadband providers titled, “DOCSIS Codeword Errors and Their Effect on RF Impairments”.  In this first Ask a Broadband Expert blog, Brady answers three frequently asked questions about codeword errors with excerpts from the white paper.

Question: Are codeword errors really that important?

Brady Volpe: You may not be familiar with DOCSIS codeword errors, but it is important to know that monitoring codeword errors will enable you to improve your subscriber’s quality of experience (QoE). How is this possible?  DOCSIS codeword errors are the most effective metric to determine if a data issue, like slow web pages, slow gaming, poor voice quality, etc., is an RF plant problem or if it is a data network problem. If you work in the field you know how critical this information can be. DOCSIS codeword errors are the deciding factor if you have an RF impairment or if you do not have an RF impairment. Period.  If a high number of codewords go uncorrected then the subscriber may see their Internet slowdown.  If the subscriber is using voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) offered by the cable operator, Skype, Vonage, etc. voice and video calls will be especially impacted.

Question: What is a codeword?

Brady: Data transmitted between the CMTS and the modem is split into codewords that are usually 16 to 256 bytes in length. Each codeword contains extra data, called Forward Error Correction (FEC) that allows the original codeword to be rebuilt if the data is in error. When a subscriber is using a device, such as a PC or iPad, and transmits data over a DOCSIS cable modem, the FEC kicks in. There are two functions to the FEC protocol, the encoder and the decoder. The cable modem and CMTS act as both interchangeably, depending on data direction.

Question: What are codeword errors?

Brady: Codeword errors are corrupted bits of data in the transmission or flow.

There are two types of codeword errors: correctable and uncorrectable.

Correctable codeword errors refer to damaged codewords that can be repaired using the FEC data explained above. If the decoder finds that any bits in the codeword were corrupted it will use the extra correction data to attempt to fix the corrupted bits. If the bits can be repaired, then the decoder reports back with a correctable codeword, because the codeword was saved thanks to the forward error correction. This means the subscriber never knew that any RF impairment occurred.  However, even with repairs, if a high number of correctable errors exist, this will also impede performance because the modem and CMTS are working to correct the data.

Uncorrectable codeword errors are those codewords that are damaged beyond the FEC’s ability to repair it. Uncorrectable errors require that the data be repeated and are usually the biggest concern. If the bits are not repairable the decoder reports an uncorrectable codeword. This means the subscriber’s device (PC, iPad, etc.) must re-transmit the data if possible and their QoE will start to diminish as uncorrectable codewords increase. This is especially true for real-time services such as gaming.

Have a question that you need answered about broadband? Ask a broadband expert and your question could be featured on our site next month. Ask your questions by filling out this form or in the comments section of this article. 

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The post Ask a Broadband Expert – What are DOCSIS Codeword Errors? appeared first on ZCorum.

I cannot count the times I wished I was in front of the computer instead of being 500 miles away relying on customers to tell me what was on their screen.  Oftentimes, I would ask if they had a son or grandson nearby that could join in on the call.  I would give them some story about taking the time to teach them about a computer when all I was really after was getting someone on the phone that would follow directions exactly as I provided them. I always found it oddly funny that the customers that had “worked on computers for 20 years“ thought the Control Panel was a foreign concept!

There are some “laugh out loud” moments that really stick in my mind. I will never forget telling Mr. Smith for fifteen minutes to “right-click” on an icon only to find out at the end of the call that he WROTE “click” with a Sharpie on his computer screen.  I also remember Ms. Jones who called me one Sunday morning with the most pleasant voice I had heard in years. Ms. Jones only wanted to ask if the Internet was open on Sundays. And, I can’t leave out Ms. Griffin. She provided me with the fondest memory of putting her credit card in the old “A” drive of her computer because she was “buying online”. She just wanted me to teach her how to get her card out. I could go on with many personal examples, but to handle these types of customers, you must not only have a great deal of patience, but you must possess a love for helping others. After all, not all customers are created equal.

Many call center managers get caught up with the efficiencies and production of their staff. They are more worried about hold time, average talk time, and total calls taken than the service provided to the end-users. For the sake of Mr. Smith, Ms Jones, and Ms. Griffin, I am proud to be one who focuses on quality service no matter the amount of time it takes to deliver, and at ZCorum, that’s a trait that we all try to pass around in our call centers sprinkled in with patience.

The post What’s the Key to Quality Customer Service? appeared first on ZCorum.

One of ZCorum’s oldest customers, Sweetwater Cable TV, was founded in 1956 in an effort to bring a more reliable community-based antennae system to the Rock Springs area. Today, they provide cable TV, digital phone, and high speed internet services in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. We had a chance to visit and chat with Marty Carollo, Network Manager at the company, for our featured Affiliate Broadband Spotlight, and found out what makes Sweetwater/Green River Cable such a successful family business.  Excerpts from the interview can be found below:

Z: What’s been the biggest challenge in running a cable TV company?

Marty: As a small independent CATV operator, it has always been tough, and continues to be so, to keep up with the big boys. Improvements are costly, and much more difficult to keep up with, with a small customer base. With the pace of technology ever increasing, that has only gotten more difficult.

Z: If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your business overnight, what would it be?

Marty: Change the FCC’s rules to create a level playing field with the dish providers. There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to offer our customers NFL’s Sunday Ticket for example. Being forced to use m-card enabled enhanced converters is also an expensive and unwarranted FCC mandate.

Z: Do you have any thoughts or predictions about the cable/internet industry in 2013?

Marty: I predict that data usage will continue to rise, and customer desire for TV Everywhere will continue to increase unabated. I see this as the “elephant in the room” and one that will define our future business.

Z: How does social media play into your daily routine? Into it at all?

Marty: I consume a lot of social media, as it keeps me in touch with many facets of our world. I believe it is healthy to be well informed as that helps me help plot our future. It can be a challenge to find the useful nuggets in the vast ocean of chatter.

To read the full interview and find out more about how Sweetwater Cable separates itself from the competition and what Marty likes to do for fun, head over to the ZCorum website.

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