C10 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 8, 1999 B u s in e s s P r o f il e ADVERTISING FEATURE D o l l l A / o p I r l One stop, one shop, one D u l l V V U r I U world for communications Bell World Winston Gate Shopping Centre, Winston Churchill at Dundas (905) 855-2220 Oakville Place, Oakville (905) 815-9200 Jackson Square, Hamilton (905) 523-7610 Ancaster Meadowlands Power Centre, 821 Golf Links Rd., Ancaster (905) 304-6611 f f W 'oriel For a major communications operation. Canada's first Bell World kept a low profile - until the end of August, that is. That's when die new Bell World locations in The Winston Gate Shopping Centre,The Meadowlands of Ancaster and Jackson Square in Hamilton exploded on the scene to announce a grand opening and grand consolidation of Bell Mobility and Bell Canada Phone Centres. The crea tio n o f Bell World w as in response to consum er dem and. "C ustom ers w an ted to see everything in one location and deal with staff that knew all of the products and services. One-stop shopping," explained Bill Folland, President of National Cellular Inc., a privately owned company holding long term contracts to own and manage Bell World stores. In the near future, the re will only be one retail presence branded by the Bell name - Bell World. As the name implies, the services that were offered at the previous locations are now available under one roof - in one world of com m unications. At Bell World, consumers, home office workers and business people will find the m ost com plete range o f solutions available for all the ir needs in com m unications, information, home entertainment, interactive services, and home automation. Solutions The solutions and products available from this one- stop shop are as extensive as the customer base served by Bell World. From a household landline to satellite com m unications via the state-of-the-art Iridium network. Bell World touches someone. Cottager's en list ce llu lar serv ice for accessib ility and convenience, parents utilize candy-coloured pagers to m onitor a ch ild 's w hereabouts and the services engaged by small and large businesses are seemingly endless. Sympatico internet start-up kits, ExpressVu satellite systems for home entertainm ent and Bell Gardium home security systems are available right along side cellular phones and services, corded and cordless phones sets, paging systems and Bell's more traditional services of telephone repair, telephone financing, long distance savings plans and SmartTouch features. Patrons have embraced the new concept, says Folland. "Many did not even realize the re had been any change," he says. "They would see the Bell name, walk in and pay their phone bill, order a new line or service, then check out cellular phones and pagers and browse the internet - not even realizing they couldn't do all of that in one location six months ago. It was really seamless and w ere proud of that fact" The c rea tio n o f Bell World w as a deliberate amalgamation of products and services, strategic implementation and intensive employee training. Folland says it is because they w anted a sm ooth transfer that the grand opening took place on August 21,22 and not in February when Bell World opened in Ancaster. "Customer expectations from Bell are high. To maintain that level of delivery, we needed to ingrate the two systems develop new processes, conduct training and then put it into practice. That made it easy on the customer. The knowledge level of our staff continues to be astronomical - and on-going ' Says Jim Lovie, president and CEO of Bell World, "Bell World is the direct result of our efforts to bring the Bell family closer together and pool the resources and expertise of our different companies to satisfy our customers." Business to business Every business person, whether a small business owner, hom e business operator or a major corporate client, can take advantage of Bell World's expertise and technology to save thousands of dollars in communications costs - all through one-on-one consultation with Bell World staff members. With Bell W orld's substantial buying pow er as the largest com m unications operation in Canada, pricing is competitive and often less expensive. Bell World has the added advantage of billing products and services directly to the existing telephone bill, so customers can take advantage of needed technology without additional financing. The advancem ent o f techno logy and m arket com petition has caused such things as airtime to decrease to as much as one-fifth of the price they were four years ago. As technology increases the hardware has remained constant while the software and services are evolving to increase service and features. In the case of the small office/home office (SOHO), Bell World staff members can illustrate affordable methods of automation that can help them improve efficiency to compete effectively and professionally with larger operations. Digital Data TO GO, E-Mail Relay, and Mobile Browser are among the specialized digital PCS features to supplement existing cellular services and help individuals access the internet and email via their cellular phone and laptop computer or handheld computing device. The ultimate result is providing customers with assistance in day-to-day operations that can take place from virtual offices that can be c reated anywhere. Bell World's outside sales force continues to take th e ir ex p e rtise in to the field of business. W ith ex tensive c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ex p ertise , they co n d u c t ex tensive exam inations o f a com pany's m ethods and p rac tice s and recommend specific Bell World products and services to make systems run as cost and time-effectively as possib le. A p roposal cou ld include a variety of elements such as pagers, landlines, cellular service and Internet access w ith service programs based on usage. It eliminates having several consultants vying for independent contracts, which may not satisfy all of the companies needs. Best of all, Bell W orld prov ides th ese serv ices as a communications consultant - without a fee. I t 's a small world As technology continues to thrive and expand, so does Bell World. Communications throughout the globe is now a reality with the advancement of Iridium, which provides com m unication w h erev e r ce llu lar o r landlines do not exist. It is based on a system of satellites that pass their signals to other Iridium users o r to existing landlines o r cellular service. It's a valuable system for ocean travel, railway and pipeline routes, and virtually any area on the globe formerly "out of range". Whether it's a remote area of Algonquin Park, a logging camp in Northern BC, the rainforest or the Himalayas, communication is now available. "It's now possible to call from anywhere to anywhere in the world," says Folland, "because Bell World provides that means." It addition to the Winston Gate Power Centre, and Ancaster locations, National Cellular also operates new Bell World locations at Jackson Square in Hamilton and at Oakville Place. Other locations are being converted on an ongoing basis. What's in store The look - of the new Bell World is clean and sleek - just like you'd expect from Bell. Like its products, Bell World stores exhibits state-of-the-art design projecting the high-tech image they promote. The atmosphere - is inviting with a hands-on approach to retailing and self education. The perimeter - is lined with stations defining the products, services and accessories available in each of its many product areas: Corded & Cordless, Paging, Cellular, Internet, Digital PCS and ExpressVu. The staff - is accessible, knowledgeable and well versed in the products and services and the way they complement each other. The choice - belongs to the customer and there are many to be made: Patrons can launch onto the web through high speed data lines, which are now available to the residential customer, try out the latest equipment and conduct their own needs analysis. Much of the floor space of the new Bell World is devoted to clearly defined areas displaying satellite television systems, video conference screens, cordless phones featuring the latest applications and the newest cellular products. Need to know more about wireless digital data, voice dialing, text messaging and Info News Services? A staff m em ber can dial up the application in question on a nearby cell phone to enable customers to take it for a test drive. Prefer to check things out on your own? Step under one of several domed stations to conduct your own guided tour of products and services. Here you can conduct your own needs analysis, print it and present it to one of the Bell World employees to discuss and implement. Tired of cable TV or unable to receive it in your area? Visit the Bell ExpressVu station that accesses more than 100 channels of digital pictures and sound in programming packages that customers choose, starting from $8.95 per month.Hesitant about the Internet? Sit down and try it out. A Bell World staff member can guide you through it while you do the surfing. New Products, Spotlights and Innovations are highlighted at the entrance of Bell World to illustrate the ongoing changes in the industry. There's even a dispenser to issue pre-paid phone cards. And, of course, you can still pay your bill, order phone service, add SmartTouch features, drop off your old phone or pick up a new one at one of the Customer Service counters. toCo If h Nokia" 6185 Tri-mode Dual-band CDMA digital handset allows Bell Mobility Digital Purchase customers access to all the latest digital features • Supports text messaging and Digital DATA to Go (sold separately) $199 IN S TA N T ACTIVATIO N (Details in-store) SAVE! Digital DATA to GOa Anything you can do at your desk, you can now do anywhere! Vista™ 350 Hands-free Speakerphone Fast, easy way to manage calls and take advantage of Free interactive services such as Telephone Banking and the new Electronic Phonebook • Compatible with Call Display and Visual Call Waiting services As low as $8.60 per month for 24 months NEtf! E -M AIL NO TIFICATION SAVE! •Check and reply to e-mail •Send and receive Faxes •Browse the Internet FREE BOD Y GLOVE CARRY CA SE Motorola 650e r wwfSBMRBw WITH P U RCHASE Vista 150 Back to School Bell Mobility Pagers SAVE! ExpressVu"1 Satellite TV! A fte r ogram m m q Cred it Customer must activate on the WORKS package Doll lA/opIrl One stop, one shop, one Dull VVUrIU world for communications SAVE! SAVE! Back to School Bell Mobility Pagers