N+1 Theory

August 3, 2010 by Yuval Brisker

I always have a great appreciation for what Fred Wilson writes – he is constantly thinking. But somehow this post about what he calls the N+1 theory really struck a chord. I think it dovetails well with a lot of things that I believe and if you look at the comments – it hit a chord with a lot of people and sparked a lot of intense discussion.

The Dilemma (part 2)

June 20, 2010 by Yuval Brisker

Seems like I hit on a hot topic in my previous post. Apparently device or “techno-lust” as the NY Times calls is now a big topic for reflection and discussion:

The Half-Life of Phones http://nyti.ms/cVtZts

An Opportunity to Shine or the Definition of Customer Care

June 6, 2010 by Yuval Brisker

Last Thursday I lost my Kindle.

I was flying from Denver to Atlanta sitting happily in my  first class upgrade… and I actually read a little bit…

And when I got off the plane and got to rental train station – I had that feeling…and I knew.

I knew I had left it behind in the pocket of the seat in front of me.

Boy, was I bummed.

Then it started… I tried to call Delta’s Lost and Found, and encountered many trees.  No, not forest trees, but many menu trees. And at that moment of stress, of loss, that’s the last thing I wanted to hear, menu trees…there was not a live agent to be found. That’s not much comfort for the distressed traveler.

And isn’t it always that way? When things are going right, they’re going right and you really don’t much care about the intricacies of the airline’s deeper customer service capabilities; and even a bad airline is fine, as long as the plane takes-off and lands.

But when something goes wrong…well…that’s a whole other story, a test for customer service. And if it wasn’t for the nice live clerk behind the counter at Delta’s Lost and Found in Atlanta Hartsfield…Delta would be Lost…and I’d probably be ranting and raving about the lack of respect for a traveler who’s lost something and is no doubt in an unfortunate situation and needs help. And I just lost a Kindle.  What if I had lost my wallet or my passport?

And of course, here it is… an opportunity for outstanding customer service that was missed.

And that’s when I realized that there was a difference between customer service and customer care.

Customer Service is about when everything is going right… and Customer Care is about when things go wrong.  How you are treated as a customer. Because it’s nice to get the perks of Customer Service and anyone who has read this blog knows that TOA and I are all about providing great Customer Service -  streamlining making sure people get the everyday things they need, thinking about it deeper, making it better. But Customer CARE… that’s another dimension….

That’s having the right attitude and approach, the right infrastructure and personnel to take GOOD CARE of people, your customers, when things don’t go well.  That’s when the rubber meets the road, that’s when we separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff.

And real customer service is all about Customer Care.

It’s Not a Matter of If But When: Reflections on Disaster Recovery and the BP Oil Spill

May 10, 2010 by Yuval Brisker

Here’s a post penned by TOA’s CTO and my co-founder and partner, Irad Carmi:

The BP crude oil spill is turning into one of the worst environmental disasters in history and it is becoming clear that the mighty BP had no DR plans in place to deal with what is by any measure a likely scenario!

The R&D effort poured into the offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is said to eclipse the NASA research efforts. Yet – in their rush to reach the black gold 10,000 feet below sea level – no one stopped to ask the question “what are we really going to do if something goes wrong?”

At TOA we ask that question every day.

It is completely clear to us that we can only offer a mission critical enterprise solution from the Cloud if reliability is 100%.

We achieve that goal by employing best of breed technology and implementing proven processes and enormous discipline.  Our Service Assurance team conducts regular Disaster Recovery exercises and is up-to-date on all the latest thinking on this subject and they get measured on their ability to provide uninterrupted service.  Many of our clients discovered that our Cloud-based service can be more reliable than any of their installed solutions.

Let’s hope that the BP oil spill serves as a loud wake up call for the world to take DR seriously when it comes to protecting not only the business but our fragile environment. We know those two are, at this point, interconnected.