Verizon Wireless Helps Customers Become "Gadget Geeks" in Less Than 30 Minutes

ORANGEBURG, NY — New Jersey Metro area residents interested in navigating their way through the vast selection of wireless phones, PDAs and PC cards are invited to meet with local Verizon Wireless device specialists for free tutorials in applications and short-cuts that can help them get the most out of using today’s increasingly versatile Verizon Wireless devices.

Trained to serve everyone from business owners to hockey moms, Verizon Wireless certified device specialists can transform technically-challenged customers into wireless “Gadget Geeks” in less than 30 minutes by taking them through personal, hands-on training on their new handsets. Available on-site at Verizon Wireless Communications stores in the region, device specialists help customers understand exactly what their new devices can do and how they can access and apply device features to best assist them in their day-to-day needs.

“Our goal is to help every customer select the device, price plan and services best-suited to their specific needs, whether it’s for business or personal use,” said Pat Devlin, president of the company’s New York Metro Region. “Each customer receives a thorough tour of their device and its applications before they leave the store, free of charge. Our device specialists are dedicated to taking the time that each customer needs to learn how to turn their Verizon Wireless device into a tool for managing their lives. More and more, we’re seeing customers rely on their wireless devices as the main method of connecting to the Internet and our device specialists help them get the most out of Verizon Wireless’ high-speed, 3G Mobile Broadband services, at home and on the road.”

Hassan Brown, one of the company’s first device specialists when Verizon Wireless began the program a year ago, now assists about 200 customers a month, many of whom are new users.

“There are so many applications and features packed into our devices that most people don’t know all the capabilities of their phone, especially if they are a first-time user or doing an upgrade,” Brown said. “Spending the time to discuss these capabilities, especially with first-time smartphone users, satisfies a lot of customers’ needs. Regardless of what kind of device customers choose, taking the time to sit down with a device specialist really helps them get the most out of their wireless experience. The more customers know, the more satisfied they are.”

The questions most frequently asked by customers involve email and wireless broadband access. The top three questions from new users are:

• How do I set up email?
• How can I access the Internet from my phone?
• How do I compose or read email on my phone?

Other frequently asked questions are specific to the customer’s new device and are focused on memory card locations, picture messaging, voicemail set up and syncing Bluetooth headsets.

Device specialists also help people learn to navigate more basic mobile phones. Recently, many Communications Stores have seen an increase in senior-age customers requesting instruction on voicemail retrieval, text messaging, and taking photos and sending them to family and friends.

Customers interested in an appointment with a device specialist can call their local Verizon Wireless Communications Store or simply walk-in to any of the nearly 90 stores throughout metro New York and New Jersey staffed with specialists. For a full list of store locations and business hours, visit www.verizonwireless.com/.

Verizon Wireless is the recognized customer satisfaction leader in the U.S. wireless industry for customer service, network coverage, products and services. For example, the company has led the industry in highest customer loyalty/lowest churn for 19 consecutive quarters.

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $2.2 billion in the New York Metro-area network and about $50 billion across the nation since 2000 in order to increase coverage and capacity, offering customers the nation's most reliable service and the best customer experience. For more information on Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VzW_NYMetro.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving 87.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 87,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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