30th Anniversary of COMMWORLD of Kansas City

COMMWORLD of Kansas City reaches its 30th Anniversary on October 19, 2011. The company celebrates 30 years with the same principals, same manufacturer – Toshiba, and outlasting over 330 competitors in KC. This is especially significant because telecommunications is known for buyouts and failures.

Bob Bennett opened COMMWORLD of KC in 1981 facing major challenges. It was during a recession, in a young industry, with no financial backing, and in competition with the largest corporation in the world. CEO, Bob Bennett stated, “Linda and I are grateful to our clients, vendors, friends, family and associates for helping us reach this milestone. To mark this occasion and confidence in our products, services and people, COMMWORLD of KC is introducing what we believe is the first “Money Back Guarantee” in our industry. We’re excited about the Anniversary and expect great things for the future. ”

In 1981, the “interconnect” industry was in its infancy. It was called interconnect because, for the first time, telephone equipment connected to the Bell / AT&T network was not owned by Bell / AT&T. KC area businesses were very cautious about owning a telephone system instead of renting from Ma Bell.

Toshiba America Information Systems, Telecommunications System Division (TAIS,TSD) played a major role in the company’s success. COMMWORLD of KC is the area’s oldest Toshiba Dealer. In 1982, Toshiba introduced the Strata VI . Some of those vintage systems are still serviced by COMMWORLD – a testament to Toshiba’s and COMMWORLD’s reliability and stability.

COMMWORLD of KC has thrived through major changes in technology. Today the company provides everything a business needs to stay connected and to increase productivity, protection and profits.  Products include VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocal) or Converged Phone Systems, Unified Communications, Voice Mail,  Local/Long Distance/Internet Service, Voice and Data Cabling, Video Surveillance and  more.

            COMMWORLDs’ team averages 20 years with the company, the technical staff average 26.5  years of industry experience and 4 managers share 113 years working together. These experts design, install and support modern technology solutions with old-fashioned customer service.

About COMMWORLD of Kansas City:  

COMMWORLD’s mission is to be a trusted partner to provide reliable technology solutions and service that improves their customer’s business. Clients rate the company 72% excellent and 24% good. COMMWORLD has earned many awards including “Toshiba IPedgeTM Communication Specialist Platinum Dealership” and the “25 Under 25 Award” presented by Thinking Bigger Business Media. It is the only company on every Kansas City Business Journal -  Top 25 List of Telephone Equipment Providers dating back to 1983. COMMWORLD is an Affinity Partner of Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and Corporate Partner of National Association of Women Business Owners – KC Chapter. Bob Bennett, CEO, and Linda Bennett, President, participate in the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program. Bob serves on the Grandview Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee and University of Missouri, Kansas City Bloch School of Management – Dean’s Advisory Council. He writes a business philosophy column for KC Business Magazine. Linda is an honoree of KC Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business”.

The COMMWORLD Building is located at 6200 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030. For more information, call (816)763-1100 or visit www.commworld-kc.com.

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Looking for Office Space in South Kansas City area?

EXCEPTIONAL SINGLE STORY OFFICE BUILDING

SPACE FOR RENT IN THE COMMWORLD OFFICE BUILDING

6200 MAIN STREET, GRANDVIEW, MISSOURI 64030

FROM 3,400 UP TO 16,050 SQUARE FEET

• EXCELLENT LOCATION WITH FAST ACCESS TO 71 HIGHWAY
• MINUTES FROM I-435 LOOP & I-470
• 122 FREE PARKING SPACES (7.6 PER 1000 SQ FT)
• STATE-OF-THE-ART COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
• 2.2 ACRE CORNER LOT WITH PICNIC AREA & WOODED TRAIL
• NEAR PUBLIC LIBRARY, INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER & WITHIN 4 MI OF NEW NNSA FACILITY & CENTERPOINT INTERMODAL CENTER
• EXCELLENT SECURITY LIGHTING
• ALL BRICK CONSTRUCTION
• NEW .060 MIL MECHANICALLY FASTENED TPR ROOF SYSTEM
• SIGNAGE AVAILABLE
• FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM
• ATTRACTIVE PRIVATE OFFICES AND OPEN AREAS
• 3 BAY DRIVE THROUGH GARAGE
• CONSTRUCTED IN 1991
• GREATER KANSAS CITY AREA, SOUTH JACKSON COUNTY
• $9 – $13.50 / SQ. FT.

Contact:      Bob Bennett   reb@commworld-kc.com    (816)763-1100

reb@commworld-kc.com

We hate to say we told you so, but your phone bill is probably wrong and the FCC knows it…

They’re still at it – the scammers and crammers who steal your money by getting their fraudulent charges put on your phone bill.

It may just be a buck or two and the description of the charge appears to be authentic. Multiply that small amount times every month. Then multiply again by how many hundreds or thousands or millions of phone bills show up with these little phony charges. And how many get paid, month after month, sometimes for years. It’s big business and it’s wrong.

We’ve sited Gartner Research findings before that stated 80% of business phone bills have errors. Some are “honest” mistakes, but others have nothing honest about them. The FCC knows there’s a problem. They estimate 15 to 20 million households have what are called “mystery fees” on their monthly landline bills.

On July 11, 2011, the FCC announced a proposal aimed at stopping unauthorized charges on phone bills. The proposed rules outline changes for phone bills and phone companies designed to help consumers recognize “cramming” so they at least have a chance to dispute fraudulent charges.

Greater Kansas City companies with a monthly local, long distance and Internet bill totaling $300 or more, can contact us for a Telecom Bill Analysis.

Have you been hit with “mystery fees”?

Congress & the President could learn from Small Business

Have you seen this video on YouTube? Small business owner, Jim Garvin, vents his frustration at Congress and the President for their lack of leadership.

Jim speaks for many of us small business owners who do take responsibility for paying our bills, keeping people employed and “living within our means” – especially when times are tough. Congress and the President could learn a thing or two about budgeting and leadership from small business owners in the U.S.

What changes have you made in your small business during this challenging economic period?

 

VoIP, Digital or Converged? Which is best for your business telephone system?

Some business telecommunications manufacturers only have one flavor, so of course they claim their way is best. Some say Digital is best because it’s more reliable. Others claim IP is more cost-effective and offers the latest features.

See the Best of Both Worlds with Toshiba Strata CIX and the new Toshiba IPedge. http://www.youtube.com/telecomtoshiba/#p/a/u/1/W4tKci2dPKc

Which type of technology works best for your business – VoIP, Digital or Converged?

Keeping business running in a disaster

Thursday, June 2^nd about 3:30PM… There was a loud boom and the power went out. Almost immediately, it came back up and everyone in the office was relieved.  Moments later, the power went out again, but this time it went up and down several times before it was finally gone for sure.

Anyone who knows electronics knows that power fluctuations and outages can damage or ruin electronic equipment. The beeping sound of Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) filled the office verifying that the power was indeed out and they had kicked in to protect our electronic equipment and keep it working. There was no interruption to the conference call I was on because the power backup system kept the phone system working. The power was out, but we were still in business.

Apparently our “disaster” was caused by a driver who just wasn’t thinking. He left the bucket raised on his cherry-picker truck as he drove down the street by our building. The bucket caught on power lines and snapped a power pole in half taking the power down. The police and KCPL responded quickly. Traffic was rerouted, spectators were kept away from the downed power lines and the work of restoring power began.

The protections we had in place allowed time to safely shut down systems. Incoming calls were transitioned to our emergency plan. Clients could still reach us and we could respond in a timely manner. In fact, one client experienced a disaster of their own and our Technical staff responded and quickly repaired the problem. None of our equipment was damaged and none of our customers were impacted by our “disaster” because we were prepared.

How have you planned to protect your equipment and keep your business running in a disaster?

Are conference calls, webinars, video-conferencing and telecommuting good for your health?

A study cited in the April 2011 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds extensive business travel could be a health risk. Frequent business travelers were 260% more likely to rate their health as fair or poor than light travelers. Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health studied 13,000 employees and found obesity was 92% more likely in extensive travelers. Cholesterol and blood pressure levels were also higher. The research points at fattening foods, poor sleep and inactivity as likely culprits.

If you must travel for business, have a plan for maintaining wellness. And why not consider using technology instead of travel? A high quality conference call could be good for your health.

Has technology reduced the amount of business travel in your company?

How did Administrative Professionals Day aka Secretaries Day get started?

During World War II as American men went off to war, women stepped up to take positions in the workforce. The U.S. government needed secretaries and other workers to help in the war effort. As a result of this need, the National Secretaries Association (now the International Association of Administrative Professionals) was formed in May 1942. In addition to filling regular jobs, many Association members also served in the military or volunteered in the war effort.

In June 1952, the first National Secretaries Week and National Secretaries Day were proclaimed by then U.S. Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer. The two objectives were to recognize “the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty, and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend,” and to publicize “the tremendous potential of the secretarial career.”

The organization’s name was changed to Professional Secretaries International in 1981 and then to the International Association of Administrative Professionals in 1998. The names of the organization and the celebration have changed to reflect changes in the workplace. Beginning in 2000, the nation has celebrated Administrative Professionals Week during the last week of April and Administrative Professionals Day on Wednesday of that week. This year, the Association encourages a celebration of all office professionals for their hard work and for pulling together through down-sizing and economic challenges.

Questions you may be asking…

• Where is the International Association of Administrative Professionals, aka Professional Secretaries International, aka National Secretaries Association?   The IAAP is headquartered right here in Kansas City, Missouri and always has been.

• Where did the word “secretary” come from anyway?   Secretary comes from the Latin word secretum meaning secret. A secretarius was someone entrusted with secrets, a notary, or confidant. The concept of writing letters and performing other clerical duties emerged in English in the 15th century.

• How big is Administrative Professionals Week?  BIG. Over the years, it has become one of the largest workplace observances.

Happy Administrative Professionals Week!

Sources: www.iaap-hq.org, www.secretarysday.net, www.funfactsgirls.com, www.word-origins.com, http://etymonline.com

Your Yellow Book “invoice”

Yesterday CommWorld of Kansas City received a faxed “invoice” for $49 from one of those Yellow Pages knock offs. You know the ones that send you an advertisement that looks like an invoice. This one is called Your Yellow Book and surprise, surprise – the company doesn’t appear to exist on the internet.

Some unsuspecting people must be paying those invoices because somebody keeps sending them. So, how much is $49 times 50 companies or 100 or maybe 500 companies? (I did the math…$49 x 500 = $24,500.) I’m not sure that’s enough money to risk sending all those broadcast faxes.

Has your company received one of these “invoices”?

How the Disaster in Japan Will Affect Your Business…

We’re not saying, “The sky is falling, run for your lives!” but we do encourage you to think ahead and be prepared.

All of us are part of the global economy. The earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear incident which hit Japan have rippling effects. Of course, the loss of life and the suffering of the people are of greatest importance. Our prayers and support go out to them as they begin the process of rebuilding their economy, the damaged and devastated structures and their lives.

This enormous disaster also has effects on electronics industries throughout the world. Japan is a major supplier of components used in all types of electronics from computers to cell phones, TVs, copiers, cameras, LCDs, automobiles, batteries, tablets, telephone equipment and more. Whether an electronic device is “made in America” or any other country, it probably includes components from Japan.

The process of making chips is especially sensitive to power interruptions, dust and vibration. Even manufacturing facilities which were not damaged may experience problems. Electricity interruptions, transportation and shipping problems and employee absences can contribute to a slowdown or shutdown. The research firm, IHS iSuppli, reports that the current inventory of components should be enough to keep production running at global electronics manufacturers if the interruptions only last a couple of weeks.

Reports of shortages, both real and imagined, may result in price increases. Already an article in Information Week reports prices for flash memory found in smartphones up as much as 10% and prices for system memory used in PCs up by 7%. It is actually too soon to know for sure if prices will increase or by how much.

After 30 years in business, COMMWORLD of Kansas City has lived through product shortages before and we know how challenging it can be. It was especially hard for customers who experienced an equipment failure when replacements were difficult to get.

We have not received official notification of product shortages or price increases, but we do encourage you to be prepared. If you’re planning to acquire electronics equipment this year, it may be wise to get it now. If you’re trying to keep old equipment alive, but you know its days are numbered, now would be a good time to replace it. If you haven’t protected electronic equipment with a battery backup or UPS, do it now and if the batteries in those units haven’t been changed in 3 years, be sure to get them changed, too.

COMMWORLD will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates the best that we can.

Sources: Information Week, eweek.com, TechNewsDaily, Los Angeles Times ,guardian.co.uk, The Christian Science Monitor