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Hey Guys,
As most of you guys know, we've been laying low with info on external forums, etc.
At this point, we're ready to open the floodgates up again and slowly start building up anticipation for the public launch.
Since we've been brought up from the trenches in the ViaTalk forum today, there's likely to be some renewed discussion.
If any of you are at other forums like BBR, feel free to post about your experience in the BETA. We're wrapping up for launch.
Should have read this thread too before asking in another. Finally loosed upon the unsuspecting! ;-)
Tim; might I suggest something. I assume that you already have a "Real" voipo.com web page set up and ready to go for launch. Might I suggest that if you are relatively confident on the launch date, that you activate the website (With a count down date clock or a "coming soon") statement on the main page. Anticipation is a great advertiser. Having a site available for people to see the prices, services, features, etc... allows people to discuss the product. It will help when the debates on the forums start.
It looks like Viatalk is one of the only providers left with the buy 1 get 1 year free promo going. Not sure if they are doing it to try and lock in customers or if they can really survive forever on that price. But VoipO needs to have 1 or 2 very specific things that can be marketed/bragged/etc... that can set them apart from all the other voip providers. We all know what it's taken for VoipO to get where it's at. The quality, attention to detail, etc... I've been with you for 1 1/2 years. Unfortunately, the new customers will just see VoipO as another provider on a long list. Fortunately, voipo has Host gator and it's customer base as a major starting point. I'd like to see VoipO become the standard that other voip providers use to measure quality and success.
Anything that I (we) can do to help market voipo, just ask. I have seen where voipo has come from. I've seen it evolve from a basic connection almost 2 years ago to a very high quality and stable system. I'm excited about voipo and it's success. Later.... Mike.....
We have a few selling points for sure that haven't really been discussed much because VT has been known to act on that info in the past. One of the things I mentioned to you via PM a week or so ago is a strategy I decided to move forward with.Quote:
Originally Posted by christcorp
What I'm thinking about doing is rather than putting up a whole site where it's hard to hide stuff is putting up a "letter" outlining what we're doing and what we feel the key selling points are.
Not necessarily a sales letter, but more of a here's who we are, here's what we're doing, and here's why you should join us type of tone.
What do you guys think of that idea?
Now that we're allowed to blab about you, we need to be able to point people to an official site. If that site were to have a respectable format and an information commentary they might be curious enough to keep checking. You might have planned tabs/menues visible, but 'grayed-out' until the official launch date. Or they could be in a "demo" mode of navigation. If you are brave enough and confident enough of a launch date, I think you should have a graphic count down to launch actively displayed.Quote:
Originally Posted by VOIPoTim
THE ADVERTISEMENT:
Tim, _you_ could greet the visitors to the site with a short video from the boss explaining your vision and the progress/evolution over the last year and 1/2, or whatever. You could time-line through alpha to beta, disappointments and even bringing in a new development team in your quest to 'get it right' the first time. And now you're rapidly moving toward launch. The personal touch would be much better than just an info memo. Pull a 'Walt Disney' starting at the corner of your desk, with perhaps even a short jaunt through your large customer service section-in-training with the call stations, employee areas, and past the development team hard at work finalizing your product. It would give a feeling of substance to your company so the viewer would know it's not just another fly-by-night operation or vapor-ware. It might be instructive for knowledgeable businessmen to learn the background of your new CTO. The viewer will be much more apt to believe you when you mention that you are just a few days from launch as indicated by the countdown timer ticking away on the side. The best part, you haven't had to give specifics of the system design, unless you so want.
gbh2o, great advice!
Without a site looking pretty or something,
it is hard to brag and look credible.
Yea; great idea.
If GEICO can have the GECKO
Then VoipO can have the VIPER!!!!
It would make for one great commercial. Viper slithering around biting and Killing the CEO of Vonage, Packet8, ATT, Viatalk, etc....
Actually; I think a nice 60 second Shock Wave File would be a great idea. When you go to voipo.com you get the infomercial. A day or two before going live you include the video with the rest of the real web page. Sounds like too much fun..... Later.... Mike....
Nah! VOIPo can be above that! The other ones will commit suicide or financially self destruct with time.Quote:
Originally Posted by christcorp
A solid platform, serious and sufficient customer service and superior technical support and development all lead to a satisfied customer. VOIPo is obviously serious about customer satisfaction, at least in the present. I doubt that Tim will allow it to drift too far from that vision. And I believe that this is the most flexible design that will actually meet the residential customer's dreams of controlling their phone service. [Large businesses, commercial resellers, SOHO and * users have to wait for the Carrier system :( ]
From the days of innocence, "Right makes Might!" :D
Actually, it's been a busy night and I didn't put in any LOL's, :) , or :cool: in my post. I was only kidding about the viper. Now, I wouldn't mind owning one of the 4 wheeled versions. :p
I would suggest a "soft" grand opening ... without a lot of fanfare. No ticking clocks, no "grand opening" specials. We (mostly everyone but me) have been able to test the network side of the house ... I'll assume that you've built in scalability for growth. But we haven't had a single conversation with a CSR on a toll-free number through an ACD, you haven't fulfilled 200 adapters in one day, you haven't calculated a single monthly invoice except in a lab environment, haven't paid taxes to a single jurisdiction, charged one credit card, or trapped one raghead trying to defraud you. Go slow. Our first driving lesson isn't at 75mph on the interstate.
Yeah, we're definitely planning on this with a "public beta" launch.Quote:
Originally Posted by RockyBB
Lots of potential for problems, sure. At the same time though, remember that my partner and I bring in close to 1,000 signups a day with HostGator though, so we're not totally in the dark about some things.
The public discussions to date have focused on the "Residential" offering. Is "Express" also open for posting beta comments?
I would like to verify also that the DIDs have an attached 500 minute/month 'free' minute bucket, with overages being charged something per minute [sorry, can't remember what it was since the billing sections on vacation ;-) ] The 500, minutes is believed appropriate/sufficient because of the virtual status and should be adequate I guess for most low-normal use number of that type?