Weeks Communications unveils massive growth and fresh, new brand Anderson

IN- May 1, 2012

Weeks Communications Fathom Voice hosted VoIP phone service has officially gone national. After picking up key clients and partners across the country in less than one year, the Central Indiana company has spread their reach to the national marketplace

Weeks Communications has made the decision to promote the move under their voice service name, Fathom Voice. When asked about the name change decision, Co-Founder and CEO Cameron Weeks had this to say, “We have made the decision to focus on Fathom Voice as we move forward. We did this to push one brand name to unify and build our brand awareness as we enter the national market. The Fathom Voice brand is a solid foundation for our continued growth.”

The move comes complete with a makeover of the company’s website and line of Fathom products. They will offer Fathom Voice service along with Fathom crm, the company’s customer relationship management software. To view the website and learn more about the announcement visit fathomvoice.com.

The ability to reach a national audience came after years of preparing their network to build and scale on an automated level. Co-Founder and CFO Bracken Fields explained, “We built our network to scale automatically and we placed our data centers around the country from the beginning in full preparation of today’s announcements”. Which allows Weeks Communications to keep support staff and developers focused on building more applications for Fathom Voice while reducing the amount of manpower spent adjusting the network each time a new client or location is added to the network.

Fathom Voice offers a hosted VoIP phone service along with an online-based customer relationship building tool, Fathom crm. For more information call them today at 1.855.249.3357or contact them via email at info@fathomvoice.com.

The 24th Annual Bids for Kids TV Auction is taking place this weekend! And they need your help to make

it a success. Starting on Friday, April 27th form 6pm-midnight and picking back up on Saturday, April 28th from 10am-midnight there is going to be a LIVE TV auction. There is a “wrap-up” auction on Sunday starting at 3 pm to make sure that all of the items get raffled off.

The auction is brought to you by the Exchange Club, and the procedes go to help stopping child abuse and neglect. If you want to help out this great cause please send your support their way.

The Auction Hot Line is 641.3737 and the line opens as soon as the auction starts on Friday, or join them live at the auction at Reardon Auditorium on Anderson University’s campus.

Also, support ending child abuse and neglect by getting in shape! Join Catapult Fitness (432 W 8th St, Anderson, IN) for their $10 Zumba class where all proceeds go towards Bids for Kids! They have child care provided and if you are interested in learning more please call 765.635.4048.

Weeks Communications is looking to fill a full-time position inside our Technical Support and Web Development teams. WC is a young, growing company working within the exciting VoIP technology industry.

WC builds applications to help companies build better relationships with our clients. Both positions are crucial parts of our organization with our technical support team dealing with our clients on a daily basis, and our web development team is responsible for creating our new applications.

These positions are full-time and have a regular schedule of Monday-Friday. We are flexible on starting times and end times and are open to discuss. Compensation will be determined based on experience and will be discussed during the interview process.Tech support job duties would consist of interacting with clients and helping to troubleshoot. Must be customer service focused and strong problem solver for all technical support needs.

Our Web Development position would require an employee to be familiar with or proficient in, but not limited to, PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript. The development team creates new applications on a daily basis and is constantly innovating our current products to ensure we offer the best service possible.

Regular interaction between our departments is key and we promote a very open and friendly environment. If you are interested in becoming a part of the famous “Weeks Geeks” team and would like to know more about the available position we encourage you to view the official Job Description attached to this article as well as contacting Careers@WeeksComm.com.

For more information about all the latest Weeks Communications’ news visit our website at WeeksComm.com.

http://weekscomm.com/WCJobDes-TechSupport.pdf

http://weekscomm.com/WCJobDes-WebDev.pdf

You probably know that the experts at Weeks Communication can get you set up with a 21st century, cloud-based Internet telephone system. But, did you realize that you can also radically increase productivity by changing your behaviors when it comes to answering and speaking on the phone?

Here’s a simple example. How many times have you called someone, and they’ve answered with just one word:

This is just about the worst possible thing you can do when answering the phone. It shows no interest in the conversation and forces the caller to take charge.

Instead, you can actually increase productivity by considering three distinct factors when answering:

For example, if you picking up a company line, you should probably answer most inbound calls with your company name and identifying yourself:

If it’s your own cellphone, it’s still good to say your own name. That way people know they’ve reached the right person.

If it’s a call that you’ve got on your calendar and the caller ID matches, a great way to improve productivity is to start with the purpose of the call.

There are other ways to increase productivity on the phone as well. One of the most powerful is the “quick answer.”

If someone calls in and you’re focused on an urgent task or talking to someone else in person, it can be tempting to let the message go to voicemail. But then, you have to listen to the voicemail and try to return the call later. That’s no way to increase productivity!

Instead, try this:
“Jack, Emily here. Hey, I’m in the middle of something. Can I call you back in ten minutes?”

More than likely, the caller will accept this suggestion. They save the time of leaving a voicemail and you save the time of listening to the voicemail.

Plus, the caller can increase productivity by planning to be available in ten minutes. Everyone wins!

The “quick answer” strategy works for any time frame, not just ten minutes. The person answering the phone could have suggested a time to call back, such as 11:00AM.

Plus, they don’t actually have to be “in the middle of something.” The telephone is a source of interruption every time it rings. But if you decide to answer quickly, you can control the phone—instead of it controlling you.

About the author: Robby Slaughter is a Productivity Expert based in Indianapolis, IN.

The 2012 Madison County Chamber Annual Awards Gala took place two weeks ago, March 1st. The night is a time to honor the best and brightest businesses and individuals in Madison County. Taking home the top spots for small business and emerging business of the year belonged to Goods Candy Shop and Weeks Communications.

Accepting the award for Weeks Communications were two Indiana natives and the company’s Co-Founders Cameron Weeks and Bracken Fields. The two started the company in 2007 while attending Purdue University where they built their first phone system (what would be come the HostedPBX the company offers today). When asked about the award Weeks Communications President and Co-Founder Cameron Weeks said, “This award means a lot to Bracken, myself, and our entire team. We have grown a lot in the past year and with that there have been growing pains. So it is really special for us to see some of that hard work pay off and culminate in this award.” Weeks also had this to say, “We are going to enjoy this award and enjoy tonight, but then we will get right back at it in the morning.”

Inside Indiana Business’s Gerry Dick provided the keynote for the evening. Gerry focused his time on the bright future for Indiana business and highlighted the job that Indianapolis did while hosting the super bowl. Gerry capped off a wonderful evening by offering some encouraging words for entrepreneurs and business owners alike. Cameron Weeks and Gerry actually had a twitter conversation started by Gerry congratulating the company on their win. Cameron then asked for Gerry to support the “Weeks Geeks” by wearing their patented “Weeks Geeks Glasses” shown in the picture. Keeping with the theme of his speech Gerry enthusiastically responded, “Absolutely! Continued success to you and your team! #SupportInnovators.”

Weeks Communications offers cloud based communications applications for your phone and computer to allow your business to better connect with your clients. Specifically they provide a cloud based PBX phone system and a cloud based customer relationship management tool. Located in Madison County this communication company specializes in a phone/CRM solution for start-up companies and small-medium sized businesses. To contact Weeks Communications visit them online at weekscomm.com, email them at info@weekscomm.com, or reach them by phone at 765-251-8640.

Weeks Communications founders Cameron Weeks and Bracken Fields accept the award presented by Chuck Staley, the CEO of the Flagship Enterprise Center, along with Marcy DeShong and Kyle Morey of the Madison County Chamber.

It’s a common misconception that “technology” means computers.  While that’s certainly what most of us think of first, that’s by no means, all that the term encompasses.  Many of the careers in these areas have been and are still male-dominated, but Purdue—and I—would like to see that change.  Whenever I can point to someone as a role model for young women, someone they can admire and emulate, who is the embodiment of the skills and attributes that can be developed at our Flagship location, I pay close attention.

So back to Ms. Melangton and how what I saw her do relates to what we teach here at Purdue in Anderson.  Our four-year degree programs are in the disciplines of Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, and Organizational Leadership and Supervision. Scratch below the surface of departmental titles and you find yourself learning skills like logistics, leadership, and project management.  Someone who worked on the host committee told me Ms. Melangton walked into a meeting over a year before the big game carrying a project plan in hand and remarked, “This is version 46!” I wonder what number the final version was.

And speaking of teams—we offer a course entitled “Leadership Through Teams.”  It wasn’t just the two teams on the field in Lucas Oil Stadium that made us look great.  It started with the team who put together the winning bid several years ago, the team who designed Super Bowl Village, the team who set up the NFL Experience in a way that drew record-breaking crowds—and what about that zip line!  That was some team effort!  And at the head of all those teams was our female CEO.

The zip line was a marvel of design and construction.  The basis of the Engineering Technology degree is an interdisciplinary mix of mechanical and electrical engineering technology along with other disciplines that teach a student the concepts of how such a structure can be designed to safely transport the weight of a person between 65 and 275 pounds above the crowds.  And somebody on the team thought of it, designed and constructed it, and safely ran it, providing thrills to many visitors.

I recently read some early detractors thought it was a mistake and a dilution of the purpose of the Super Bowl itself to focus on such things as breast cancer research, building homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, or working to revitalize blighted inner city areas.  But not Ms. Melangton!  Using this possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as leverage, she saw it as a chance to bring much needed change in a number of areas beyond just the football field.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the amazing use of technology for purposes of communication.  In fact, in an amazing coincidence, as I am writing this blog one of the final email updates from Ms. Melangton dropped into my inbox. As a member of the Super Celebration committee in Anderson, I have received these updates throughout January and February. The use of electronic communication and social media for Super Bowl XLVI has been unprecedented and has not gone unnoticed. The first-ever Social Media Center monitored Facebook, Twitter, and other electronic media to ensure guests were directed to events, attractions, parking, and that problems were referred to the appropriate people for resolution before they got out of hand.  So you may never be in charge of hosting a Super Bowl, but right here at Purdue in Anderson you can learn and develop many of the same skills.

About the Author: Barb Alder is Director of Purdue University College of Technology at the Anderson and Richmond locations. For more information on enrolling or to answer any questions please contact her at 765-648-2902 or 765-973-8328. Boiler Up!

When your organization donates its time, treasures, or talents to charities, they are usually recognized for it. People see the names and logos on a flyer, on the back of a Little League shirt, or on the banner at a marathon. A recent survey by IPG Lab found that 92% of consumers have a more positive image of a company when it supports a cause. When price and quality are equal between brands, 87% will choose the brand that is associated with a cause. Volunteerism and corporate citizenship are good for staff retention, recruitment, and overall reputation, as well.

It takes time, patience, and creativity to find the right formula for your community involvement. You can’t sponsor a softball team every year and get lauded overnight for being the champion of the community. The community needs to get to know and like you first. They want to see you consistently. Two years ago, my son Ben won a goldfish at his school carnival. There was a company name on the side of the large tank that we pulled the fish out of, Specks Pet Supply. At the moment, I was less than amused with the prospect, but Ben was thrilled. He finally got the goldfish that he had wanted his entire 6-year-old life. He named the goldfish Bob, and off we went to buy food and a fish bowl. (All I could imagine was the difficult conversation I was going to have with my 6 year old son, explaining the flush heard ‘round the world.) Thankfully, Bob has beat the odds. (What’s the average lifespan of a school carnival goldfish- 3 days?)

Two years went by, and I was convinced that my son indeed knew how to care for his fish. I took him out to get a family and some new digs for Bob. We would not have even considered going anywhere but Specks to select Bob’s family. Bob and his new bride, Fisharella, are happy together, and my son can’t wait to go back to Specks to purchase some more décor for their tank.

Tip:
Make sure your company brand is visible at all events you are sponsoring or donating to. You can’t be appreciated for your donation if no one knows you made it.

About the Author: Michele Hockwalt is Brand Strategist at Element212, a branding and design firm located in Central Indiana. Her mission is to make companies attractive, successful, and relevant to their customers. Visit her online at element212.com.

Growing up my Mom would get on my Dad about starting projects, books, and pretty much anything for that matter and not finishing them before moving on to something else. This is a trait I have picked up as well. The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. This is how Weeks Communications solves this problem.

The creator’s mind is always a flutter with new things to do and build and design and fund and never finish. I finished Eric Rice’s fantastic book “The Lean Startup” at the onset of December 2012. I have been studying lean concepts for the last few years -Dad is a lean “guru” and a head honcho for NotrkVAE in Chicago, Illinois- so reading about how to apply them to business aspects other than widget making, was world altering for yours truly. In this post I want to focus on cycle times.

What is a cycle time?

A cycle time is the amount of time it takes to finish a process and complete all of the tasks in that process. In lean concepts that goal is to improve the efficiency of your cycle time to where only working is being done. This is completely impossible, the time you spend breathing decreases efficiency. Running lean is a pursuit not a destination.

More importantly why do I care?

Once you start looking at your cycle times, the benefits to eliminating waste becomes inexplicably clear. Some of the benefits include happier employees, better products and generally getting more done.

How Weeks Communications uses cycle times

To advance our user experience of our Hosted PBX or cloud phone system or IP PBX or VoIP system -there are many quick descriptions of FathomVoice but it still smells as sweet, regardless of the name we limit our cycle times -time to enhance development- to either 4 hours or at the most 8 hours. We do this by first defining “The Commanders Intent” followed by what an MVP -minimally viable product- could look like and finally charging our developers to get it done!





The goal is to get something in the hands users that they will use and that help them accomplish their daily tasks. Our FindMe system was developed in this way. What started with the commanders intent of “Lets build a function that calls your cell phone if you don’t answer your desk phone”. The MVP looked like this: after the standard time a phone would ring before going to voicemail, forward the call to another number and if that isn’t answered use the office voicemail, not the cell phone’s voicemail. We charged our developers by saying “We sold this feature to someone who needs it and we install in 3 days, LETS GET IT DONE!”. By the time we installed we had the MVP finished and one more iteration -more on iterations later.

Back to the benefits of cycle times.

• Higher degree of self satisfaction
1. You actually have something to show for your hard day work!
2. There is nothing like checking off something on our task list.
• Your company is now better suited to taking care of your customers
1. When you company is more efficient it is easier to serve your clients.
2. In our case we have a new app that can help our customers!
• Getting more done, leads to getting more done

Moving to short cycle times is not easy. It is easy not to plan your work or make yourself accountable. It is easy to go start something else you have to do and not finish your current project. It is easy to use cycle times only on the “important stuff”, and it is easy to stay doing what you are doing. Cycle times is just a different way of being goal orientated, but a goal isn’t a goal if it doesn’t have 3 things.

1. Be obtainable
2. Be written down
3. Have a due date