Guerrilla Marketing

by Debra Kahn Scofield

Improve Your Productivity With High-Tech Tools, Part II
Guerrillas know how important it is to be able to receive and respond to calls from clients, customers and business associates. For those of you who began your professional lives before answering machines or voice mail were widely available, the myriad choices can be staggering.

By now you probably have set up your basic office telephone equipment. Some of you place a pager in your pocket or purse as instinctually as you put your watch on in the morning. But if you are new to the burgeoning personal communications industry or are ready to expand, read on.

Telephone Service
If you are setting up a new office, you'll need to determine what telephone services you need. Here are some features you should consider:

• Number of lines
• Calling plans
• 800 service
• Translation service
• Call waiting
• Call forwarding
• Three-way calling
• Speed dialing
• Permanent phone number
• Voice mail
• 500 numbers from AT&T

Cellular Phones
If you're in the market for a cellular phone, decide which type is the most effective for you: mobile, or portable cellular phones. Mobile (or car) phones put out a strong signal and have the most dependable connection. The portable cellular phone is light weight and highly portable, but puts out the weakest signal.

When selecting the best type of cellular phone and service, here are some of the features you might consider:

• Battery performance and type
• Automatic redial
• Speed dial
• Alphanumeric storage
• Ringer select
• Retractable antenna
• Low-charge alert
• Rapid battery charger
• Custom menu programming
• Call time and alarm
• Built-in answering machine
• Paging indicator
• Call forwarding and call waiting
• Data links to interface with computer or fax

When choosing a cellular phone service provider, you should carefully evaluate the service. You'll be expected to pay service fees including activation fees, a basic monthly rate, per-minute airtime charges and roamer fees when you leave your regular service area.

The two categories of wireless phone service are cellular (analog or digital) and the recently introduced PCS. Cellular service is widespread and there are great deals on the equipment when you sign up for new service. PCS can be SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper to use but it's new and coverage can be spotty. Consider the total cost to own and use the phone as well as the area you will need to use it in. Be sure to check the current facts though because this area is rapidly changing.

Pagers
You'll need to determine the type of pager and service you require. There are a variety of pagers: the original beeper which informs you of a page and alerts you to call your paging service, numeric pagers which display the caller's phone number or your voice-mail access number, and alphanumeric pagers which display a brief message or coded information. You'll specify a service area that can range from a few square miles to several nations.

You'll also need to decide whether to buy or rent a pager. Most people rent a pager from their paging company. You can reduce your monthly charges by a few dollars if you provide your own pager. If you own the pager, you'll have to carry your own insurance or pay the price of replacement if it's stolen or lost. Rental agreements provide repair and replacement insurance, as part of the monthly charge or for an additional fee. Take it from someone who's put a pager through a washing machine, you'll want the insurance.

Smart Phones
You may be interested in a telephone device that enables more than simple conversation. A new generation of technology enables mobile workers to access Internet e-mail and the Web via a telephone. It's handy, relatively efficient, and less bulky than a heavy notebook.

For over 20 years, companies have been exploring the concept of using a telephone handset as a computing device. The earliest smart phones were bulky and simplistic. Current smart-phone manufacturers, which include Nokia, PCSI, Samsung, and Mitsubishi, have made huge advances in the technology. The smart combines the best of the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) with features commonly found in a cellular phone. The cell phone aspect is pretty straightforward, but the computing component is still fairly flexible and has been executed in vastly different ways by competing manufacturers.

Smart phones include a relatively large LCD screen (large, that is, for a phone) and an improved keypad. Some even have a QWERTY keyboard with directional keys. The recently released Nokia 9000 Communicator is enjoying some success. The unit is a telephone with a built-in PDA and cellular modem, enabling all types of wireless communications.

Are you exhausted just by the possibilities? It's great to be informed as to all your options, but don't feel compelled to jump on the technology bandwagon if you do not yet have the budget or the need. The beauty of leasing arrangements is that you can experiment and see what equipment meets your needs. If you have to start out simply, look at the bright side: by the time you're ready to move up to another level, the price may have dropped a few levels.