Best Calling Card

re: "• Customers will continue to work directly with Sprint employees as their primary contact, as Sprint retains full control of the customer experience, customer technical support and services review."

 

If Ericsson is as good as these guys say, and the former Sprint-Nextel employees will be so happy and "energized" working for Ericsson as opposed to working directly for S-N (or "rebadged as Ericsson", as Azzi himself puts it), why not let us customers interact directly with Ericsson for any and all network problem reports?

 

The Sprint-Nextel front-end for network issues is the absolute worst "customer service" in the industry, so why not let the new broom sweep clean and let the customers report network issues directly to these newly energized Ericsson employees? Hesse, Azzi, Donahue, consider the gauntlet thrown down. I ask that you respond to this suggestion directly and honestly.

 

  – Nxtl4me

 

Just wondering why on my Google page the widget is now requiring me to sign in each time I visit the iGoogle page. It hadn’t done this in the past. Just started happening a day or so ago.

 

It is quite annoying now that I have to re-sign in for every time I go to my Google page!

Here we go again!!! I seem to remember a comparison of the Instink to the Iphone ad that they conviently don’t show anymore. Just another hype campaign where they’ll end up promising the world.

Customers and wireless industry experts alike are saying that they are seeing emerging signs of a new Sprint.

Whether it’s the speed and dependability of the Sprint network, the value of Sprint’s calling plans highlighted by Billshrink.com or customer testimonials, customers are choosing Sprint for a growing list of reasons.

See full size ad - http://bit.ly/XwNDA

On Friday, Sprint launched a new ad encouraging customers, especially early adopters of Apple’s iPhone on AT&T with expiring contracts, to take a closer look the experience they could enjoy by switching to a Palm Pre or other phone on Sprint’s network.

Ads began appearing in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today and select regional markets.

In addition, some Sprint employees were spreading the word by donating their status on their Facebook pages.

For more information:

http://bit.ly/w0i1z The Top Five: What Wireless Customers Want
http://www.facebook.com/sprint Sprint’s Facebook page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprintnextel Sprint on Flickr

What: First carrier open developer’s conference. Anyone can attend, without restriction. This conference is a vehicle for Sprint and our key partners to communicate what the larger development community can use to develop and deliver products and services via our devices, platforms and networks.  – http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2009

When: October 26-28, 2009

Where: Santa Clara, CA

Who: Any developer or customer that is interested in understanding what Sprint has to offer in support of open development.

Focus: Product, device, platform and network capabilities that directly support developer’s efforts to deploy in the open market.

Topics: The agenda will be finalized in the coming weeks. However, below please find a list of subjects that will be discussed at the conference.

A: Best Practices of Mobile Development on Sprint Devices/Handsets

• Aircards
• Android
• Mobile Java
• Mobile Web Development
• OSGI
• Palm Mojo Web OS
• RIM Blackberry
• Windows Mobile
• Application Design & Usability

B: Utilizing Network and Product Capabilities

• Location Based Services
• Messaging
• Mobile Advertising
• Mobile Payments
• Multi-Media
• Unified Communications
• User Experience / Interface Design

C: M2M / Embedded (have the M2M/Wholesale provide this)

• Open Devices: Defined
• Understanding the M2M “Ecosystem”
• Network Considerations in Deploying Embedded Devices
• Operationalizing Embedded Devices.
• The Future of Embedded Devices

D: 4G

• 4G products and services
• 4G developer program
• Clearwire Innovation Network – 4G Developer Sandbox

E. Sprint Customer Retail Experience

Learn More and Register Today  -  http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2009

Buzz is partnering with Sprint Customer Care to improve our telephone customer service and we need your help. We want to make sure you’re getting what you need quickly and easily when you call Sprint, so we’re running a study to find ways to improve our automated phone system. By participating, you can share your reactions and opinions of our automated phone system, tell us what you do and don’t like, and give us suggestions for how we can make the system better.

How you can help. Taking part is simple–make one call into the Sprint automated phone system and complete an online survey. The study takes less than 15 minutes and you can complete it at a time that works for you.

Signing up. Go to https://www.vocalabs.com/panelist [Updated to secure site URL] to register to participate in the study. You’ll get an email from our survey provider, Vocalabs, with instructions on when the study will be run (we’re targeting mid-June) as well as instructions for making the call and completing the survey.

What happens next? We’ll use the opinions you share to identify ways we can change our automated phone system to make it work better for you. Over the next several months, we’ll be rolling out any changes to the system based on what you tell us.

Don’t miss your chance to tell Sprint what you really think and help create the telephone customer service experience you want!

Take your WiFi hotspot with you — virtually anywhere and everywhere — and whenever you need it

Sprint plans to launch the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile hotspot device for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year service agreement (excluding taxes). The MiFi 2200, available in the first week of June on www.sprint.com, in Sprint retail stores and other select channels, will allow users to connect to the Internet by bridging WiFi-enabled devices like laptops, MP3 players and gaming devices to America’s most dependable 3G network* – the EVDO Rev A Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. Sprint will launch the service under the Sprint Mobile Hotspot name, and it will be the first in the U.S. to support MiFi’s GPS capabilities, allowing users to take advantage of select location and mapping applications.

See Press Release

Just in time for summer! The Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has selected Sprint as the exclusive wireless partner for its members. BoatU.S. is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 600,000 members with government representation, programs and money saving services. Through this new partnership, BoatU.S. members and employees can purchase discounted wireless devices and services from Sprint.

To help BoatU.S. members stay connected and productive from virtually wherever they are, the partnership offers a variety of promotions and special offers on select Sprint products and services, including multimedia devices, smart phones, rugged devices, Nextel Direct Connect®-capable phones, Sprint Mobile Broadband connection cards, and monthly wireless services. Sprint will also offer a wireless data package created specifically for BoatU.S. members to use on the water for safety, information and Internet browsing. BoatU.S. members can learn more about Sprint services by visiting www.boatusphones.com.

“We’re honored to be among the elite group of companies who serve the BoatU.S. Membership as the exclusive wireless partner,” said John Dupree, vice president – enterprise and federal, Sprint. “This relationship illustrates Sprint’s strategy to partner with various organizations to bring more value to members and employees and help them save money particularly during these challenging economic times.”

For BoatU.S. membership information visit www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.

Sprint collaborated with MSN and Mindshare to launch a new small business website  – Businessonmain.msn.com. The site is designed to help small business owners exchange ideas, gain actionable knowledge from business experts, promote their business and, bottom line, help them adapt, grow and succeed.

Business on Main offers visitors –

• The opportunity to post questions and receive real-time answers from other business owners in the community area, from related articles or from an industry expert who will provide personalized answers to any business problem.

• A wealth of articles written by experts and sourced from leading business sites.

• A unique opportunity to network with other small business owners. With a community element in place today, the community will become more robust by mid-year 2009. At that time, not only will business owners be able to set up a profile for themselves or their company and set up groups based on industries or locality, they can also get a news feed of popular articles, tools and resources in their community.

• A bank of Tools and Resources offering practical ways to improve business and support owners by making life a little bit easier.

• In every section of Business on Main, users can comment, share, post questions, provide advice, submit challenges and vote on the shows making the site a truly interactive experience.

Businessonmain.msn.com also features original video content to provide small business owners with a unique opportunity to gain advice from business leaders and gain actionable knowledge that can be applied to their business immediately. Original programming includes –

• Business Fantasy Camp – In each episode, a small business owner will spend time shadowing a mentor, who will offer on-the-fly training, tips and advice on how to tackle each business owner’s specific business challenges.

• Cool Runnings – Each episode will chronicle the big ideas and trends shaping small business, and the innovative companies and people that embody success in the business world. Featured companies will be more than just balance-sheet success stories; the series will focus on fun work environments that have a buzz that makes them special.

“Business On Main delivers what small business owners have told us they want — a one-stop shop with tips and tools to enhance business operations and productivity, access to expert sources who can provide information that can be applied immediately, and a direct connection to interact and build relationships with other entrepreneurs,” said Tim Donahue, vice president of business marketing, Sprint. “We’re excited to partner with MSN and Mindshare to offer this unique online destination that will help small businesses be successful, especially given this challenging economic environment.”

Today marks the first day of voting for the Sprint Fan Vote, where NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans will select a driver to compete in the historic 25th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race May 16 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

Last year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner, Kasey Kahne, made history by becoming the first driver to win the main event after qualifying via the Sprint Fan Vote.

Unlimited voting is available to all fans from April 14 to May 16. Fans can vote by visiting www.sprint.com/speed or a participating Sprint Retail store. Fans also can vote trackside at the Sprint Experience during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends.

Sprint customers have the added benefit of receiving double credit for each wireless vote submitted from their Sprint device. Text "NASCAR" to 7777 to download NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile to cast a vote. (Standard text messaging and data rates apply.)

Please review the press release for full event details.

By Mark Kochanowski
04/15/2009