Take a look around your home – plenty of things take up your time, right? Laundry, the bills and, of course, the ever-growing To-Do list. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.

How about that game console that you could be using for more than just playing video games, like downloading and watching movies (but don’t, because you don’t have the time to connect it to the Internet)?

Or, your computer with all your favorite photos sitting vulnerable on the hard-drive (or, in my case, still on the camera)?  

More and more, our lives revolve around technology, so we owe it to ourselves to get the best experience out of our technology and to take care of it.

But who has the time to connect their home network, to buy and install anti-virus software, to buy and configure a back-up hard-drive and so on?

Qwest took a look at that question and found the answer: virtually no one.

Cue Qwest @Ease: a suite of back-up, security and support services that we’ve packaged together to help you get the most out of your technology and protect it– without having to spend all your time and energy. 

This upgradeable suite of services not only protects your technology (from virus- and spyware protection to automatic online backup), but it can also make your technology work better. The upgraded tiers include enhanced technical support, including installation of your wireless home network, which makes it easy to connect devices to your wireless home Internet network — from game consoles to printers — and they have a PC Tune-up service to keep your PC running clean.

Check out more information about the Qwest @Ease services here.

Take it Ease-y,

~TechnoMonica

Earlier this month, a friend of mine booked a vacation at a resort that we won’t name here, but when she told her friends on Facebook, she got a slew of recommendations against the resort – and she canceled her reservation.

The reason I’m telling you about my friend is not to get you thinking about vacation – it’s to prove the power of recommendations based on real experiences. People not only trust people more than companies (shocking, I know), but they’re basing their purchase decisions on those opinions.

This is why ratings and reviews are so useful. Before now, I thought they were mostly used for hotel Web sites and online book retailers. Not anymore.

Qwest has brought it to the service area with online ratings and reviews of our high-speed Internet services posted on its Qwest High-Speed Internet® Web site. For the first time, customers can go to qwest.com and rate their service. It’s all real feedback from real customers – good or not-so-good – they’re all authentic.

The idea behind this is three-fold: at Qwest, we have a lot of confidence in our service, so we’re putting our money where our mouth is by creating a forum where customers can be honest about their experience; we’re making it easier for customers to make their high-speed Internet purchase decision; finally, honest customer feedback helps us improve.

So, if you’re a Qwest High-Speed Internet customer, check out the reviews in the “Learn More” section of each service, and feel free to write your own (you can do so from your MyAccount page on qwest.com). If there’s something you like, let us know so we can make sure we make that a priority. If there’s something you don’t like, tell us (nicely, please).

Let’s see, between this, our customer service Twitter program, Talk to Qwest and the Qwest Internet Online Community forums, you’ve really got your choice when it comes to interacting with us.

We really hope you do!

~TechnoMonica

There are a lot of eyes on a particular sector of the economy – one that makes up more than 99.7 percent of all employer firms and has generated 64 percent of the net new jobs over the past 15 years[1]. That sector? Small business. 

In light of some of the economic news today, you might know someone who may be considering starting their own business. Maybe even you’re starting to think of becoming your own boss. 

Whether it’s a home-based business (which accounts for 52 percent of small businesses[1]) or a small business with several employees and locations, it is mission critical to stay connected to customers, potential customers and employees with the right communications services.  

But those can be complicated, right? From the right Internet connection speed to e-mail exchanges to Web hosting to Web sites – there’s a lot to think about. Then, how do you use it all? What’s the application? 

That’s where we come in. Some people might be surprised to learn that Qwest has been serving small businesses for more than 100 years, while other providers are just dipping their toes in the water. Couple our expertise with our strategy to help owners focus on their business – not just their business technology – and you’ve got the start of a beautiful partnership.  

Here are a few things we’re doing to help small business owners use communications services – especially the Internet – to the fullest, without getting bogged down: 

• A new Qwest® Small Business Twitter page at www.twitter.com/qwestsmallbiz that shares important small business tech news, tips and advice.
• A brand-new IT solution that packages all the services a small business needs, like phone service, high-speed Internet service, Web hosting, Web design templates, an up to 10-page Web site, Microsoft® Exchange e-mail addresses and more. Check it out at qwest.com/smallbusiness.
• Qwest High-Speed Internet® value-adds include free automatic online backup and other cool features – check out the full list here.

 

What do you think? Would you be overwhelmed trying to connect a small business? Would these initiatives help?