DURING the holiday season, I lost my cell phone amid a frenzy of year-end activity. When I visited the cell phone store to replace it, I learned that since my contract period had just expired, I was eligible for a discount on an upgraded phone. (I also learned that if you acquire a phone at a discount by signing a service contract and then lose the phone during the contract period, you'll wish you had insurance.) Buying a cell phone can seem as complicated as buying an insurance policy must seem to our clients. You have a myriad of phones and service plans to choose from, with variations in prime-time, night and weekend rates, as well as in free minutes. After a 20-minute discussion, I was on my way with the newest digital, Web-enabled, text-message-capable flip-phone with a color display. The phone was just $60, after a $50 rebate, with a two-year contract.
This excited me. I've never viewed a cell phone as "high-end" technology or expected it to do too much for me. My previous phone had Web access, for instance, but that didn't interest me. If you think the same way, then it's time to lose your phone too! Several enhancements on new phones are of great everyday usefulness. Here are some of the features I find most beneficial:
? The phonebook feature has been substantially expanded, in terms of both total capacity and types of information that can be added for each contact. For one contact, you can enter multiple phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Records generally can be up to 50 characters long. I've added street addresses and ZIP codes for contacts whose addresses I might need on the run. Another rather new feature permits grouping of phone numbers, similar to the capability of a PDA.
If you make frequent calls to automatic-attendant phone systems, you can program your phone to speed-dial a number, then automatically pause after dialing the initial number, let the auto attendant speak, and dial the extension number.
You can answer a call by either flipping the phone open or hitting the "talk" key. Besides some standard screen displays and chime sounds, you can download extras, through your phone, from your service provider. You can even assign particular ringing sounds to different entries in your records, so you'll know who's calling without even looking at the phone!
Like PDAs, newer phones have calendars with full-feature date search capability. In some ways, it's better to use the phone than the PDA for this function, because the phone is always with me and always on. Using the keypad to enter data can be a bit tedious, but there's a built-in word-recognition system. It takes awhile to learn, but the system is fairly intuitive and surprisingly sophisticated.
You can use your phone for reminders, setting it to ring and display a memo at the same time. If you are away from your phone, the reminder goes into a "snooze" mode and rings again at five-minute intervals until you cancel the alarm. You can set a variety of color displays for categorizing memo reminders. If your phone is set to silent or vibrate mode, the display color indicates the message reminder content.
The same color display alerts are available for voicemail and text messages. If you want to record a reminder or remember a great new idea that strikes you while you're on the move, you can record voice messages and label them with the date and time. If you really want to be creative, you can ask clients to speak into the personal message feature, confirming their request for coverage, and later convert that message to a .wav file and import it into your agency management system.
Some fun functions include a tip calculator. Enter the cost of a meal, adjust the desired tip percentage up or down, and the calculator displays the appropriate gratuity. Even more useful is an added "split" function that allows you to divide the tip by the number of diners. There's also an alarm clock feature that can serve as an effective travel alarm, including a five-minute delay snooze button.
These features are just the new ones I've discovered since purchasing my latest phone. If you've gone several years without a new phone, you should know that Web access and the ability to configure a home page through your PC for access through your phone has been available free for several years. You create a personal home page linked to your phone number and e-mail address and can configure that page for a variety of alerts or standard searches, such as the latest weather or selected real-time stock quotes. Voice-activated and manual speed-dialing have also been around for a few years.
The new features take some time to learn. However, if you've spent the money on the device, the best return on investment comes when you recognize which features are valuable to your operations and put them to use. I spent about six hours inputting new data and learning the new functions.
I never thought before about a practical interval for replacing my cell phone. My recent experience indicates it's a good idea to purchase a new one about every two years. It's well worth a $25 annual hardware investment cost to enjoy the advantage of enhanced features as phone technology advances.
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