It would appear as if you deal with the hardware for the VOIP, whereas I deal mostly with the software. I deal with setting up new accounts and activating it. I also do loads of troubleshooting and work with the pc's to help people get the best performance. Also, I've found that so many people are so well protected these days that even firewalls can affect performance. It's amazing how things work sometimes. I also liked the idea of how to set VOIP up in a house. I'm sure that if given more time we'd be learning all about the hardware aspects of it and the way it runs through the lines. It's bad enough that I took the time to learn about landlines and the proper protocol that goes along with that. I've also learned a bit about fibre optics and copper wiring. I'm no electrician but I'm getting a better working knowledge of how everything works. There's still training to go through for In Region Bundling and such, so I hope to learn even more (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) But working with the mobile phones is kewl also. At the moment I've been working with getting people set up for Mobile Web 2. It seems rather costly to access the web from your handset, but I do see the benefit to it also. I've also got some experience with Get It Now, as well as Pix/Flix Messaging. The thing is, we have a basic (very basic) troubleshooting guide that we walk through with customers that are having problems getting all those things to work, so when I have to go to TSS (Technical Support), I actually sit on the line and listen to what they have the client do. We're not supposed to do that, but I've found a few wee things that actually work that we aren't taught. See, we get graded on our calls and every single one is recorded and most are actually listened to and there's many call backs about our service that we provide. We get graded on our # of transfers to tech as well as other departments, so the less you have to transfer, the better the score and the better your ACHT (Average Call Handling Time). Try setting up new activations and programming phones and also getting in all that you have to in each call in less than 320 seconds (That is actually what they expect of us). I love it when people call and then put the phone down, as that's only a couple seconds and works into our averages. I've actually been at the phone for 3 hours to find a phone number in the NY area. That was abso mad (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) Of course I was getting a, play by play, of what was going on in South Park lol I've had marriage proposals, I've had blokes tell me that they've fallen in love with my voice and asked if I'd consider meeting them outside of work. I've had others try to give me their mobile telephone numbers to keep and their landline numbers also. I've had blokes that I've had to release the call from because they were pervs and said they were mast to my voice. You'd no believe all the shite we have to deal with lol I've even had women tell me how much they love my voice lol I remember this one woman called in and was sound to begin with, but after I was explaining the calling plans she didn't respond. I kept repeating her name and was going to end the call and she finally spoke up and said my voice had put her to sleep and asked me if they could send a recording of it to her lol Anyhoo, gotta go to work now ... take care and see all yous soon

By listening in to what TS is saying and doing, You are showing your ability to learn. You want to learn what it is that is causing this problem or that. You want to take that extra step to help people. In a word.... Ambitious (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) For any company to move forward, it takes people like you. I wish I could find people like you around Ohio. We would definately leave the competition in the dark.
I find that is the biggest problem with people over here these days. Most of them are Ignorant and Lethargic(they dont know and they dont care) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) A good example are the flood victims in New Orleans. The ones that didnt move to higher ground because no one moved them for them. They sit on their asses with their hands out and scream bloody murder when anything goes bad. These are the people that blame how they live on how their grandfather was a slave and how my grandfather enslaved him. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) I get so sick of hearing that. Everytime I hear the old 'Slave' story, I tell them that Ireland has been Oppressed for over 800 years (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) That usually shuts them up.
Anyway, sorry for getting off the path like that (I guess I have to vent once in awhile) Like I was saying Heather, You have wonderful work ethics and I hope it starts rubbing off everyone around you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Thank you Patrick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) It is good to have some sort of ambition, but the thing is, there is a downfall to being so ambitious. I always want to learn and once I feel I've mastered something, unless it is a constantly changing environment, I get bored easily. I've worked so many jobs, but rarely enjoy the benefits of a rapidly growing and expanding (ever changing) environment, such as that of mobile services. I'm not a technician and I never thought I had the aptitude for it, but I'm seeing a difference in me day by day. It's nice to know about things I didn't know about before and equally nice that I get to share that with customers that call in. Once I walk them through troubleshooting it also cuts down on call volume. I'm sure there's loads of people out there that would be equally eager to learn, but they can't because the training isn't available to them. If everyone had to go through the kind of training we did, I'm sure 1/2 of the people that call in over troubleshooting issues wouldn't have to call in anymore. It reminds me of when I was in Algebra and Trig .... those scientific calculators needed a class for themselves. It wasn't easy to learn how to utilize one of those to it's fullest potential. When I was at Uni, I asked my professor how to use it and took me through about three hours to show me all of it's functions and how to apply them to our homework. Others were always having problems and never getting their work done on time because they weren't sure how to use them, so I suppose that learning those things, and taking the initiative to learn about them helps you later. It's the same with mobile phones. Honestly, I've had really good calls from people who wanted to know what to do so as to avoid having to call in again. I don't mind sharing what all I've learned and if I had stayed where I was at, I never would have learned either. Orange mobile is what I have to deal with at Belfast and such. Honestly .... they suck (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Although I do think that when Verizon bought up all these other companies, they could have done a better job integrating them all into their system. As it is there's 14 different systems that we have to go in to. Each area of the US is broke up into four different systems (one of them runs in DOS ffs). We have to do all major changes to their handsets through their native billing system. It's crazy lol anyhoo ... enough boring you for the day (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I'm off to work soon, but had to reply. You're such a darling Patrick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)