Signed, sealed, delivered - I'm yours!

Activate "Bridge"

Does somebody know what that means?

If you do, please tell me. If you don't, don't touch it!

That is, if it's the text on a button on your computer screen. I was obviously stupid enough to do that last week when I tried to install my new high speed Internet modem allowing me to download with speeds up to 24 Mbits/s. I followed the instructions carefully. When then nothing happens I am the type of guy who look for solutions. Unfortunately before I reach for the phone. Now the modem is broken.

My carrier (to be) will send me a new modem, which I still haven't received and then I'll start over again.

The event has made me think:

1. Why was it a button there, that if you press it, your modem gets useless?
2. Why was I asked in the first place to enter some kind of computer geek environment (which I guess was inside the modem) to add numbers that could have been installed from the beginning?
3. How many other customers have pressed this button?

The craziest thing with carriers, no matter if they offer mobile services or broadband, is that it seems they haven't realised they are in the service industry. And I am not talking about the importance of good customer relations. I am talking about the essence of "time".

Since I received the modem now more than a week has passed. Still I haven't received the new one. That means one week with no revenues from subscription fees, and no revenues from all the extra services they want me to buy, like video-on-demand, IP telephony etc. And I am obviously not alone.

Same thing with my mobile phone carrier. I haven't manged to hook up on the Internet with my 3G phone in more than six months. Since I rarely exceed my voice minutes the only way they could pick some more bucks from me is to make me use the data connection. But they haven't. They can see it on my bill, that I am not using their services. And even easier, they could have helped me when I was standing in their store with my computer and my phone asking for help. But they didn't. Because they didn't know how to.

All I hear in the telecom industry is the importance of acquiring more customers. But what about getting more money from the customers you already have!

Here's a brief strategy:

• be user friendly
• offer good equipment that works
• fire all your geeks or put them somewhere they can't do any harm
• call me sometime, ask me how I am doing