Mark sent me a note and referred me to a link about a recent post about VoIP Adoption hurdles that I missed.
In his warm and personal note, which I appreciated greatly, as Mark is like Om, a professional journalist who writes everyday for a leading Canadian media outlet. Notes from folks at their level make me smile.
Here’s Mark’s note to me:
i had trouble finding the “comment” on your site so figured i’d send an
e-mail about your consumer-friendly voip posting. i coulnd’t agree
more. there’s so much focus on lower prices that service providers seem have
to taken their eye off the real compelling reason for VOIP: features. if
you can sell consumers are how more useful VOIP can be – and do it in a
easy to grasp way – i think the market’s growth would be much more exciting. as
it stands now, there’s lots of buzz but relatively speaking how well is it
really doing?
cheers, mark
As you can tell, Mark is squarely in the same camp as I am when it comes to the need for service providers to go the extra mile and beyond just price being the sole differentiator when it comes to driving VoIP acceptance and adoption.
That’s why I am so amazed that none of the “little guys” like Net2Phone, Lingo, BroadVoice, VoicePulse or even Packet 8 has really done much in a marketing sense (other than the video cam thing for P8) that really seeks to set them apart.
The key to marketing being a driver of sales is being unique in your selling proposition. AT&T says their different with CallVantage with their entire offer, and the fact they built their VoIP product around their most important asset. Their network. AOL’s CallWays has done something similar, but is stressing ease of use, a messaging point that will resonate with the AOL audience better. They are also hanging a lot on E911, something which I think is a bit overplayed and potentially dangerous the first time it doesn’t work.
But most of all, the VoIP players have to come out of their shell and use technology and the opportunities that lay inside SIP the way Jeff Pulver has done with FreeWorld DialUp.