This post is a little overdue, and most of you may already be aware of the new laws governing cellphone usage while driving in North and South Carolina.  However, we figured that this would be a good time to revisit what the new laws are, and how they affect your personal usage, as well as your employees.

On December 1, 2009, North Carolina updated their cell phone laws to a newer version of what was already in place.  Before, users over the age of 18 were allowed to use cell phones while driving, unless they were operating a school bus.  Those laws have now changed to read the following:

         - No user shall use a cell phone while driving for text messaging, electronic email, music, games, camera, or internet functions.
         - Fine of $100 plus court costs, but no points
         - Exceptions are only for police, fire, and medics

South Carolina is a little different, or behind the times you could say.  Although South Carolina does not currently have any set cell phone driving laws in place, they do have what is called a "distracted or inattentive attribute under Contributing Factors.  So, instead of pulling you over for using your cell phone while driving, you can be ticketed at the scene of an accident if it is determined that you were using your cell phone instead of paying attention to the road ahead.

Common sense in any situation like this would tell you to put the cell phone down and concentrate on driving.  If you must use the phone while driving, find a safe, secure spot to pull over and complete the task that is needed, and then continue to operate your vehicle.  Text messages, email, and internet are not as important as human life.

Company vehicle usage policices or company cell phone policies should cover these issues.  If you do not currently have a set company cell phone policy, give us a call.  One of our consultants can help you create and establish a company cell phone policy.

Until next time,

TLS

NC Cell Phone Laws.pdf (16.65 kb)

Sprint has announced that they will launch the Motorola i1, an Android based smartphone.  This phone, like many other Android phones has a vibrant touchscreen, all the fun features of Android 1.5, and one thing that no other Android has...........PUSH TO TALK!!!

The first of its kind, the Motorola i1 will definitely pump some life into a network (iDEN) that could really use some right now. 

This feature list is not confirmed as of this posting, but here they are:

- 3.1 inch touchscreen
- 5MP camera
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.1

Last, the Motorola i1, named the Opus One, will contain the MOTOBLUR UI, which will link all of your social networks together in one spot.  The only downfall to the phone is that it will not run on

Sprint's 3G network, but will work on iDEN's slower data network.

With that being said, a touchscreen, Android based smartphone with Push to Talk is right up our alley.

We are excited!!

Until next time,

T

Too often, I receive questions from business owners that start like this, "How do I know that I need to track my vehicles?"  Business owners today want to make sure that the purchases they authorize for their business are actually going to help their business.  Owners also want to make sure that the purchases they make have a return on investment.  One that is measureable, one that is verifiable.

The answer to this question is simple.  If you are considering this purchase, it's probably time.

But, most business owners that we come in contact with have the same feelings when it comes to tracking people.  Either they do not like the idea of it, they trust their employees, or they do not want to make employees feel uncomfortable.

My response to those feelings is also fairly simple. 

What I am trying to say is that GPS vehicle tracking is so much more than just an employee accountability tool.  If the only reason companies purchased GPS was to hold employees accountable, well, we would have to close our doors.  There are so many more uses for vehicle tracking that have nothing to do with employee accountability.

For example, GPS vehicle tracking can be used as an invoice accountability tool.  Hmmmmmmm, what does that mean.  Let me ask you this, how many times has a customer called in to dispute the number of labor hours on an invoice?  How many times has a customer called and complained about your service truck not stopping at their house and completing a service? 

A question that I would ask you is, "How many labor hours are being erased because your company has no way to prove that your technician was there for the 2 hours that were billed, or that the service was performed?

How nice would it be to log in to a system that provides the information to prove that you are accurately billing that customer, or that your service truck stopped at Mr. Doe's house for 2 hours while your technician sprayed for bugs?

Now do you see what I mean?

To learn more, simply provide us with your contact information.  One of our GPS consultants can provide our free fleet analysis that will take an in-depth look at how you currently operate your fleet, as well as complete and ROI analysis on your business.

This free consultation takes about 30 minutes to complete, and there is no obligation for you to purchase anything.

Until next time,

TLS

For a carrier that many have deemed to be "in trouble", Sprint has turned up the heat with a sweet lineup of new Android phones.

Rumors say that HTC will unveil the new "Supersonic" at the CTIA show next week in Las Vegas.  This phone has a lot of hype surroounding it, and is said to have the ability to use Sprint's new 4G network...........a system that no other carrier currently has.

Other phones launching on Sprint include the Nexus One, as well as a new Blackberry named the "T", short for Talladega.

Whatever happens with Sprint, it seems like it will be an exciting summer of phone launch's from Sprint.

Also from Sprint, Android 2.1 software will be pushing out to existing HTC Hero's and Samsung Moment's in the next few weeks!!

Until next time,

TLS

As I write this post tonight, I must admit one thing.......my tourney bracket is already destroyed!!

Okay, so back on topic!!  I want to make sure that we first understand what this post is attempting to do.  First, I am trying to sell you something.  Yep, I said it!!  Two, I am going to attempt to uncover a problem that your organization may or may not know that it has.

So now that we have that behind us, let me explain a little about what the title means.  Of course you know what measuring means.  Any business measures something.  Productivity, time to market, cash flow....something is measured.  Then, when something gets measured, it also begins to be monitored.  Benchmarks are put in place, standards are set, and goals are written down.

Companies who monitor their measurements become more efficient, get more done, and are able to consistently raise the bar against themselves.

But, does your company measure expenses?  What about landline and wireless communication expenses?

Quick fact: Wireless customers place over 4 million calls per month to their carrier for billing errors. 

Another quick fact: Add up all the billing errors that occur from wireless and landline carriers and it equals millions of dollars PER MONTH!

Measuring and monitoring these bills is not crucial to daily operations, but how much of the millions in billing errors per month are you being charged?  Do you know?  If you don't, it's okay.  Most companies don't know.  Most companies are doing more with less and just do not have the time to audit a bill from front to back in search of those errors or waste.  So, they rip open the bill, check the amount due (which just happens to be conveniently located on the first page, and in bold), and then cut the check.......end of story.  What you don't realize is that you more than likely just wrote a check for 25% more than you should have.

If you are not currently utilizing a telecom expense management company, I highly recommend that you do so.  You do not have to choose OneBridge, but I hope that you would give us the opportunity to compete for your business.

OneBridge employs former wireless and wireline executives that understand what your bills say, understand rate plan matrixs, and know the correct steps to shave every penny off of your bills that should not be there.

Some of the benefits that our customers realize are:

• - 25% + monthly savings on wireless bills (without sacrificing the features and extras that employees currently have)
• - Equipment pricing that is not advertised
• - Monthly discounts based on certain criteria
• - Monthly in-depth reports that allow monitoring of usage trends, high spend users, and waste
• - Web based applications that allow the management of inventory, general ledger or job cost coding, and paperless bills

If you feel like your company is spending too much, or just want us to take a look and make sure your costs are as low as they can possibly be, the next step is simple.

Call our offices at 877-212-4828.

One of our consultants will be glad to speak with you on your current telecom situation.  We can then schedule a time to dig deeper into your bills to figure out where the waste is, what services are needed, and how we can move forward.

Best part................the consultation is free.  You are not obligated to do anything.  If we find nothing, you owe nothing.  It's that simple.

You can also send copies of your wireless and wireline bills to us at sales@onebridgewireless.com.

Until next time,

Thomas Sayle

Okay, so the joke in the title was probably bad. However, the message below is no joke or laughing matter.

OneBridge Communications, LLC has always attempted to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest technology, phones, and GPS equipment.  But, today we want to talk about something else: the safety of our customers and friends.

I.C.E. Your Phone is a simple concept.  If you do not know what we are talking about, here it goes:

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency........

Now, no one wants to talk about it, but if something were to happen to you and you were unable to communicate to emergency personnel, here is one tip.

No matter what style phone you have, create a new contact and name it ICE - John Doe.  So, if I was the person that you wanted contacted if something happened to you, you would simply add a contact like this:

ICE Thomas Sayle

Emergency and first responders are trained to look for this in your phone, so help them out and put it there.

If you need help with this, email us at info@onebridgewireless.com and we can help you get this done.

Until next time,

TLS

So, the end of another year is upon us.  2009 was a memorable year for myself, and I am sure for most other business owners.  It was a year of ups and downs.  A year of new beginnings, endings, and everything in between.

Of course the recession is on everyone's mind, and I believe that 2009 will be the year of the recession.

As we begin 2010, I hear many business owners saying the same thing.  "We will never get that big again."  Or, "we will grow smarter next time."

With that being said, I think that 2010 will be a great year for most businesses. 

What am I working on?

I am working on growing my business more this year than last.  I am working on doing more within my community, and making sure that I do business with people that are like me......small business owners.

Last, I think that the most valuable lesson that anyone can take from 2009 is this.......... 

We are only as strong/rich/valuable as our relationships.

Relationships are what keep us running, and are the things that we can bank on at the end of the day.  Relationships with your friends, your spouse, your co-workers, your customers, your God, and your children are all important relationships. Make sure that you work on them, some more than others.

What are you doing different with your relationships in 2010?

I have written several posts on GPS in my tenure as Managing Partner of OneBridge Communications.  But, I
thought that today would be a good day to discuss some of the great "hidden" features that GPS vehicle
tracking offers.

I talk to several companies on a weekly basis that are all looking to monitor employee hours and use of
company vehicles.  They have problems that range from time clock theft, all the way to not really knowing
where their equipment is.

Off topic for a minute....... 

I was sitting in a meeting with a large landscape contractor last week, and the discussion was GPS asset
tracking.  The owner of the company could not figure out how GPS would benefit his company.  So, I simply
asked him how many pieces of equipment he had.  He told me that the company owned 27 Bobcat's.  I then asked
him if he knew where they were.  He did not.  So, we asked his supervisors if they knew where they were, and
they did not.  All in all, we were able to pinpoint the location of 17 of the 27 pieces of equipment that his
company owned.  Now, a Bobcat costs probably $50,000, so you do the math.

Anyway, there is so much more that GPS vehicle tracking offers other than accountability.  Let's look at some
of those "hidden" features:

         o Job costing reports - GPS tracking systems allow users to create a geofence
       or landmark around jobsites, offices, homes, etc.  These geofences and landmarks
       allow you to run a report to show how long a vehicle was parked on a jobsite, or
       at a customer location.  How does this feature help you? Well, now you know whether
       you are making money or not.  Now you know whether employees are actually working
       or just sitting on jobs.

         o Vehicle Maintenance and Upkeep - GPS tracking systems give users the ability to see
           when vehicle's need to have oil changes, tire rotations, brake jobs, etc.  Most
       systems monitor odometer readings inside vehicles.  This allows you to input various
       intervals for preventive maintenance services.  How does this help?  If you lease
       your vehicles you understand immediately the importance of regular maintenance of your
       fleet.  Also, you now have one less thing to remember.  Simply set it and forget it!

         o Route Optimization - This feature is available in most systems, and allows you to run
           optimizations on routes that are driven throughout the day by your vehicles.  This
       feature takes all of the daily stops into consideration and suggests different routes
       based on shortest distance, shortest time, or best route.  How does this help? Imagine
       having a way to save gas, get to customers quicker, or shave time off of a route drivers
       day.  Think any of those would make you more profitable??

         o Customer Accountability - Ever had a customer call and dispute the total time that
       they were billed?  Ever have a customer call and tell you that your employee was not
       there on a certain time or a certain day?  Now you have a record of when employees were
       at customer locations, and how long they were there.

The features above are just a small portion of the many features that GPS vehicle tracking systems offer. 
Yes, accountability is definitely a big one.  But, companies don't realize how valuable a tool like this
can be when it is implemented in the right way.

OneBridge Communications offers the best in class GPS tracking systems, as well as the expertise to help
you maximize ROI on your investment.  Call us today to learn more about the various GPS systems and programs
that we offer.

The wait is over, and the HTC Hero is finally here.  Yes, we know that the review is late.  Yes, we know that there are several reviews out there already.

Maybe this is just one more in the pool.  Or, maybe this is one of those reviews from someone who actually uses the phone in a business setting.......someone similar to you.

First impressions of the Hero are awesome.  The phone looks really nice right out of the box.

Once the phone was powered up, we quickly noticed how vibrant, clear, and crisp the screen was.  We also noticed that the touchscreen was very accurate and responsive.

Upon activation, the time, date, and weather are updated for your area.  This is a really nice feature.  There are a few quick links on the main screen that can be customized, as well as the ability to swipe left or right for more functions and features.

Placing a phone call was simple, and contacts are easily pulled up thorugh the use of the dial pad.

Connection to our Exchange server was quick and simple, and with a few tweaks we were receiving emails quickly. 

Ok, so on to the cool features.  There is a notifications bar at the top of the screen that alerts you to Twitter updates, missed calls, emails, etc.  From any screen you can drag this bar down and go directly to what you have missed.  This is an amazing feature.

Also, the weather function.  When it is raining in your area, the screen actually looks like rain is hitting it, and then a windshield wiper goes across the screen and cleans it off..........definitely a pretty cool feature.

All in all, I am not a huge fan of on screen keyboard phones, but this one is simple to use with the word anticipation feature.  Words that are misspelled are easily fixed with this feature, and typing becomes a breeze.  The phone also memorizes words that you use and saves them in the vocabulary for the next time you use it.

So, my final verdict?  The phone is definitely worth buying.  Would I recommend it over my trusty Blackberry?  I am not sure yet, but so far things look good.

Until next time.................

As a consultant, I receive a ton of questions.  Most of them are worded differently, but they are cased on the same topic.  I decided that today would be a good day to refresh the blog with the answer to one of the questions that I receive all the time.

One of the things that we at OneBridge specialize in is wireless bill management.  Also call wireless account services, this solution basically takes a large wireless bill and makes it smaller.

Any company out there is susceptible to the large phone bill, they do not discriminate.  Wireless bills start out small, but over time, as companies grow and hire employees, the bill becomes harder to manage, larger, and definitely harder to read.

The charges go up, things become more confusing, and eventually your company becomes a victim of what we call "rip and pay."  The term basically means that instead of looking at the bill, you more or less rip open the bill, check the balance due on the first page, and stroke the check.

What companies do not realize is that they are leaving tons of money behind, kind of like the GEICO commercial.  The money is there, you just to go get it.

But, how do you get it? 

Well, there are several ways in which to get it.

First, take a look at how your users actually use their phones.  Do they use texting to communicate with other employees?  Do they use email?  These communication methods may cost extra, but in the big picture they can actually save you money.

Second, who do you do business with?  Many people do not realize that the companies that they do business with can actually save them money.  Although most of these discounts are not advertised, they are out there.

Next, are you on the correct rate plans?  Wireless companies would like for you to think that an unlimited plan is "the best deal" going.  But, most users do not use half of the features that those unlimited plans offer, meaning that they are paying 50% more than they should.

Last, have you noticed how confusing those wireless bills are?  Reading a wireless bill is tougher than reading your doctor's handwriting.....you know what I mean.  Anyway, the point is that due to the confusing layout of those bills, there are possible errors and waste that are going unnoticed.

Knowing how to navigate through the steps above is tough, but not impossible.  You could call your wireless customer care department and waste a few hours on the phone talking to 7 different people, only to leave a message with someone who more than likely will not call you back.

Or, you could hire a company to complete these tasks for you.  There are several out there, including us, that streamline, manage, and reduce your monthly expense.

If you would like to know more, please feel free to leave us a message at www.onebridgewireless.com/contact.asp.