People say that the third time’s the charm, but I find the fourth time it’s even sweeter. Sure, a cone with three scoops of ice cream is great. But add a fourth scoop and it’s 33% greater! Win the mega-super-duper-jackpot lottery four times in a row and you’ll probably be investigated for fraud, but at least you’ll have plenty of money to pay for the best lawyers…and think of the movie rights! Making it to Inc. Magazine’s Top list of the “100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America” three years in a row is quite an accomplishment. The fact that TelePacific was just named to the list for the fourth year in a row…well that’s just the cherry on top of the four-scoop ice cream cone!
That’s right, TelePacific was ranked 84th on the list by gross dollars of growth. Growing a company in this economy isn’t easy. Growing it by 64 percent over the last three years and making it on this prestigious list four years in a row–that just means that we’re doing a lot of things right.
Our accolades don’t stop there. Out of the fastest growing companies, TelePacific was the second largest telecommunications company, based on revenue, and the telecommunications company with the fifth biggest growth in gross dollars. TelePacific was also the largest and fastest growing (in terms of revenue and gross dollars of growth respectively) telecommunications company headquartered in our service area.
I think that deserves some ice cream…with extra scoops.
While this accomplishment will definitely go on a plaque in our lobby, you have something to celebrate as well. As a TelePacific customer, you can rest assured that we’re not going anywhere. We’re stable, growing and positioned to make it through this economic climate and come out the other side even more competitive and still able to provide you the telecommunication services and products to help your business grow. Working together, there’s room for your company’s name and ours on one of Inc. Magazine’s upcoming lists.
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Posted: August 30th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: TelePacific, Telecommunications Industry
Tags: 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list, California, ice cream, Inc. 500, Nevada, telecommunications company, TelePacific Communications
Credit cards are a funny thing. As a consumer, I love the convenience of not having to carry cash and being able to quickly and easily swipe the card and get what I need. On the other hand, I hate opening the credit card statement every month and being faced with a stark reminder of everything I’ve purchased over the last 30 days…and the cost. From a business perspective, you want to make it easy on your customers to purchase your goods and services, but you have to hate those high fees issuers charge you to be able to accept their credit card.
When you think about it, credit cards give you enough to love and hate about them without adding more to it. You know, things like the worries of identity theft and the stress of handling people’s sensitive private information…much less being subjected to stringent rules and regulations regarding how to handle information gathered through credit card transactions.
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has developed strict and comprehensive standards, called PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) that help protect customer account data. Complying with these standards is not the easiest thing…they cover a multitude of requirements and elements, including the need to build and maintain a secure network, protect cardholder data, manage potential vulnerabilities, implement access control measures and more. Failing to comply can be costly and extremely detrimental to your business’ ability to conduct credit card transactions. Regardless of the challenges you may face implementing these regulations, they are important safeguards to help protect your customers. And compliance can save you the even costlier experience of misplacing customer credit card data and the damage that can cause to both your bottom line and your company’s brand equity.
With TelePacific’s OneSecure, we can help you manage a number of the PCI DSS requirements and give you the confidence of knowing that your customers’ data, as well as your company’s reputation and bottom line, are safe from identity thieves. In addition to providing SPAM filtering and VPN services, OneSecure can provide firewall protection, intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability scanning, system virus and spyware protection and other services that are critical to PCI DSS compliance. All these services are conveniently packaged in OneSecure, which means you also get the great customer service and responsiveness for which TelePacific is known.
So let us help you get a handle on those requirements, reduce your stress and concentrate on keeping those credit card machines swiping cards and making sales. You’re going to need those when you have to pay those high credit card fees.
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Posted: August 17th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Data Protection and Preparedness, TelePacific
Tags: cash, compliance, credit cards, fees, great customer service, identity theft, industry regulations, PCI DSS, reputation, safeguards, TelePacificz
Can I get an extra shot of espresso please? Oh, and one of those nutty scones…no, the one with chocolate on top. That’s it, thanks.
Sorry about that. I’m writing and posting this blog entry from the coffee shop around the corner from my office. No, it’s not one of those trendy coffee shops with free Wi-Fi but the coffee is good, so I like to come here. It’s peaceful, there’s none of that artsy acoustic whining music playing, the aroma of the coffee beans is energizing and with TelePacific mobile services, I can be as productive here as in the office…even more, with that extra shot of espresso that I’m waiting for.
Working on the road, at a hotel, client’s office or even my favorite spot, the coffee shop, is easier than you might expect. I carry around this little device called a MiFi that automatically creates a wireless hotspot wherever I am. That means that I can connect my laptop to the MiFi in the same way I would connect to any wireless network. Nice and easy. And what’s even better is that I can connect up to five different devices to the same MiFi. So right now I’m sitting here typing away on my Internet-connected laptop and my cell phone is also connected to my MiFi wireless, so I can check email there or take a break and play with some of my cool new phone apps. And if I run into a coworker or friend at the coffee shop, they can sit down and connect to my MiFi, and I’ll still have room for more connections. It’s perfect for small workgroups, setting up temporary work sites or mobile command centers—and my coffee shop trips could be called by any one of those names.
And if you don’t want to carry around a MiFi device, which is extremely portable and smaller than a deck of cards, or if you don’t feel like sharing your connection, there are other options as well. TelePacific also offers a USB drive and an AirCard. The USB drive easily plugs in to any available USB port on your laptop, allowing you to connect to the Internet. Plus it has a microSD slot, allowing you to store up to eight gigabytes of data right on the USB drive. So you can load up your presentation on this puppy, go to a client’s office, connect online and run your presentation…all from this little device. The AirCard allows you to install the card right into your computer, so you’re not fussing with carrying extra devices around. It installs automatically and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that whenever and wherever you have that laptop with you, you have the Internet on the go.
Those are some pretty good options that work for almost every situation. And deciding on which one works for you is as personal and customizable as your favorite coffee drink.
Speaking of which…I need a refill, so I should wrap up this post. So what if the coffee shop isn’t trendy? My work style and wireless options more than make up for it and I am a proud trendsetter.
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Posted: August 12th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Data Service and News, TelePacific
Tags: AirCard, coffee shop, espresso, MiFi, mobile command center, mobile options, small workgroup, TelePacificz, temporary work site, USB drive, Wi-Fi, wireless hotspot, wireless options
Okay, let’s be honest now. How many times have you accidentally hung up on a caller while trying to set up a three-way call? It’s okay to admit it…we’ve all done it. Sometimes you hang up on one person, sometimes both…one time I think I even connected the other two callers and somehow hung up on myself! Or worse yet, you have one person on the line and you call the second and get their voicemail or a busy signal. You think you hung up on the second person only to realize that you transferred the first person to the second person’s voicemail or busy line. Managing those conference calls sometimes feels like a complicated set of events that needs to be precisely set in motion at specific times in the space-time continuum, or it is doomed to fail. Now imagine trying to conference in three, five, ten or even more people!
Okay, I’m breaking into a nervous sweat just thinking about it. Fortunately, after hanging up on an important person during a three-way call attempt gone awry, many people learn to avoid this embarrassing and frustration situation. Not by learning how to actually use the three-way feature properly…we don’t all have the time or energy to get a Doctorate degree on the topic! But we can avoid it by finding better ways to handle the situation.
I’ve dealt with it by relying more on TelePacific’s Conference Central. Instead of trying to individually call everyone and suffering small cardiac arrests every time I cautiously wait to see if I actually succeeded in connecting each additional caller, I just send everyone an email with a phone number and meeting ID. They call that toll free number, enter the PIN and there I am waiting to start our call and not spending the next 20 minutes just trying to get everyone on the line. It’s easier for everyone and much less stressful for me.
I typically just include the call-in information on every meeting invitation that I send. That way it’s on everyone’s calendar and easy to access when it’s time to meet. And with Conference Central, it’s also easy to set up a conference call on the fly. There’s no need for reservations, so you can have everyone dial in immediately. And if some of the invitees can’t make the meeting, no sweat and no issues with subjecting the entire group to a voicemail or busy signal. You can record the call and email a link to the audio recording so that they can be in the loop and not miss a thing. It really is that simple.
You can set up Conference Central so that each employee has his or her own conference ID and PIN number, which is nice because then you don’t have to worry about whether or not there’s a conference line available. And because each call has a conference ID, you can track each call by person and project, so you can bill the call to a specific project or client if appropriate.
Conference Central is replete with cool features, like muting participants (you know you want this feature), hearing roll calls, locking the call, setting up passwords to join and more. But don’t worry about all the features turning your next call into another three-way calling fiasco. The features are easy to use and are just the icing on the cake. Conference Central is an effective, easy and affordable way to manage your multi-participant calls.
And if you never have to accidentally hang up on an important person (your boss, your largest client), isn’t it worth it.
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Posted: August 3rd, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: TelePacific, Voice Service and News
Tags: audio recording, call tracking, conference call, conference central, mute, password, TelePacificz, three-way calling, toll-free number
Thank you for being a loyal reader. Or, if you’re visiting for the first time, thanks for checking us out. I try to be creative in this blog, not talking just about telecommunications issues but delving into customer needs, fun stories and inevitably, some TelePacific products. It is a company blog, after all.
I try not to talk too much about TelePacific products (at least without a tie-in to something else) but I can’t help myself this time—the news is too exciting to keep to myself. This month, TelePacific is launching TelePacific Mobile, an expansion into the wireless communications realm. If you’re a “TelePacific Insider” then you may have already heard some of the details…if not, I’ll lay them on you here.
Our first products are data cards and MiFi hotspots to allow high-speed, 3G wireless access anywhere users can get cellular service. Up to five devices can be connected to a hotspot, so you can create a mini-office at a job site or conference room. One device can connect to the data cards, and we offer two options: one with optional data storage and one that works in either a PC card or ExpressCard slot.
Later in the year, around the fall, we’ll make it even easier for users to stay connected on their own terms because we’re introducing voice products (like Blackberry devices) and mobile plans at varying price points. We’ll even introduce wireless failover to ensure access to mission-critical applications…and ensure customers can have peace of mind.
We believe this expanded service offering is a natural extension of our existing product and service offerings. Okay, that sounded pretty corporate but the message is the same—with these new mobile products, TelePacific can provide essentially every telecommunications service a small-to-medium-size business needs. We can provide you phone service, Internet service, data backup, security, VoIP, some cool integrated services, online account management and now wireless service. We will be a true one-stop shop with superior customer service and easy account management with one bill for all of your services.
So check it out! Contact your sales representative if you’re interested in more details. You must be a TelePacific customer with at least one of our existing services to join in on the TelePacific Mobile fun. We look forward to talking with you soon.
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Posted: July 26th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Data Service and News, TelePacific
Tags: Blackberry, data card, TelePacific Mobile, TelePacificz, Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless service
Consultants are their own breed. Who else bills at half, quarter or even tenth of an hour increments, manages scores of clients, works long hours and is expected to account for every minute worked and every penny spent and link it back to a client account? It’s a tough world. No wonder lawyers, accountants, business consultants, engineers and other consultants spend huge amounts of money on software and systems to help them track their time and projects. It’s all to ensure that they are meeting utilization and billable goals, and that clients are being billed properly.
But did you know that TelePacific can help you better track those expenses without the need of expensive software? Many of our products and services have built-in capabilities that can come in very handy for consultants.
For instance, Conference Central can keep track of what client you’re meeting with or about and you can run an easy report at the end of your billing cycle to see which client to bill for which conference calls. With account codes you can keep track of all your calls and see when you called each client and how much time you spent with them. Having all that information readily available makes preparing invoices and reports at the end of the billing period much easier. And if you’re managing multiple offices, it’s even easier when you can get one invoice for all your locations and track your expenses and usage at any time with OneCentral.
You may already have some of these features included in your TelePacific service package so contact your account representative to learn more about how to use them. And if you don’t already have these features, or would like to switch to TelePacific, give us a call too. We promise to not keep you waiting. We know your time is valuable.
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Posted: July 20th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Productivity and Expenditure, TelePacific
Tags: billable hours, billing software, conference central, consultant, multiple offices, onecentral, SmartVoice, TelePacificz, time management, utilization
Technology is addicting. How many times have you checked your voicemail today? Or gone online to see the latest news headlines or entertainment gossip? Were you listening to your iPod on your commute to work this morning or were you listening to the news on satellite radio instead?
Nothing reminds me more of our addiction to technology than when I accidentally leave my mobile phone at home. Forget the summer solstice…those are the longest days of the year! I keep reaching for my phone and it’s not there. My hand starts to tremble and I start looking for objects to place against my ear just to feel the cold comfort of metal and plastic against my skin.
Don’t judge me. I know I’m not alone. That’s right…I see you checking your Facebook page on the other browser window. Yes, I can tell…I have the technology.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about working at TelePacific. I get to see all sorts of cool technologies that make our everyday work easier, more enjoyable and undoubtedly more techie. I feel like Q in the James Bond films telling the superspy about all the cool gadgets he’s about to take on a mission:
“Look James, when M sends you a fax informing you of your next mission, it comes right into your email inbox as well!”
“Fabulous! It’s a pain carrying a fax machine around on my missions.”
“And James, take a look at this nifty device.”
“What is it, Q?”
“Carry this with you and you have a Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere you go!”
“I can connect to the internet from my laptop while swimming under the Thames River?”
“Only if I invent a waterproof computer…”
“Oh, okay. Well, off I go to save the world once again from a world-dominating megalomaniac with a creative name!”
“Pip pip cheerio!”
Did I mention I’m also addicted to James Bond films? But I digress. Technology makes our lives easier and it’s always fun to show off cool features to people who still use rotary phones. And what’s even better is that TelePacific makes these technologies and features available and accessible to small-and-medium-sized businesses, so you don’t have to work for MI6 just to have these cool features.
So what are you waiting for? Embrace the technology and your workday will be all the better for it.
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Posted: July 13th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: TelePacific
Tags: 007, Facebook, Fax Central, iPod, James Bond, technology, TelePacificz, voicemail, Wi-Fi hotspot
I’m going to make this post shorter than our typical blog post. Not because I don’t have much to say…I usually do…but because I want you to take the time that it would have taken you to read a longer post and use that time to do something that can save you a lot of time and frustration in the future.
I want you to take a moment to review your CPNI and contact your telecommunications provider—hopefully TelePacific, but if it’s someone else, I won’t think any less of you—with any updates. If you use TelePacific, you can get a copy of the Customer Contact Authority form here, and email it back…quick and easy.
If you’re staring blankly at the computer screen wondering what CPNI is, let me explain…if you already know what I’m talking about, what are you doing still reading this post? Go review your CPNI and start making some calls!
CPNI is your Customer Proprietary Network Information. All clear now? No? Perhaps a little more information will help. When you contract with a telecommunications company, you fill out a Customer Contact Authority form that details which people within your company are allowed to make changes to your service. This is really important because you don’t want a disgruntled employee or (even worse) a hacker calling your provider and making changes that could disrupt your business-critical activities or end up costing you an arm and a leg. Speaking of arms and legs, think of CPNI as being similar to the form you fill out to give authority to your spouse or family members to make decisions about your health care treatments when you’re rushed to hospital unconscious because an angry Chihuahua bit off your arm and leg. You want to make sure that the people making those decisions have your best interests at heart and are not after the big life insurance pay day.
The same is true with your telecommunications services. You want to make sure that only those people who have your company’s best interest in mind have the authority to revise your contracts and levels of service.
And since business changes regularly—employees come and go and individuals’ roles change—it’s important to periodically review your CPNI and ensure that the people listed there are still the right ones. One of the last things you want is to have outdated CPNI on file, because then you won’t be able to get information about your service or make changes on the fly because the individuals currently working for your company don’t have authorization to make those changes. There’s a process to work through that issue if it happens, but it’s purposefully not an easy one—for your protection, we want to make sure that the right people are accessing your information and that people are who they claim they are.
Okay, so this post was way longer than I thought it would be when I started writing it. But hopefully you only had to read through the first two paragraphs and have, by now, updated all your CPNI. If so, now you can spend some quality time reading some of our previous blog posts!
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Posted: July 6th, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: Customer Service and Communication, Data Protection and Preparedness, TelePacific
Tags: angry Chihuahua, CPNI, Customer Contact Authority, Customer Proprietary Network Information, disgruntled employee, hackers, TelePacificz
Amidst the barbecues, fireworks and patriotic festivities that are sure to occupy our 4th of July weekend celebrations, let’s take a moment to think of those who are a true embodiment of that independent spirit.
I’m talking about those individuals who decided to leave the comfort of secure employment, career ladders and steady paychecks to pursue their dreams of being their own bosses…the forgers of their own destinies. Yes, I’m talking about those small and medium-sized business owners who jumped on the opportunity to be independent and create their own business and, in the process, create opportunities for others.
Our thanks go out to you. You’re the ones who keep the economy and this country going, even through difficult times. You are the ones who innovate, invest, employ and give back to the communities in which you live and work. You remind us every day that the American dream is alive and flourishing. You tackle challenges, savor success and learn from failures—and through it all, your entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive.
You are truly independent. And on this Independence Day, we honor you too.
We at TelePacific are proud to work side by side with small and medium-sized businesses throughout California and Nevada. You show us your independence, determination, innovation and entrepreneurship every day, and we are better for it.
Thank you…and happy Independence Day.
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Posted: July 1st, 2010 by Rebecca
Categories: TelePacific
Tags: 4th of July, American dream, California, destiny, entrepreneurs, fireworks, Independence Day, medium-sized business, Nevada, small business, TelePacificz
I’m a firm believer in telling people when they’ve done something right. So many times, we only hear the bad—the complaints, the criticisms, the “shoulda-woulda-coulda.” It’s amazing to see (or hear) the reactions when you tell someone you appreciate what they’ve done.
I am a happy TelePacific customer and I appreciate what they do for me every day. Because I know I can rely on my phones working, my employees and I can do our jobs. Because I know I can get a quick answer or resolution to an issue, I don’t have to worry about wasting time or getting frustrated. And because I enjoy working with the people at TelePacific, I know my interactions will be positive.
I own MoveFreight, Inc., a Glendale-based transportation company. We work with air, rail, trucking and ocean shipping companies to secure space and low prices for our customers, and we handle everything—from securing quotes to managing logistics to tracking shipments to filing claims to ensuring delivery. We allow customers to make one call (to us) and know that their shipment will arrive on time, without worries.
My business took a big hit when the economy went south, and I had to look at cost-cutting measures to keep the company going. One of the costs I cut was my service with TelePacific—and I ended up regretting it in the worst way. I had nothing but positive experiences with TelePacific and the service was great. It was a stark contrast to the lower cost provider I chose as a replacement.
I won’t name names, but my experience with the other provider was a nightmare. Between November and March, I had 23 open trouble tickets that couldn’t get resolved. I had to buy an expensive piece of equipment I no longer need (since I plug right into TelePacific) and can’t get a refund. The majority of our business is conducted via phone, email and fax. My employees frequently had to tell a customer they would call them back—and call from their personal cell phone because the office phone wasn’t working. And our line quality was so poor that faxes, the main way we finalize contracts with signatures, wouldn’t come through.
I couldn’t WAIT to move my phone service back to TelePacific, and fortunately was able to make it work. Since I’ve returned, I’ve continued to be impressed with the excellent customer service, quality of service and features. This experience has reinforced that if your telecommunications service hinders your business rather than helps you conduct it seamlessly—it’s time to find another provider. Shameless plug—I recommend you check out TelePacific. It’s worth it!
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Posted: June 25th, 2010 by Cliff Claycomb of MoveFreight
Categories: Customer Service and Communication, TelePacific
Tags: customer service, freight company, Inc., low-cost provider, MoveFreight, nightmare, TelePacificz, transportation company
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