Our lifeblood - Part I

For this blog post, we’re going to take a step back from discussing all the technological wonders of the telecom industry, and focus on a couple different aspects of our business. As part of a two-part series, we’d like to delve a little deeper into two aspects of our company that truly make us a complete, successful communications business – our hard-working sales team, and our extremely knowledgeable and attentive operations team, without whom, we’d be useless. But, lucky for us, we have some of the most talented professionals in their field.

Part I – Sales:

A general practice for salespeople is to “knock” on every door in sight in hopes that they’ll get a response for someone in need of what they have to offer. Most of the time, this just comes off as annoying or impersonal to the person answering these “knocks”, or the decision maker that the sales person may get referred to.

At Maverick Networks, we don’t like to practice our sales process this way. Being a business ourselves, we get plenty of salespeople trying to sell their product(s) to us, and most of the time they won’t get to a decision maker, so we know all too well the importance of a good sales plan.

We like to go against the grain when it comes to sales. Of course, we have multiple products and services we would like to sell, but we’re not selling them simply to make money. We sell them to help other businesses. When our customers and clients succeed, we succeed.

Yes, our Business Development Specialists or Communications Consultants may call or e-mail your company to inquire about your phone system, but our intention is to find out whether or not you are happy with the service you’ve been given by your phone provider and dial tone/network providers. If you’re not happy, we know that we have the right products, services, and purchasing plans to ensure a positive telecommunications experience for you and your company.

We kind of like to think of ourselves as “telecom doctors,” really.  When you invite us to your offices for an initial meeting or product demo, we want to hear from you, first. We want to know the aches and pains that your old system has given you, or what you like about your system and has helped your business’s efficiency that you would like to keep. We listen to your requests regarding budget, and we look at your monthly telecom costs.

Then, we can “diagnose” your problems, and inform you about all of the options we see that would best fit your company, not what would best help our sales. More often than not, we find multiple avenues to save your company money compared to what you’ve spent previous to our meeting. Like doctors, we want to fix your problems, and continue to have regular checkups and open communication for the best possible health of your company’s telecommunications.

As Aaron Lee, our CEO, likes to say, “Diagnosis without prognosis is malpractice,” and we strive to work under this mindset every day.

Want to meet our sales team or discuss how we can improve the health of your company's telecommunications? Contact us! 

Have you heard about our Compass Solution?

Purchasing a new phone package can get pretty pricey, especially if you’re working for a small to medium-sized business. Of course, when shopping for the right phones, service and dial tone providers, you’ll want to consider the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) to ensure that you’re getting the best bang for your buck. But, even if you do walk away with a really great price on the total package, it can be hard to find the financial resources right upfront for all of the services your company needs.

At Maverick Networks, Inc., we understand all too well. In fact, we fall under the SMB category, as well. That’s why we’ve partnered with Great America Leasing to provide our customers and clients with the best services and products they can get without having to empty out their pockets.

The Compass Solution

Purchasing a new phone package can get pretty pricey, especially if you’re working for a small to medium-sized business. Of course, when shopping for the right phones, service and dial tone providers, you’ll want to consider the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) to ensure that you’re getting the best bang for your buck. But, even if you do walk away with a really great price on the total package, it can be hard to find the financial resources right upfront for all of the services your company needs.

At Maverick Networks, Inc., we understand all too well. In fact, we fall under the SMB category, as well. That’s why we’ve partnered with Great America Leasing to provide our customers and clients with the best services and products they can get without having to empty out their pockets.

Geeking out over VoIP-enabled toys

If you work in the telcommunications industry, you’re probably a tech geek of some sort. You might not consider yourself one if you’ve just joined the industry, but if you stick around long enough to learn about the technology available and can successfully sell telecom products simply based on the passion you exude for what you’re selling (call recording and mobility applications, anyone?), chances are somebody, somewhere, will think of you as a geek.

At Maverick Networks, we definitely have our geeky moments. For instance, our marketing and PR specialist, Jennifer Leslie (@JennMariePR), shed a few tears this week because she wasn’t at the 2012 International CES tradeshow. Fortunately for her, her obsession with social media allowed her to get constant updates via Twitter from accounts such as Pete Cashmore of Mashable,

CNET  and TechCrunch.

So, when she stumbled upon an article by Adam Bunker of Electricpig about some of the weirdest gadgets at CES 2012, we couldn’t contain our geeky excitement over the VoIP LEGO, a version of the LEGO Mindstorms NXT line. According to the article, the vehicle/robot can be controlled via Skype, enabling users to “call” it and control it from anywhere in the world.

What we can’t decide is what’s more intriguing about this production – the fact that VoIP technology can be used to control a LEGO robot, or the fact that the creator of the project is only 14-years-old! For the sake of our blog’s content, we’ll speak on the technology rather than his age (but really… 14-years-old and making headlines at CES with his knowledge of web code, screen sharing, and Bluetooth connectivity. We sure are impressed!)

Leon, the pre-teen mastermind behind this creation, explains how the robot works on his blog, World of MindStorms:

“The webpage is fairly simple – it’s got three arrows (one forward, two to the sides) and a start and a stop button. Clicking the start arrow will begin a Skype conversation with my computer, after which the user should share their screen; the NXT standing in front of my computer (called 'Jeeves') can then “see” the webpage the user is viewing.

That’s where the cool part kicks in – when the user clicks any one of the arrows or the stop button, the page will change to a different shade of gray. This shade of gray is then picked up by Jeeves, who turns it into a Bluetooth message for the other NXT (called 'Alfred'). The car then drives in the direction the user tells it to, while remaining within a fenced off area where the webcam can see it.

So, the user can drive a LEGO Mindstorms NXT car, from the comfort of his or her home, without having to install any kind of software (provided that they have Skype).”

You can also watch the robot in action on his blog, as well.

Although the idea is fairly simple and there is only one robot able to be controlled, this kid’s ease with such a common video conferencing source likeSkype shows that advances in telecom technology is moving faster than ever, and reaching younger and younger audiences.

We’d like to think of Leon as a maverick, as well. By thinking outside the [LEGO] box, he's found a way to use such a common tool and turn it in to something that may actually be of use one day for many businesses. Sure, the U.S. government has far more advanced technologies to control devices like a drone, but who knows what use companies will find for VoIP-controlled devices modeled after Leon’s LEGO Mindstorms NXT car?

All we can say is geek on, little man, and keep up the hard work so that we may be able to sell your technology one day.

A little about Maverick Networks...

A little about Maverick Networks, Inc. for our first blog:

As you probably have guessed, we are not Tom Cruise, nor are we in any way affiliated with him or the blockbuster classic, "Top Gun." However, our company shares something in common with the 1986 film, which is that we are all mavericks.

The story goes like this: Maverick Networks CEO, Aaron Lee, was considered a “Top Gun” (i.e. – a successful sales rep) at his previous telecommunications employer, but left the company in October of 2003 to start his own telecom company from the ground up. Lee decided to use the name Maverick because it gave a sense and persona of what our company truly is in its industry – one that stands out from the crowd. It’s a cultural symbol and name that we stand behind and believe in every day.

We have always taken the stance of being different than what our competitors do for their prospects and customers. It's what has allowed us to achieve the awards we have received over the last few years (Fastest Growth in SF Bay Area List, INC 5000 in 2009, to name a few). Our beginning was like many startups, working out of the home office. Shortly after launching, we moved into a small warehouse space at a friend’s office in Hayward, Calif., and finally into a real corporate office space in our current location in Pleasanton, Calif.

It’s been a fun ride along the way as our customer base has grown with Pure VoIP Telephony solutions, and as we have established our distinct flair for being trusted advisors for voice solutions.

Our logo was created by combining a maverick mentality (horns) and networks (rings) circling a sphere (our home, Planet Earth).

Our goal began, and continues to be, extreme customer focus and satisfaction. We do this by providing innovative ideas and solutions to companies looking for voice convergence solutions. So, if your company is looking for a VoIP Converged Solution and have a need for a Top Gun or Maverick look no further and contact us for a free consultation.