Do You Have Mobile Moxie?



Mobile Moxie is the edgy personality that is exhibited once you learn the ropes of the cellular industry from me, Shonika, “The Moxie Mobile Maven”. From the way you ask for help to the way you 'connect' with your wireless hardware, you have to be in control without being controlling. That is Mobile Moxie. And if you don’t have mobile moxie, the situation you are dealing with is more often than not going to be ‘frustrating’ at best. Your race, gender, age or technical expertise (or lack of it, lol) does not matter. Either you got mobile moxie or you don’t!

How do you ‘get’ mobile moxie?


* Realize That the Carrier Works For You
* 3 Times a Charm!
* Address Problems Before They Escalate
* BUY, don’t be sold!
* Do Your Due Diligence
* Leverage Your Resources
* Be Socially Aware and Responsible

The Carrier Works for You
Remember, you pay THEM for service. So make sure they deliver service that is acceptable to you. Complaining to the customer care representative will not help your cause, complaining to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will…when done in volume.

The FCC is the government agency that oversees telecomm and wireless related regulations and affiliated services.

You can contact FCC, by phone, fax, snail mail or email to file your complaint: phone toll free: 1-888-225-5322; Or reach the FCC on the web. They will issue you a case # and usually within 3 business days someone will get back to you to help you resolve the issue. They are the same group that handles complaints for obscene and offensive comments you hear on public radio broadcasts and for harassing phone calls from telemarketers.

3 Times a Charm
Whenever you get transferred to someone, always make sure there are 3 people on the phone (you, the person who is transferring you and the person to whom you are being transferred). Let the person who requested the transfer explain the problem and the agreed upon solution. The only thing you need to do is verify the account for security related purposes and any manual troubleshooting that may be required.

Address Problems Before They Escalate
All cell phone problems with the exception of ordering lost phone/replacements, service outages and a few select BlackBerry Enterprise Server issues can be solved in a few minutes up to 4 hours. And let’s say that 4 hours would be the extreme.

In solving ANY Wireless Related problem how you ask is more important than who you ask and what you ask is more important than how you ask. Of course the ‘what’ is that which comes from working lots of years in the industry. And just when you thought I lost you, what you ask for is the only true variable. So that should make it easy ;-)

BUY, don’t be sold!
You have searched the Internet far and wide, you have read about all the different services and phones available and you have found the cell phone that is right for you. The only potential problem is whether or not it will get service where you will mostly be using it. Most sales people get paid a small or generous commission (dependent on how much they sell and whether or not their company truly appreciates them) and this commission is not based on whether or not you buy a cheap phone or an expensive phone. It is based on factors such as # of phones sold and kinds of services sold. So by default, many will sell you the lowest end phone because a sale is a sale, you know? Getting the cheapest phone with the cheapest plan is a BIG NO-NO in the world of Shonika. Get the phone you like and really want. Remember it is YOU who has to use it for 2 years…IN PUBLIC places, lol.

Do Your Due Diligence
History belongs to those who write it. So read your contract terms thoroughly, even if it means having to return the next day to complete the transaction. Even if none of that information seems important at the moment and nobody claims to read all that technical mumbo, it WILL BE relevant as soon as you have the first problem with your phone or service and threaten to cancel your contract. All of a sudden, the representative who didn’t know what all the terms meant will start reciting terms and clauses by heart. Gee Whiz.

So remember, if during the sales process you ask a question and the sales representative cannot show you the answer in ‘writing’ or diplomatically evades the question then go home and look for the answer. Chances are the sales representative will tell the ‘commercial truth’ meaning only disclosing the parts they think you want to hear (with a little sugar coating on top).

Leverage Your Resources
There are so many to choose from whether it be the people in your local retail store or online customer care or the techie geek in your office. Be in tune with your little ‘wireless network’ and learn who is good at what and go to them when you have a problem related to their expertise.

Be Socially Aware and Responsible
When using your cell phone be aware of yourself and your environment. Observe what is going on around you. Don’t be surprised to see people frowning on you because you are at a dance recital talking on your phone being all loud and ghetto. Think on a larger scale as well. What is going on in your community? Wi-Fi debates to set up municipal Wi-Fi, new building construction or build out of a new stadium or large entertainment venue? Any place that people congregate should have f.ree public wireless accessibility. Contact your Public Official and make sure this is taken into consideration as plans and objectives are being developed.

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