AT&T's =?iso-8859-1?Q?entry=8A?=

<i>>As you all know, AT&T made their sixth announcement about entering into the</i>
<i>>dial-up business. Between this and David Kline's article, it appears that</i>
<i>>all ISPs will be six feet under in no time ;->.</i>

That may be, but I don't think so. What will happen is that those ISPs
providing marginal service will fall by the wayside; those that have been
providing good service have a chance of withstanding AT&Ts entry.

<i>>Frankly I am beyond skeptical at AT&T's ability to deliver a quality</i>
<i>>service, particularly from a customer support perspective. They are</i>
<i>>marvelous at marketing however.</i>

Yes, they will certainly have the marketing muscle, but I too think their
customer support won't be able to match an ISP.

<i>>I'd like this group's advice, if you are an ISP as we are, which specializes</i>
<i>>in dial-up, what sort of marketing response would you make?</i>

I would stress the customer support aspect. For example, every client is
critical to an ISP, but will the same hold for true for AT&T? The very
good ISPs will continue to focus on customer service and beef-up staff (if
needed and if margins allow).

The ISPs may need to think about toll-free service, especially if their
customer base is attracted to this feature, as well as other "bells and
whistles".

The ISPs should send out an email survey to their existing customers, in
order to determine how their client base feels about the service they are
currently receiving and what can be done to improve it.

ISPs should stress their experience. I am skeptical that AT&T can
"instantly" satisfy, hundreds of thousands of customers without any prior
experience as an ISP (take a look at some of your telephone service).

The ISPs should ask themselves what value-added services they can offer
their current and potential clients.

I intend to stay with my ISP. They have delivered excellent service; I
have never experienced a busy signal, a hang-up, or any other connection
problems. When I call with a question, I always speak with a
technician--even on the weekends. I feel I am a valued customer. I may be
wrong, but I can't imagine AT&T treating me as well.

What people want is a transparent/hassle free connection to the Internet.
While an ISP may not have the marketing muscle of an AT&T they do have
people who use their services (and as you know, word travels fast on the
Net). If AT&T runs into problems the whole community will know it in
short-order.

Good luck!

Sean

******************************************************************************

Sean W. Foster-Nolan 201 Mountain Park Blvd, S.W.
Corporate Development Dynamics E-103
&lt;a href="<a href="http://www.accessone.com/~swfn/Index.html">http://www.accessone.com/~swfn/Index.html</a>"&gt;http://www.accessone.com/~swfn/Index.html&lt;/a&gt; Issaquah, WA 98027
swfn@accessone.com
206.557.1918

"Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."

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