While driving to a client meeting I looked at my dashboard and noticed the warning light again. I was about 2,000 miles “over” on getting an oil change.

Now, I have always made a habit of taking great care of my cars and 2,000 miles on an oil change on a well maintained car is not going to kill the car. Why haven’t I done it? It has a lot to do with scheduling and the fact that it is going to take an hour out of my life at a critical juncture when I am working on several key projects. And really I have just not been able to do it or maybe it’s that I have not made it a priority to get it done.

So Commerce Bank opened 7 days a week, with late hours all 7 days. Many banks have had to follow them and not close the teller window at 3pm because of some age old operational constraints that are just not true in our electronic age.

So the lesson here is that you need to really rethink – especially in older type industries- whether or not what you accept as a true limitation is a REAL limitation … or is it just an industry habit. 
Maybe, it was a limitation that was born from boundaries that your industry had from years ago that are no longer valid with newer technologies and processes?

Whether you run a bank or local car dealer or a donut shop – have you looked at your business from the perspective of your customers? And do you do it often?

Remember when we were little kids and were often reminded by our parents to say ‘please,’ ‘may I’ and ‘thank you?’ These words are short and simple, but are very powerful nonetheless.

As we grow to be adults and strive to achieve success in our careers, we often forget the power of these words and fail to remember that using them often can go a long way. They can earn us respect, gratitude, admiration and yes, love.

Marketing and salespeople should learn a thing or two from one of kindergarten school’s most valuable lessons: politeness and gratitude.

When was the last time you said thank you to a new or returning customer? Personalized thank you notes are a way to get more business. Check out some sample thank-you notes for sales and you’ll see what we mean.

Saying thank you is one of the most excellent habits to cultivate. Words of gratitude are always wonderful to hear. It does not only make the recipient feel good – it makes YOU, the speaker, feel good as well.

In this buy-and-sell-oriented world, a simple ‘thank you’ means a lot, and it’s also one of the things that make customers, clients and prospects come back. Thank-you notes, whether in physical form or sent via email, are a great opportunity to put your name in front of your customers, strengthen relationships, and help you stand out.
Here are some key opportunities for saying ‘thank you’:

• Getting new business from a person or a team
• Getting a flattering remark or suggestion from a client, customer or even an employee
• Getting referrals from a client or customer
• Getting excellent work done by employees that led to more customers

There are plenty of ways to say thank you. As a marketer or salesperson, get creative. Never underestimate, in particular, the power of a handwritten thank you note. Whether you say these words in person, via email or over the phone, deliver it with much enthusiasm and really mean it. It can make a big difference in the way you do business, and in how the world sees you.

People are wiser nowadays. Naturally, they don’t like to be scammed out of their money. They’re more cautious now, and careful about their dealings with individuals and companies.

Internet technology may be changing the way we see or do things and providing the convenience we used to dream about, but people just won’t click to buy immediately. Why?

Well they obviously don’t like to waste their hard-earned salary on products or services that are not up to par, or those that appear not to be credible. So today’s customer more often than not does his or her homework, through intensive researching online.

Building Trust and Adding Value

We’ve all read about the importance of building trust and adding value for both prospects and customers.

Every sales and marketing expert has spoken about this, but it still bears repeating. Successful online marketing, selling and networking requires mastering the art of giving. It’s simple, really. Before you try to get something from someone, you need to give them a reason to give it to you in the first place.

This goes back to basic human qualities that we all admire – honesty, integrity and trust. People don’t want to be lied to, don’t want to be exploited and abused. Yes, it’s a defense mechanism for people who are fed up with hard-sells and sledgehammer pitches. People’s walls grow stronger because of bad customer service experiences.

Today, there is a need to manage your prospect/customer’s impressions of you. If you find yourself spamming, trying all sorts of tactics without focus, and, well, appearing like a money-hungry marketer, then it’s time to change things up. This time, be a passionate individual/company that loves and enjoys helping people achieve their own goals.

Review your marketing strategy. Are you giving before you get?

Here’s some things you can give to your prospects/customers:

• Valuable, free content.
• Excellent service.
• Freebies.
• Useful tips for their personal lives or business.
• Meaningful interaction.
• Promises you keep.

Remember, you’re selling to people who care about what you can give them. Give unconditionally – no “angle” – just be valuable – and you will be valued!

What are the ways you are ignoring or disrespecting your employees? If you think your clients wouldn’t put up with it, chances are your employees won’t either.

Yes, things can get crazy busy, but in a world where customer service and relationships is top priority, the example you set to your employees in turn influences the way they may treat your customers. So think again before you make your busy schedule or forgetfulness an excuse. Every single day, your employees are working hard to create, collect, and improve revenue for your company. Their satisfaction directly relates to your customers experiences, so be conscious of how you treat them and the example you set.

Do you commit these seemingly minor sins when dealing with your employees?

Situation 1: You called for a meeting or review with one of your employees and while he or she is talking or explaining, you’re working on your laptop or tapping away on your Blackberry or iPhone (is it really that urgent?).

Situation 2: You procrastinate. Your employees often hear you say “Let’s meet tomorrow,” but it never happens because you have somewhere you have to go to or you simply changed your mind. You keep rescheduling meetings with them – to do something you think is more important. Hey, it might be, but if this is a pattern, guess what your team is thinking?

Situation 3: You allow going in and out of the conference room during meetings (beyond “bio breaks” – just fluid attendance). Or worse, you yourself go in and out often to attend to phone calls and/or visitors during meetings.

If you’re guilty of committing one or all of these sins, then think about this: If it was a client you were dealing with, would you do the same? If you’re showing this kind of attitude/behavior towards your employees, they may think this is the company-approved pattern and act the same way towards your clients, too.

Remember leading by example?

To avoid “training” your staff in these bad habits, start by putting your electronic distractions away during a meeting – laptops closed! phones on “stun” or off!. Give your complete (genuine, sincere and focused) attention to your employees during a meeting. Encourage an open-door policy, but be firm and let your staff know that during closed-door meetings, unless it’s absolutely important, it can wait.

Lastly, and most importantly – keep your word, know your schedule and declare these important times a distraction-free zone. Oh – and keep meetings few, short, sweet and to the point, too!

J.C. Penney once said, “The friendly smile, the word of greeting, are certainly something fleeting and seemingly insubstantial. You can’t take them with you. But they work for good beyond your power to measure their influence. It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.” Penney pledged to give each customer friendly, reliable service, and guaranteed the same price to everyone.

So what makes happy customers and are your own customers happy? Here are three questions that you, as a business owner need to ask:

Do you know how your employees represent your company?

Think about all the companies, big and small, how many employees they have and how each one of them represents their company every day. Customers may never meet the president of a big company, but they do meet that company’s ‘representatives’ everyday as they do business with them. Remember, customers form an opinion about a company, no matter how big or small, based on their dealings with and the work performance of one of the firm’s hourly employees.

Starbucks baristas are a prime example of employees carrying the brand. You can’t think about your favorite frappuccino without thinking about the smiling green-aproned barista on the counter.

Do your employees exercise responsibility sharing?

Customers are tired of businesses making excuses: “Sorry, I’m new here; That’s not my department; I’m not sure how to do it” are some lines that we hear employees say that make customers cranky. These excuses are one of the reasons why customers hate a particular company. It is the responsibility of every company to hire and train employees and equip them with the tools and answers they need to satisfy their customers. If your employees ever used one of those previous lines on a customer then you’ve wasted their time because you didn’t have the answers they needed!

Are you and your employees kind?

Yes, kindness keeps customers coming back. Kindness means satisfying the customer and never in an egotistical way. It also means never raising your voice. A kind employee doesn’t pre-judge or humiliate customers in any way. When your employees are being understanding, they make customers feel comfortable and taken care of. Which one of your employees would you describe as being kind? Indeed, it is the service we are not obliged to give that many people value the most.

You think those baristas were just hired and given a green apron? If that were the case, Starbucks wouldn’t be … Starbucks. Every barista is trained to make Starbucks’ signature coffee concoctions as well as handle customers in the most accommodating manner before they are put behind the cash register.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these three questions. And then do the next thing – which is MUCH harder. Ask your customers.

So here is a recent example of customer service that was not only inadequate but could have been downright dangerous.

A couple of weeks ago I developed pretty severe back pain. I went to the Doctor, who gave me medicine. That night and the next I did not feel that much better. Still in great pain, I called the doctor’s office and asked to speak to him but he was not available.

The receptionist asked “What’s the problem?” I answered, “I saw Dr. so-and-so yesterday and he gave me this pain medication and I need something stronger”.

Her response, without giving another thought to what might be going on in my life and who I was was, was to simply state “oh, there’s nothing stronger”. She added the kind of silence at the end of the statement that clearly indicated, that in her mind, the conversation was over. It was time for me to get off the phone and leave her alone.

Of course I insisted that I talk to the Doctor, which I did a little bit later and we went over some possibilities:

• “…well you could double the dose..” (I did not think I could do that on my own as these were – as the receptionist mentioned – strong medications)
• “… or we can give you a different medicine”

I said “what does that medicine do and why would you consider it, doctor?”
[and here's the kicker] he said, “because it’s stronger”

So a few quick observations:

• First, It struck me when I initially spoke with the receptionist, that it was unlikely the doctor was going to prescribe a medication that - in the entire world of pharmecuticals – was the strongest dosage/medicine known to man. Was that likely? Was that even possible?  For a sore back? As it turned out the doctor doubled my dose and gave me an additional medication, a muscle relaxer, which actually took care of the pain within a day or two.

• Second thought, which really started getting me angry in retrospect, and one of the reasons I am blogging about it now was… What if I had been a senior citizen? Much like my mother would be – a typical stoic from a generation that did not question the doctor or the doctor’s office. She would have quietly hung up, gotten off the phone (ushered off the phone as the receptionist wished her to be) and would have simply suffered in silence with pain that was not resolved by the given medication.

So the moral here is…

Do you know the kind of information – the quality of information and the tenor of the information – being communicated, by ALL your client-facing staff?

This may seem like an obvious “doctor’s story” or healthcare parable, but it is not just a doctor’s story. It’s an e-commerce story, it’s a retail story, it’s a B2B contracts discussions story… It is all of those stories and it is an area that is all too often unobserved, undeveloped and unmeasured in any meaningful way in companies throughout the world.

This is happening all the time, every day.

Is it happening in your company?

Flying to DEMO in Palm Desert with a client. Instead of thinking about the conference and what I will see and who I will meet – I’m wondering, “why doesn’t Southwest fly Philly to Palm Springs?” Really. Because it makes a difference to me. Hmmmm…

Have you ever wondered why Southwest is such a leader in its field?

Perhaps it’s because it offers superior airplanes or it could be because of their hiring process which selects only the very top of the class from the top universities? Or maybe their pilots are better trained or it might be that they use better airport facilities?

Clearly for anyone who has flown Southwest, it is none of the above and in fact it sometimes can be hard to pinpoint what it is about Southwest that makes frequent flyers into raving fans.

Could it be more subtle things like the smile at check out? Is it the simple queuing process by which you line up to get on board? This is done in a very democratic “first come first serve basis”. Or could it be that they will let you pick your favorite seat? Because if I’m at least somewhere before B-50, I have a shot at getting a coveted aisle space. Is it the fact that occasionally, but not always, the flight attendants make sincere and effective stabs at humor?

From a business model point of view- as has been covered in many business journals – is it as simple as treating employees really well? Kindness motivates employees to treat customers well and maybe it is as simple as that. The overall sense from a value delivery point of view – or value creation from the customer’s point of view – is that taken together, all the little pieces make one big puzzle that fits together and works well.

United could not make ‘TED‘ work and Delta likewise could not make their ‘Song‘ work – even with superior resources at the time – because they were imitations or “shadows” of the real thing. They lacked the “heart” of the real thing and so therein lies the crux of the matter.

The heart of the organization – that which matters top to bottom to everyone in a  company – is what will come out as an emergent property of its own. That is, a property that is hard to put your finger on, hard to describe, however, one that is palpable and real to customers. The lesson here for companies big and small is the absolute need to think through the subtleties and even the smallest things you do to enhance even the smallest interactions with customers.

This would be a step in the right direction.

The bigger point with Southwest and their competitors is that simply trying to copy the little things can leave you with but a shadow – as in United and Delta’s case – of the real thing. The real thing has got to be the heart thing – the heart thing means… do you really care about your customers in a way that they can understand? You see, by having that missional vision of what you want customers to take away from interacting with you -as first and foremost on your mind- you are able to look at all the moving parts of your service or your product and challenge it against that vision.

Southwest lives out of their “luv” always asking, “How do we love you? Let us count the ways…”. Corny? As a flyer who only flies Southwest if it is going where I need to go – it’s very real and very true.

How about your company? Are you transmitting what you think about your customers in ways, big and small?

Sharply defining your customer is a “starting block” for your go-to-market race.

• How many of them are there?
• What size?
• What is the published market research?
• Are there demographic and market research reports written on your target market?

In today’s sophisticated marketing world, you can’t go after a market without being armed with data – fortunately there’s lots of it.

At this stage of the game, you’re not necessarily looking at the way the market works, but simply defining the kind of company that your product or service most fits. Ultimately, it’s about knowing your customer. In every market segment, there are cultures, commonalities, unspoken rules of the game that exist in enclaves of the high tech, business and manufacturing worlds.

You need to know what these are. If you don’t have a feel for the people you’re selling to, you’re already at risk of falling further behind your competition.

While with a consulting firm focused on smaller business services firms, we worked with a small regional web design company with heavy specialization in user experience and interface design. As is typical for companies this size, they defined their customers primarily by geography – any business in their area needing help with larger web projects. Over a two-year period we helped them refocus on one particular market segment they had past success with – large, socially focused non-for-profit organizations.

While this was a positioning move, it was much deeper than just looking a certain way to a particular market – or choosing which mailing list to use. By focusing on the specific non-for-profit sector, they were able to start understanding the target customer’s culture, eventually adopting the language, pace and unspoken “feel” of the non-for-profit world.

They’re back on track, growing revenues and profits with a dedicated core of clients who view them as their specialist firm for web design and deployment in the non-for-profit field. In the same way, your understanding of your target customer will influence your marketing and the direct sales communication you have with them and the way you interact and serve them.

Adapted from the forthcoming eBook, “Know Thy Customer” by Jose Palomino

Whether you developed your product with a specific customer need in mind, or happened upon a product and want to sell it to someone, you have to start by knowing your customer.

Before the Internet boom, I assembled a group of friends and raised angel capital to start a company to develop a commodity chemical trading system, based on the notion that a hundred pounds of a specific chemical powder was the same as any other hundred pounds of the same chemical powder. It would be a trading system for chemicals – a brilliant idea – or so it seemed.

Along the way, the web “happened”, and it was gaining traction all around us.

Our company’s Chief Technologist developed a side-project to create dynamic websites for small businesses. Back then, things like Facebook and MySpace didn’t exist. It wasn’t easy to create a web presence or an identity on the Internet.

So, the idea was born – instant websites for smaller businesses.

We completely switched gears. While we started with what we thought was a brilliant idea, we came across something in development that we thought was even more valuable. Before we sold the company, we grew to several thousand customers – small change by today’s standards, but an interesting illustration of adaptation.

Adapted from the forthcoming eBook, “Know Thy Customer” by Jose Palomino

New products happen in different ways.

You may have designed your product or service with a specific customer in mind. You may have also “backed into” the development of an innovative product, and now you’re looking for an actual market. I’ve been called into client situations (more than once) where they’ve already invested millions of dollars into a product and then ask me – “How do I sell this? And, who should we sell it to?”

Sometimes, the development of a new product doesn’t start with a specific problem. You might think, “these are my current customers, how can I expand my offerings to them?” In this case, you’re looking to leverage customers you have access to today.

Other times, it’s not clear what the application of a new product will be. Companies that create large business solutions often stumble across other applications and tools to support the primary product, and say, “…there’s got to be some kind of market for this.” This is often true of services that arise around a specific technical product. Eventually it becomes clear that the services can be bundled and sold.

Then there are product “accidents.” In the late sixties, a 3M scientist stumbled upon glue that was not sticky enough. In 1974, Arthur Fry, another 3M scientist was singing in his church choir and became frustrated with his bookmarks falling out of his hymnal. He applied some of the “not sticky enough” glue to his bookmarks.

We know it today as the “post-it” note. But back then, the question that needed answering was “Would anyone else buy it?”
Of course, the answer was and is – “yes – billions!”

Adapted from the forthcoming eBook, “Know Thy Customer” by Jose Palomino

My favorite client also became one of my best friends. Tony was a Brooklyn-raised child of the Depression. He was an early IT professional – the kind that could talk about having programmed in IBM 1401 Autocoder language in the early sixties.

Tony took a chance on a self-taught PC programmer and hired me to manage “microcomputers” at a major financial services firm in the mid-eighties. He identified and affirmed my entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged it. I joined a truly great computer company because of Tony. A few years later, Tony brought me into his last job, where he helped me launch a new consulting firm.

All told, Tony touched my professional and personal life for nearly 20 years and several significant career moments. Tony has been gone for some time now and I miss him dearly still.

I remember being on the “buy-side” of many vendor meeting with Tony. If he felt the salesperson wasn’t respecting his intelligence – or if the rep wasn’t fully prepared… well, Tony wasn’t Brooklyn born and raised for nothing. He could cut to the main point and make an unprepared salesperson very, very uncomfortable.

However, I also saw something else – if Tony assessed that you were there to help – truly committed to finding answers that were mutually beneficial – then you would gain a fiercely loyal ally – a prospect that would go the extra mile to help a vendor close the deal.

I mention Tony in this discussion about customers to illustrate a simple point: in all of your planning for go-to-market, positioning and strategic advantage – don’t forget that at the heart of every business – every organization – you will find… people and relationships. The more strategic your offering is, the more this simple truth exerts influence on your go-to-market plans.

• People – not “organizations”, make business decisions. They make these decisions for many different reasons. Logic should and does win – often, but not always. And, it would be fair to argue that logic is used to substantiate an emotional decision – even big-ticket corporate purchases.
• Plans, message stacks and sales processes will fail you if you don’t infuse them with a sales culture that understands this truth.

Adapted from the forthcoming eBook, “Know Thy Customer” by Jose Palomino

Ok. Here’s the most ridiculous response I’ve seen in a long time.

AT&T’s response to Verizon’s brilliant “Map for That” campaign is this: Make stuff up!

The core problem with AT&T’s response is that anyone who uses AT&T – myself included – knows that it’s just not true.

See the ad below and hear the galling “spin”. AT&T has a shoddy, overburdened and unreliable network. Verizon’s is the class of the field. Consumer Reports’ annual survey of 20 metro centers lists Verizon as number one in ALL markets surveyed. It’s not even close.

So – why am I on AT&T? Am I an idiot? Maybe… – but there are two reasons I tell myself when I drop another call:

• 1. Contract and the cost of breaking the contract (those fees are painful).
• 2. My iPhone.

Note to Steve Jobs: for a super-detailed CEO of the Decade – this makes your Value Prop less than perfect. However, the “everything else” about the iPhone outweighs the “uggh” of your network (for now).

The message is this: a superior product in several “I3″ dimensions can overcome key liabilities…. to a point.

Where’s my breaking point? First – when and if (I hope When) Verizon gets the iPhone or its successor – I am beaming up to the good ship Verizon on the same day – and gladly paying the contract termination fee as a “toll” to get on the better phone highway.

What should AT&T do now? Shouldn’t it have the Marketing Right to defend itself?

Well, I think AT&T is doing much the same thing the American auto industry did: worry more about explaining its failures and blaming others (for example, suing Verizon over the ads). Instead, AT&T should focus on the only thing that matters for a cellular network – allow customers to place and keep calls. In other words – DO YOUR JOB!

Spinning some data in the face of the truth just angers your customers.

From a marketing POV – tell the story of continous improvement (if true) – of program innovation (rollover minutes) – of device innovation (Verizon’s historic weak link) – and… “we got the iPhone and they don’t!”

For now, that works for me…

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”
– Dylan (Copyright ©1979 Special Rider Music)

Recently I was shopping for a faucet valve that came out in my son’s hand while he was taking a shower (yeah – I love it when stuff like that happens – especially when my wife says “no problem, just fix it”).

It was an older Moen part, so I went to Lowe’s. And at Lowe’s we received some excellent service.  They didn’t have the part, a little do-hicky that connected to the razzle-stat in the wall, but they were fantastic in how they tried to help us. So then we called Moen (http://www.moen.com/).  (Side-rant: Note to Moen – for older parts, you should sell them at a reasonable (not list) price)

Here’s the thing: I was commenting to the two guys from Lowe’s that assisted us on how great their service was. Specifically, I noted how different Lowe’s was from Home Depot in terms of customer service and how helpful they are. One of them, Tom, said something to me that was very telling. He said, “Although I work for Lowe’s, I’m also a contractor, and for that, I use Home Depot.” 
Here’s a guy who clearly enjoyed his job and enjoyed helping customers – who did not seem to have “an ax to grind” with his employer – but who was simply telling me something in a matter-of-fact way.

I naturally asked, “Why is that?” and he responded, “Home Depot gives contractors like me greater than a $5000 credit line. I can’t put on a roof with $5000 worth of materials and I can’t get more than that from Lowe’s. I need that credit line for larger jobs.”

Suddenly it became very apparent to me: You are who you serve. Or maybe, more technically, You are who you’ve developed your offerings to serve.

• Lowe’s is about the home owner – the guy like me who doesn’t have great confidence in how to fix a broken faucet or what exactly to buy.
• Home Depot is about contractors – guys like Tom who need the credit line to get his jobs done.

No, these aren’t necessarily original observations and I think this has probably been covered in the business press over the years – but this is how it came home to me from this experience. Home Depot developed  their policies and procedures – their value chain to support contractors – it is their “main thing” – protestations to the contrary, notwithstanding. On the hand, Lowe’s designed theirs to support consumers, by hiring Toms to help people like me find the “razzle-stat”. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other – just that these little things are really big things.

“you’re gonna have to serve somebody”  and You ARE Who You SERVE.

Who do you serve?

For the thrid year in a row, the Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces have teamed up to identify the top small-to-midsize business.

This year, some of the companies noted really highlight their thinking that goes into creating the kind of value chain that yields the kinds of value propositions that win … that is to say, it’s not enough to promise something to the marketplace unless you’ve thought through all the way back into how your people feel about it and how your people are brought into it.

Among the small-to-midsize companies that were highlighted in this article, a common thread emerges:

Commitment to “strong people practices” in the workplace creates a better work environment, and in turn reduces turnover, increases retention, and facilitates satisfied and happy employees.

Inside these successful companies - companies that are weathering the recession and economic downturn – there’s a lot of discussion, and a lot of time spent with people – breakfast meetings, annual meetings, idea sharing, etc. All this internal activity pulls together to make a better work environment, which manifests itself in the quality of service the company provides, and in the positive image the company is able to sustain – whcih translates to growth and revenue, even in a tough business environment. These companies have figured out how to maintain “service with a smile.”

Disney made this concept famous; it’s the difference between dealing with a surly person at the ticket counter versus a warm welcome with a broad smile – regardless of how the employee is feeling that day – and how you as a customer feel about that.

It’s true – you can actually hear a smile on the phone, and a lot of companies have lost sight of that.

Look at it this way – if you are browbeating your employees – or just stressing them out as you stress about things – your customers are going to know this. Your customers will sense the difficult and negative work environment because it will “bleed” into your employees’ interaction with customers.

It’s important that you build out your value from the ground up – whatever it is from a “discipline of market leaders” point of view – that is, customer intimacy, product superiority or as low cost operator.

As I’ve written about before, even at McDonald’s – it has to be service with a smile, not service with a growl. It is “good morning” even though the choices are still from the same finite breakfast menu day after day. And it usually is: as testimony to the most consistent franchise training in the world.

Lowest costs and lower operating margins to gain market share doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to create a bad work environment which (as this study illustrates) yields a bad customer experience.

Thoughtfulness in the work environment, especially in small companies, yields tangible “emergent” or secondary properties that come out of people dealing with your firm and result in how people feel about your company.

The simple message?

Take care of the people who take care of the people that pay you money.

I used to love Vonage. Now? Let’s just say I’m “not happy” with Vonage right now.

The price/performance is what led me to this company about 5 years ago. At that time, Verizon was offering unlimited calling plans for about $100 – all in, with taxes, mystery fees, etc. Vonage rocked at well under $50, and with international rates that were under all other carriers.

So, what was the catch. None – until I developed a problem with the line quality about 30 days ago. A steady machine-type humming. I swapped out the phone (a new DECT 6.0 set) and cabling and still had no resolution.

I then took the dreaded next step: I called tech support. 2 hours of my life later – still no resolution. I just wanted them to swap out the $49.00 router. In fact, I would gladly buy a replacement at Staples, but didn’t want to risk losing my number.

Would Verizon be any better – or any other traditional phone company? Let me know what you think.