State of Customer Service with Zipcar

I've been using Zipcar for almost ten years. When it first started the customer service was like what you experience with venture backed companies that want to grow. They lived by the rule that the "customer is always right" and their field force was on top of vehicle maintenance. Along the way, Zipcar proved how … Read more

Why is the Earned Media Biz So Bad?

Everyday, Monday through Friday, I put out a newsletter entitled, The COMUNICANO. If you want to subscribe, it's totally free, and you can easily sign up to receive it. The newsletter is an eclectic mix of stories affecting the changing technology landscape that effects us. Each edition can vary in length from about 8 to just … Read more

Dialpad, 8×8 and Skype In The News

Today Dialpad announced they raised $50 million more from a group of prior investors and one new one. Skype, which is seeing a flattening on user growth, announced a more mobile like version for the desktop, while giving the prior version an end of life date of September 1.  At the same time 8×8, a … Read more

2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Cotes du Rhone

Over the past half a dozen years or so I have gotten very familiar with wines that have the touch of "the Grenache God" Philippe Cambie. Cambie advises hundreds of producers, large and small, on winemaking and more, and while each maintain their own style, a credit to Cambie for not trying to make them … Read more

Why a Google Voice Number is Still Needed

I have a friend whose mobile phone died over the weekend. Another close friend had their phone drop into water. In both cases their mobile number was the way people stayed in touch with both, either by phoning them up or by text. And, since in both situations, their phones were dead, they were out … Read more

RIP Bruce Bigelow

It's been just over three years since I moved away from San Diego, and yet, between friends and business interests, I still keep tabs on things. But I'll admit, I missed the news about Bruce Bigelow passing away. Bruce was not a close friend, but he was in the world I'm in, a colleague of … Read more

Where Vonage Is Heading

Tsahi has a transcript of a really good interview with Vonage CEO Alan Masarek on his BlogGeek.me blog along with a video. In reading the interview, it struck me that Vonage has clearly moved into the business communications market fully, following the successful integration of all of their acquisitions which included two Comunicano clients, Simple … Read more

Do The Blockchain Shuffle

I had to laugh in a very twisted way as I read the Wired article today entitled "The Hustlers Fueling The Cryptocurrency's Marketing Machine." No not because in some ways with some clients past and present I could be easily cast in that lot, but more because of the similarities of what my agency, Comunicano, … Read more

The Traditional Phone Call is Dead

Like many, I've been a Skype user forever. I also use WhatsApp, Facebook's Messenger and a host of other "calling apps." Many of my calls are scheduled, so it's UberConference or Zoom and sometimes GoToMeeting or WebEx. For some "personal" calls its a combination of Apple's FaceTime and Google's Hangouts. And as far as the … Read more