Customer Support

One-hundred-and-Twenty minutes vs Twenty-One minutes

That’s the difference in time between Telephone and Twitter, in getting a resolution from AT&T Customer Service.

After sitting and waiting on hold and being transferred to SIX different departments, and sitting at my computer–waiting on hold most of the time, I took to Twitter.  As much as a way to pass the time, I was curious to see if I could get a response from AT&T using social media.

Background

The problem was simple enough but somewhat convoluted. Nearly 15 years ago, when getting dial-up Internet as part of my residential service, I also acquired an att.net email address.

Over the course of years, services changed, the home phone was discontinued in favor of cell phones and neighborhood broadband carriers changed twice.

It was my primary email and I had it forwarded to another account as uses changed over the years. AT&T no longer supported the email and it is currently handled by Yahoo!

I had recently received emails from AT&T  announcing  changes coming June 10th, and to consider an upgrade. When I tried to log-in, I found I had forgotten the password and it was not retrievable using old security questions that were vague enough 15 years ago that I didn’t remember the answers. The problem then, was verifying I was who I was.

I appreciate how difficult it is to get a lost password via phone and appreciate AT&T’s security protocols. Unfortunately, what I experienced was “security by obscurity”.

Telephone Support

I had already talked to six different people. One of the most helpful was the fifth person I talked to:  Amy Sullivan (AT&T employee number A5604C). She was the only one that truly listened and attempted to solve the problem, orchestrate and enlist others who could do so and conducted a group conversation with someone she felt could solve my problem. Eager, upbeat and positive, Amy was confident when she transferred me to Rayne, that the problem was solved.

Unfortunately after dropping the call and calling me back, Rayne read from her script and we walked through all of the things again that were explained to her in the conference call.

Rayne said she had to forward me to the “National Mass Market” for my state, as they were the only people who could assist.

She asked me to hold, then returned saying they had closed for the day but I could call during business hours which were from 7am to 10pm. I pointed out it was only 7pm, and she couldn’t account for why they weren’t answering.

ENTER SOCIAL MEDIA

It took six tweets [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] and an hour before I received a tweet from Geof @ATTCustomerCare

Through DM he asked me a couple questions, then he called me. After putting me on hold for only a few minutes, he returned with a reset password and waited while I quickly accessed the account and logged-in. BOOM! Problem Solved.

Impressively, his assistance and final solution came after his work day was supposed to have ended in his Central Daylight Time location. Geof put-in some over-time to help me. Awesome.

The Power of Social Media

On one hand, Social media gives individuals the capability to be heard. On the other hand, it gives responsible brands the opportunity to provide personalized service.

AT&T was responsive and impressively, one person had the power and ability to connect with me and quickly solve my problem.

Consider one social media person (Geof) skillfully handled a problem in only twenty-one minutes that six different people couldn’t handle in the span of over two hours.

I’ve been a long-time customer of AT&T. I bought my first cell phone from them and have been a long time customer for a number of their services.

And, while I was frustrated and upset over the laborious two hours of time spent on the phone today, I’m really impressed and thankful for the outstanding service I received from the AT&T Social Media Department–a model for other individuals and companies looking to provide exemplary customer service and responsiveness.

How About YOU?

What positive experiences have YOU had with big companies over social media–I’m curious, please share them in the comment section below.

DISCLAIMER: I don’t know that it needs to be said but, in case you’re curious: This post is NOT a paid testimonial and is a reflection of today’s experience only. My thoughts are mine (or so I like to think!) Otherwise, all copyrights apply.

The post AT&T Social Media Trumps Landline Customer Support appeared first on Kevin Corbett.

It was an easy for me to move to cloud-based software services (apps) and put an end to mailing myself documents or carrying disks (I’m old! LOL) or thumb drives of large presentations. To have the convenience of having EVERYthing accessible from any Internet connected device was a dream come true!

The free services continue to grow in Higher Education and where colleges previously spent millions, Google and Microsoft are fulfilling the need. The two also have versions they promote as safer alternatives for younger students in K-12.

EdTechMagazine  wrote about this growth recently  on college campuses and shared a wonderful infographic:

Available at no cost to students and faculty, Google Apps includes cloud email, storage, hosting, word processing and collaboration tools. Previously, colleges were forced to invest millions in these services and struggled to modernize outdated technology, not to mention maintain email servers and data centers. Microsoft has followed suit with their Office 365 solution, and the cloud revolution is in full swing on campuses.

The post Google Cloud based Apps Leading Higher Education (INFOGRAPHIC) appeared first on Kevin Corbett.

When it comes to authentication, most IT departments and end users trade internet security for convenience. Trying to remember long, complex passwords and using multifactor authentication is a pain and makes accessing data, e-mail and applications difficult. As the web has evolved, users tend to have user names and passwords for dozens, maybe even hundreds, of websites and applications. The cloud, while solving many problems, creates a new one: Our data is protected by only a password, with multiple points of failure.

Internet Security

If you have a wordpress web site you’re probably aware of the brute force attacks that happened at the end of last year and just this past April, where bots registered tens of millions of automated password crack attempts, targeting the default “admin” user name.

Automated computer programs are getting too sophisticated and too fast for simple passwords based on convenience.

Check-out the infographic below (click for larger image)

Read the Complete article at:

The post Are Passwords Dead for Internet Security? (INFOGRAPHIC) appeared first on Kevin Corbett.

I have six nieces and nephews under 10 and all of them are avid mobile learners. Some have their own ipads, a couple have other tablets and all of them can use their parents’ smartphones like pros. In fact, my sister-in-law joked that when she’s talking about things with her two boys, THEY tell her there’s never a reason not to know an answer. “Just use your iPhone” they’ll say!

Below find the latest research from PARENTS on early childhood use of mobile devices. The Infographic is compelling in its detail and the full (public) report is available from the download link.

Parents recognize the benefits.

Seventy-one percent of parents say mobile devices open up learning opportunities while, 62 percent say the devices benefit students’ learning and 59 percent say the devices engage students in the classroom. (see infographic below for a comprehensive list of statistics)

Parents are ready for change.

Forty-five percent of parents say they plan to buy, or have already bought, a mobile device to support their child’s learning. (use the download link below for the full report)

The post Mobile Learning: Parents Thoughts For Early Childhood (INFOGRAPHIC) appeared first on Kevin Corbett.

Following the transcript is an investigative news report and a detailed interview with the student that is quite revealing.

Watch the “Student Mad at Teacher” Video

If you would just get up and teach ‘em instead of handing ‘em a freakin packet yo

There’s kids in here that don’t learn like that

They need to learn face to face

You’re just getting mad because I’m pointing out the obvious (and you’re too l..)

..no I’m not wasting your time, I’m telling you what you need to do

you want kids to come into your class and you want ‘em to get excited for this?

You gotta come in here and make ‘em excited

You want a kid to change and start doing better

You gotta touch his freakin heart

You can’t expect a kid to change if all you do is just tell ‘em

You gotta You gotta take this job serious

This is the future of this nation

And when you come in here, like you did last time, and make a statement about ‘oh this is my paycheck’

Indeed it is

But this is my country’s future and my education

But there’s a limit

I’m not bitching but simply making an observation

And now I will leave

You’re welcome

And if you would like I’ll teach you a little more

So you can actually learn how to teach a freakin class

Because since I got here, I’ve done nothin but read packets

So don’t try to take credability for teaching me jack

Media Follow-up w/ Jeff Bliss

Update

What do YOU think of Jeff Bliss, his message to his teacher and his explanation in the follow-up video? I’d enjoy YOUR comments below!

The post Jeff Bliss and a Message For Teachers (VIDEO) appeared first on Kevin Corbett.

Flint Community Schools will hold a free presentation on digital literacy for students, families and community members from 5 to 7 p.m. May 7 at Northern High School, G-3284 Mackin Rd. The presentation will be led by Kevin Honeycutt, technology …
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Online Learning Outcomes Similar to Classroom Results (Study)
Universities with shrinking budgets could consider online education to save money.

By RYAN LYTLE

A recent study shows similar outcomes between traditional learning and interactive online learning.
Critics of online learning claim that students are exposed to an inferior education when compared to traditional in-class instruction, but a recent study from Ithaka S+R, a strategic consulting and research nonprofit, questions this notion.

The report, “Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence from Randomized Trials,“ notes that students who utilize interactive online learning—or hybrid learning—produce equivalent, or better, results than students participating in face-to-face education.

[See why some college professors fear the growth of online education.]

Monitoring 605 college students taking the same introductory statistics course at six public universities—including the University at Albany—SUNY, SUNY Institute of Technology—Utica/Rome, the University of Maryland—Baltimore County, Towson University, CUNY—Baruch College, and CUNY—City College—during fall 2011, researchers split the students into two groups. One group completed the course in a traditional format, while the second group completed an online component complemented with an hour of in-class instruction each week.

Students were asked to complete a series of tests before and after the course, and researchers found that “hybrid-format students did perform slightly better than traditional format students” on outcomes including final exam scores and overall course pass rates, according to the report.

The report’s authors note that while the students who participated in the hybrid group performed marginally better than students in the traditional group overall, the differences in learning outcomes are not “statistically significant” between the two groups. And although the researchers were able to successfully randomize students in both groups, based on factors including age, gender, ethnicity, academic background, and family income, they could not control for differences in teacher quality.

Students learn more from active discussions than from traditional lectures, and they need instructors who can engage them in the material, notes Diane Johnson, assistant director of faculty services at the Center for Online Learning at Florida’s St. Leo University, who has spent more than 12 years teaching online, traditional, and hybrid courses.

“Teacher quality is still a very important part of success in an online course, but so, too, is the course design,” Johnson says. “Despite the delivery mechanism of the class, faculty members need to show students they care and that they aren’t just a number. The ones that do this will help students to learn.”

With universities facing shrinking budgets, this report may make the case for higher education professionals to consider plans to implement more courses with an online component—and to train faculty members to lead these interactive learning communities.

“Online learning … holds the promise of broadening access to higher education to more individuals, while also lowering costs for students,” notes Deanna Marcum, managing director of Ithaka S+R, in the report’s preface. “The results of this study are remarkable; they show comparable learning outcomes for this basic [statistics] course, with a promise of cost savings and productivity gains over time.”

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A 20-year-old woman is in the hospital after she was sexually assaulted, stabbed and left to die. Cedar Rapids police say the woman was attacked by a man she met online. Now the department is reminding everyone to be safe about what you post on the …
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LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina's top prosecutor is sitting down some parents and children and talking about how to keep kids safe from online sex predators. Attorney General Alan Wilson is hosting a town hall meeting on Friday at Meadow Glen …
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Dangers of Social Media

A  play by a 12-year-old schoolgirl warning about the potential dangers of social networking is touring schools across the region.

Internet Safety

Her script shows the shocking risks that some young people take online, making them vulnerable to adult exploitation.

Read the Original Article

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