Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007 - (Page 18)

Verizon now has two customer service representatives who are ﬂuent in ASL, to support customers who prefer to communicate that way. They hope to expand quickly. The increasing variety in languages used in the U.S. is also pushing the growth of video services for ASL use; with TTY, non-English speakers must otherwise ﬁrst translate their messages into English. Loss of Sight Carriers also make accommodations for those with impaired vision. “ATT Mobility developed with Motorola a phone speciﬁcally developed for individuals who are blind and partially sighted,” says Petheram. This phone has no screen and its buttons are larger than usual, with greater depth, so they’re easier to locate on the keypad. The phone speaks the numbers as they are dialed, so the user can tell whether the right keys were hit. Figure 3: Kimberly Grenda uses ASL and a videophone to assist a Verizon customer. The Lesson Many of the products and services that have been developed over the years to aid those with disabilities are now well-positioned for helping the aging population. Of course, a variety of federal and state laws mandate that telecoms provide access for those with disabilities. The competitive advantage, then, is not in providing products and ser- vices for those with special needs, but in providing them well. Verizon’s VCCD spokespeople are well aware of this. Coracero says of the staff, “They can help you ﬁ nd a phone that will ﬁt what your needs are. They are equipped to understand at a detailed level, and ask useful questions like ‘how bad is your hearing loss?’ and ‘will the phone be used by others in your home?’” Reps also help with setup and troubleshooting, adds Mahoney. “It’s not just a phone and ‘good-bye, good-luck.’” That emphasis on understanding the individual is important for dealing with older customers too, Mahoney points out. “We also understand that people who are 70 right now are not the same people who were 70 years ago.” They’re better educated, tech-savvy, very active, she says. “We know the customers—yeah, they’re getting older, but they want great products, and they want it at a great price.” COMMUNICATIONS CROSSROADS 18342292_MartinGrp.indd 1 www.ustelecom.org 9/27/07 6:48:40 PM http://www.ustelecom.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

Communications Crossroads Winter 2007 Up Front Contents Cover Story: Billing Redux Business Advantages: Reaching Consumers with Special Needs Technology Today: Femtocells: The Jury’s Still Out Industry Calendar Index to Advertisers TELECOMPAC

Communications Crossroads - Winter 2007

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