IN THIS ISSUE

FALL 2010

What trade shows will CommSoft be going to this quarter? Find out

on Page 6!

See what our training folks are up to on

Page 2!

Find out where this bus took a group of people

and read about their trip!Page 4

USER GROUP 2010 PROmOTIONS POTIONS CLASSBy Paula Rudowski, Training Consultant

If you were unable to attend the Promotions Potions class at Users Group and would like a copy of the promotion recipes that were handed out in class, please email training@commsoft.net and we would be happy to email them to you. The promotion recipes we covered are as follows:

All You Can Eat Buffet With one low price for your phone line and every calling feature we offer, who says you can’t have it your way?

ANOTHER USER GROUP CONFERENCE IN THE BOOkSBy Jodie Buchanan, Sales & Marketing Coordinator

CommSoft’s 21st Annual User Group Conference began on August 16th this year, and it was another well attended event. This year, the conference was held at a new location, which seemed to go very well. Yes, the 3 classrooms were 2 floors up from the Amphitheatre, but after the great lunches put on by the Hilton, we could all probably use the few extra steps :)

Monday morning, we started out with a small golf tournament for those who wanted to come to Troy a little earlier. The weather was great, and from what I’ve heard, it went very well. The winning team of four included Rich Baughman, Shentel; Jeff Walker, Pioneer; John Nitecki, Ace Communications; and Larry Davis, CommSoft. Monday evening we held our annual registration reception. Great food,

drinks, and conversation was had by all.

Tuesday morning, before beginning our general sessions, we started w i t h a g a m e o f Jeopardy. It seemed as though Jeff Walker from Pioneer had been prepping for the game!

In the evening, we took a couple trolley trips over to Bacchus, where we feasted on salad, pastas, and wood-fired pizzas. Our entertainment seemed to be a big hit, with our summer extern, Lindsay, going through a list of crazy trivia questions. Did

you know that George Washington wore a size 13 shoe?!

Wednesday we had more great classes, followed by an evening starting out in The Recovery Room, right there at The Hilton. From there, a few people took the scheduled trolley into Colonie to the mall, but most people just stayed behind at The Recovery Room. A friendly game of Texas Hold ‘em was played, which may have even begun a new annual event for our Users

Conference!

Thursday was the final morning of classes where we all said our goodbyes and watched the slideshow of pictures from throughout the conference. Following the closing remarks, most of the group packed up and headed home, but a small group of people stayed behind and took a bus up to the Saratoga Race Track. You can read more about the Track on Page 5!

For those folks who wanted to extend their stay even a little longer, we had a bus take a tour of the wineries in the Finger Lakes. Read more about that

on Page 4! Joe Keegan also took a few people on a trip to New York City – you can read a little more about this in the “Home Away From Home” article on Page 3.

All in all, it was another successful year, and we’re already looking forward to the 22nd annual conference in 2011!! Stay tuned for more information on that to be headed your way!

(cont. on Page 4)

Read some interesting tidbits about the

Saratoga Race Course on Page 5!

Mike Donnelly with opening remarks

Our summer extern, Lindsay

Bacchus’ wood-fired pizza oven

www.commsoft.net 2The Water Cooler

CUSTOmERSCOmmSmART NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSBy Jim Myers and Paula Rudowski, Training Consultants

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood training department! Jim and Paula had a busy 3rd quarter conducting training classes for several new customers as well as several of our valued existing customers. The training department not only provides on-going training for our existing customers, but they also provide the training for new client installations. They train the User Acceptance Test Team, Support User Acceptance Testing, and then train the End Users right before go-live. As you can see from the calendar below, there are several projects in progress, so there’s been quite a bit of globe-hopping going on!

COMMunity Events Date(s) Company Training Topic(s) September 22 Ellijay Line Equipment August 5 MTA Line Equipment August 14 Hotwire Billing, Late Notice/Disconnect Process August 6 ACS Bill Messages August 10-12 ICC St. Thomas Test Team Training, Part I August 17-18 User Group Promotions, Trouble Tickets August 23-27 ICC St. Thomas UAT Training and Support September 8-10 ICC St. Thomas Soft Launch Training September 14-15 ICC St. Croix Soft Launch Training September 16-17 ICC St. Thomas UAT Support

The week of October 4th, Jim and Paula headed back to the Caribbean to conduct End User Training for ICC (Innovative Communications Company). They will be conducting concurrent training on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. Both islands are beautiful and the people are friendly and welcoming. As a matter of fact, because Paula has spent so much time on the islands lately, we’re having a tough time getting her off of “Island Time.” The next time her cell phone rings and you hear Jimmy Buffet crooning “Margaritaville”, just ignore it. She doesn’t know it yet, but her next project is a mid-winter project in Alaska. That should get her back to reality!

A FEW PICTURES FROm THE USERS CONFERENCE

www.commsoft.net 3The Water Cooler

HOmE AWAY FROm HOmE

This past August 2010, New York became my home away from home for two weeks. The first week was fun and interesting, as usual, because it was the week of the annual CommSoft Users Group. Our week started out with our annual visit to D’Raymonds. This is Valley Telephone’s favorite restaurant in Albany. We gorged ourselves on the best chicken nastra in the world. After dinner we headed to the mixer at the hotel for a friendly game of bocce ball, which Kim and I won! Winning always makes a good game a great game!

The user group breakout sessions were informative and educational, as usual. I really enjoyed meeting new people and connecting with some old friends. Our group has decided to practice Jeopardy all year long so that we will fair a little better next year. Jeff, from Pioneer, better watch out because it’s on now!

I would have to say one of the highlights of the trip was when I was trying to enjoy a nice hot shower and the fire alarm went

CUSTOmERS

By Lana Estes, Valley Telephone

off. I quickly got out of the shower, threw my pajamas on, and ran outside. I passed Krissy Scheffer in the hall, and she said I looked rather casual for the day’s classes. Guess she thought people from Arizona dress funny.

Once the conference was over, my Valley crew headed back to Arizona and left me in Albany for the weekend, so Mike Donnelly was gracious enough to allow Joe Keegan to take a small group of us to

NY City for the day. We were all to meet in the lobby at 7:00 am to head into the city. I was going to be traveling with a group of other CommSoft customers that I hadn’t had a chance to meet. I discovered that the best way to start a friendship is to loan your socks to one of your traveling partners. I soon decided I did not want the socks back after we had walked a million miles in the heat. The socks were a great ice breaker, because we had a wonderful time together in the City. Joe is an awesome tour guide, he kept us on the move all day and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch, and the best part about it was that we all passed the subway test by all getting on and off without getting left

behind.

The second week was the start of the VTC training with Lynn “the slave driver” Cooke! Even though the days were long, it was all worth it. The class was excellent, and Lynn was a wonderful teacher.

I was also introduced to Hannah, the ghost at the CommSoft mansion. She kept our class room interesting, because the laptops kept doing crazy things. At least that is what we thought until Tom from IT came in and ruined our fun by telling us it was just the wireless mice interfering with one another. Such a kill joy. We all liked our story better.

On the day I wore the CommSoft t-shirt that we received during users group, I passed Larry D in the hall, and he kinda looked at me funny. I had been there so long I think he thought I was a new employee that Mike forgot to mention.

As much as I liked my stay in New York, I was very happy to leave before the first snow. I am excited to go back for users group, but don’t think I want to stay quite as long next time.

IT’S ALL ABOUT CUSTOmER SERVICEBy Paula Rudowski, Training Consultant

You have the finest network in the land. √You’ve implemented the greatest service order and billing software ever √

invented.Your offices are dressed up and present a consistent image. √Your Marketing Strategy rocks. √Your Ads are brilliant and funny. √Your Accountants are geniuses. √Your management team is experienced and motivated. √

Notice anything missing? The folks at Innovative Communications Company (ICC) sure did! When they developed their new strategy for re-energizing their company, one of the first things they did was to enroll every one of their Customer Service personnel in a certification program to enhance their Customer Service skills. They wanted to ensure their company’s success by investing in the people that will bring everyone’s hard work to fruition.

They recognized that they can accomplish everything on the list above, but without the customer service to back it up, their strategy wouldn’t work.

The certification program that all reps and sales agents attended was provided by the University of the Virgin Islands CELL (Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning) program in partnership with the American Management Association. It was a demanding program, but the students put everything they had into excelling in the program and the results were phenomenal!

Mickey Breton, VP of Customer Service Operations is quite excited about their achievements and said that “Personally, I am very proud of all 85 customer service specialists who earned their certificates. This confirms that our employees are equipped with the skills required to satisfy all customer contacts in a very professional manner. We are expecting our

(cont. on Page 5)

USERS CONFERENCE

www.commsoft.net 4The Water Cooler

SIPPING OUR WAY ALONG THE FINGER LAkESBy Tracy Perry, Applications Consultant

The Cayuga Lake Wine Tra i l i s the f i rs t organized and longest running wine trail in the U.S., and a few folks from this year’s Users Group got a good taste of it on August 20th!

Once the bus departed the Hilton Garden Inn at 8:30am on Friday and finished making a few coffee stops along the way, it wasn’t long before customers were sampling their first tastes of New York wines. Located near the northern end of Cayuga Lake, Swedish Hill Winery was

our #1 stop. Not only did this winery earn the title “Winery of the Year” in 2008, but it also holds the most prestigious NY award – the 2010 Governor’s Cup, known as the

Oscars of New York wines!

Even though Swedish Hill Winery recently won the Governor’s Cup for their delicious Riesling Cuvee,

many of us also enjoyed their semi-sweet, white wine called “Doobie Blues.” This famous wine, inspired by their pet miniature donkey named Doobie, is made from a blend of Riesling, Traminette, and other fruity crisp whites. Just after only one sip, it was no wonder to us why it is almost as famous as Doobie himself!

Our next stop was the Knapp W i n e r y located just south of Swedish Hill along the lake. After several more sips and tastes at the Knapp Winery, we all sat down to enjoy a nice lunch in their cozy, little Vineyard Restaurant. It was totally obvious at this phase of the trip who was about to become our #1 wine taster of the day, when the beverage she ordered to chase

down her food was (yep you guessed it) another big glass of wine! Rock on—I must admit, it was JoAnn who totally became my #1 idol right then and there!

One of my favorite wines at Knapp was their Black Cherry wine, a sweet blend of white wine and black cherry juice. This wine, however, is not for you if you do not like sweet. If you’re looking for more of a semi-sweet wine to sip on during a picnic or a hot day by the pool-side, their Kat Knapp table wine is a good choice. This lusciously fruity Kat Knapp is made from Catawba grapes from the Knapp farm. The aromas of fresh grapes are balanced by a pleasing semi-sweet finish.

Sad to say, our next and final stop of the day was Montezuma W i n e r y . Heading back to the northern end of Cayuga Lake, this winery offers over 30 award-winning Fruit, Grape, and Honey (mead) wines, ranging from dry to sweet, including their almost world famous Cranberry Bog. It was

during this visit that I noticed Rick downing a few more tastes than at the previous stops. I figured after spending the entire day with all women

enjoying a “Girls-Wine-Out” kind of day, he was more than entitled to it ;)

After sipping, sloshing, and tasting a variety of wines all day long, it was quite a bit of a challenge rounding everyone up again for the ride back to Albany. Before setting foot back into the bus, guess who had to have a last minute scoop of ice cream for the road? Well, if you haven’t guessed it right away, I bet you will after I mention that the ice cream contained a tasty blend of wine as an ing redient . Yep, JoAnn, you surely win the CommSof t Governor’s Cup as #1 Sip, Slosh, and Taster at the Finger Lakes! You Go Girl! :)

Sticky Buns – Scrumptious!This promotion is designed to encourage customer “stickiness” by issuing credits for good behavior on a staggered basis. The customer will receive free voice mail with CFBL and CFNA during the 1st, 3rd, and 6th month, and 10% off of selected calling features. If the customer cancels before 120 days, their buns are burned and they are charged a pro-rated penalty.

TV Dinner Promotion – Yummy!Your customer will save enough money on this Cable TV installation promotion to pay for dinner and a movie! In addition, there’s an enticing smorgasbord of tempting channels to choose from. The Installation Fee is waived and discounts are applied when more than one Premium Channel is selected.

(cont. from Page 1)USER GROUP 2010 PROmOTIONS POTIONS CLASS

Paula Rudowski, CommSoft; Heather Benson, Ace Communications Group; Jim Myers, CommSoft

Lynne Knutson and Joanne Kohler from MTA

Barbara Hole, ACS; Lynne Knutson and Joanne Kohler, MTA

5www.commsoft.net The Water Cooler

USERS CONFERENCE

At the end of our recent Users’ Conference, several customers and employees enjoyed a “Day at the Races.” A bus took a group of

people and their money up to the very historic Saratoga Race Course to watch and bet on the beautiful 4-legged athletes. What most did not know was that they were at the oldest race track in the United States! Most left with less money!

The track first opened in 1863 – during the Civil War – and is not only the oldest racetrack in the country, but also the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the country. It is home to the Travers Stakes which is known as the “Summer Derby.” The Triple Crown of horse racing includes the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes; the Travers is fourth on the list of prestigious races behind those three and is the oldest of the four.

Saratoga Race Course was listed at Number 10 on Sports Illustrated list of the Top 20 Sports Venues of the 20th Century. It has several nicknames including its most intriguing one: “Graveyard of Favorites.” This nickname came about from its reputation and history of the betting favorites being defeated more often than not. Yet the bettors keep picking them. Three very notable examples of favorites losing here include:

Gallant Fox who won the Triple Crown in 1930 • was beaten in the Travers that summer by Jim Dandy, a 100 – 1 longshot.

Secretariat who won the 1973 Triple Crown then came to • Saratoga and was beaten.

Man o’ War (arguably the greatest horse of them all) lost •

only one race in his entire 21-race career. Guess where … yep, here at Saratoga. The amazing part of that story is that the horse that beat Man o’ War was named “Upset.” You can look it up!

And this racing season, the super-filly Rachel Alexandra lost in her appearance at the “graveyard.” If you go, remember all of this when you are looking to place a bet.

The charm of the track and the city of Saratoga Springs adds to its success. As other tracks around the country are experiencing huge drops in attendance and reduced betting revenue or even closing, Saratoga is the exception.

Other interesting tidbits include the fact that the track is a movie star, having been used in a James Bond movie and in the movie Sea

Biscuit; there are four horses buried on the grounds (but that has nothing to do with its reputation as a “graveyard of champions”); its first meet was for only four days and this year’s meet is only 40 days of racing; a bell is rung by hand 17 minutes before every race; a canoe in a pond in the infield is painted the colors of the winner of the Travers each year; the National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame is a block away; and much, much more.

Everyone I spoke with from our group seemed to enjoy themselves and seemed impressed by the spectacle that is the Saratoga Race Course! They all just wish they would have won some (or in a few cases, more) money.

COmmSOFT’S DAY AT THE RACESBy Charlie Weintraub, Sales Director

(cont. from Page 3)IT’S ALL ABOUT CUSTOmER SERVICE

Clifton Mason is at “peace” as he accepts

his well-deserved reward for earning his Customer

Service Specialist Certification.

Paula RudowskiCommSoft Training ConsultantEmail: training@commsoft.net

Leadership, Excellence, Appreciation, Passion – LEAP to

Success!

specialists to set the customer service standards for the territory and I have no doubt that they will.” After all of the ICC students graduated from the program, they celebrated, and boy do they know how to celebrate! I was privileged to be invited to the Recognition Ceremony

on St. Croix (I was also invited to the celebration on St. Thomas, but I was unable to attend that one) and witnessed first-hand

how dedicated ICC is to doing things right.

By paying attention to the folks on the front-line, ICC will be leaping ahead of any competition that might come their way. Their reps will be prepared, energized,

and fully trained on what it takes to be a leader in their market. Congratulations!

6www.commsoft.net The Water Cooler

COmmSOFT CORNERmILESTONESNEW HIRES AND PROmOTIONS

Missy Frenyea had rejoined CommSoft as a contractor in 2009, and she has now come aboard as a full time employee again as Manager of Implementations and Training. Read more about Missy on the next page!Joe Korkin joined CommSoft in September as a PAIII in Development. Joe joins us from iTriviaGames where he was a Java/J2EE software developer responsible for the design, coding, and testing of Android and iPhone applications.

Nicholas Milano has joined CommSoft as a Programmer Analyst. Nicholas is a recent graduate of RPI.

Kate Vilanova has joined CommSoft in Client Services.

COmmSOFT WEEkLY

November 9-11, TelcoTV, Las Vegas, NVNovember 17-18, RICA-RTG Fall Forum, Las Vegas, NV

STORk REPORT

Thursday, November 11, 2-4pm ESTThursday, December 16, 2-4pm EST

TRADE SHOWS PRODUCT DEMONSTRATIONS(register through our website!)

Equinox Gary GraziadeiBorn to melissa and Jim Graziadei

July 24, 2010

Welcome Baby Boy!

mARRIAGESJodie Wilson, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, to Chris Buchanan on August 28, 2010.

Melissa Gary, Administrative Assistant, to Jim Graziadei on September 17, 2010.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

A FEW mORE PICTURES FROm THE USERS CONFERENCE

Thank you again to this year’s Users Group Sponsors. Your support is greatly appreciated...we couldn’t have done it without you!

2010 USER GROUP SPONSORS

COmmSOFT CORNER

www.commsoft.net 7The Water Cooler

A LITTLE ABOUT mISSY AND LOURAE...MISSY FRENYEACurrent Job: Manager of Implementations and Training

10 years. My first day of work was July 7, 1990. My first job was “Junior Programmer” which meant I was just out of college and didn’t know anything. Appropriately, I spent my first day putting together the desks at our new office space in Colonie. I’m pleased to see that some of those still exist today.

A lot has happened in 10 years but it’s gone by in a flash. I purchased a home in New York, sold it, moved to Scottsdale,

Arizona, bought a home, sold it, bought a home up the street, hiked many mountains, traveled around the world, ran in lots of races, made lots of good friends, welcomed three nephews into the world, said goodbye to my dad, went on a 7000 mile roadtrip, moved back to New York and tried many, many different beers and cheeses along the way. Work wise, I’ve worked for some great (and not so great) companies, done some independent consulting, and dabbled in everything from Product Management to Sales to Research & Development to Business Operations.The conversations around the water cooler have changed significantly from happy hours to colonoscopies. Good god.There’s no way I can possibly answer this question safely.

Trail running/hiking

No kids of my own. Five nephews ages 23, 21, 9, 7 and 3. I have a dog named Kaya and two cats named Harry and Diana. Harry thinks it’s fun to bite my feet, and Diana thinks the world is her toilet. They are precious.

Cheese, beer, bacon burritos, and mayonaise are my favorite foods. I like to make homemade tortillas and bean and cheese burritos. I can also bake a mean pie.

Land of the Giants

One time I was at Nicholville Telephone and one of the lineman gave me homemade jerky he made. Generally speaking, I love jerky so I was pleased as punch at this unexpected gift of dried meat. HOWEVER… this was no regular jerky. It was made from some kind of rodent... like a woodchuck or a beaver. It was the most foul thing I have ever put in my mouth. I’ve never had any kind of jerky ever since and probably never will again.

I got a brand new Land Rover in 2002 that turned out to be a lemon. Exercising one’s rights under the Lemon Law is not enjoyable but in the end I got my money back and got a new car that I loved.

Samara always puts the laundry in before I get home. This means there are certain garments that always miss the cut. Augh!I leave the water running when I brush my teeth. It’s not that I am a water waster… it’s that I can’t stand the sound of a toothbrush scraping on teeth. It literally makes me feel like I’m going to faint. It’s the kryptonite to my inner Superman.October. I love the weather in the fall, I love the colorful leaves, the NFL regular season and MLB playoffs are in full swing, there are lots of roadside stands selling pumpkins, there are corn mazes, the pumpkin ale is on tap AND it’s my birthday month.Fashion wise, I’d love to see how top hats, bustles, and hoop skirts would play in today’s world. I’d probably spend every moment at the mall or hanging out in a movie theater to see how everyone would manage.

THE QUESTIONS

How long were you at CommSoft before you left?

What’d you do while you were gone?

What’s changed the most at CommSoft since you left?

Which employee looks the most different?

Favorite hobby?

Kids - how many? Ages?

Favorite foods? Favorite thing to cook/prepare?

Favorite TV show when you were growing up?

Most bizarre food you’ve ever eaten?

Worst car you’ve ever owned?

Most irritating thing your significant other does?

What complaint would they have about you?

Favorite month of the year and why?

One fad you would bring back if you could?

LOURAE FITZGERALDCurrent Job: Programmer Analyst III

Less than 6 months. I was hired to work in the training department training employees on the iSeries and RPG programming. The company was growing quickly during that time, and there was a lot of focus on employee training. Joe Keegan was my manager. I’ve kept in touch with Joe over the years, and I’m happy to say that he is responsible for my return to CommSoft. Thanks Joe!I gave birth to my second child (no easy task). As far as my career, I’ve worked as a computer trainer, computer programmer, and as a consultant. For the last few years, I worked as a trainer for a non-profit organization that helps women return to the workforce. It was a great job because the women I trained were so eager to learn.

The size of the company - it’s a lot smaller than it was when I worked here 10 years agoI couldn’t possibly pick on one person, but I’d have to say there’s a lot more grey hair in the company (and maybe even a lot less hair on a few - you know who you are!).Quilting. My most recent project was a tee-shirt quilt for my daughter who was heading off to college. Over the years, we saved all her tee-shirts and made a quilt out of them. We had a few tee-shirts left over, so we made a pillow case too! She loves it - and there’s always a story to tell about each tee-shirt (where she got it, when she got it, how she spilled spaghetti sauce all over it and how we managed to get it clean). It’s the focus of her dorm room.Two kids - ages 17 and 10. My oldest is a Freshman at Oral Roberts University, and my youngest is in 6th grade. My 17 year old daughter played volleyball in high school. Her senior year she was captain of the team, and the team went on to State Championships where they placed 2nd in the state! My 10 year old daughter is a gymnast, competing on a gymnastics team where we travel all over New York to attend competitions. She loves gymnastics and can’t imagine doing anything else. She’s getting quite tall though, and we might have to consider a career change - maybe volleyball or basketball - as most of us know, there are no tall Olympic gymnasts.My favorite food is apple pie with vanilla ice cream. My favorite food to cook/prepare - I make crab apple jelly in the summer. It’s a lot of work to pick and cook the apples and strain the juice to make the jelly, but it’s so good. It doesn’t make a lot, so I call it “liquid gold,” and I can only make it once a year.I’m going to date myself, but I’d have to say Charlie’s Angels. I know it’s kinda corney now when looking back at it, but I liked it when I was a teenager.If you’ve ever been on a cruise you know that you can order whatever you want for dinner. I like to try new things, so I ordered snails as an appetizer. Of course the menu didn’t say snails. It said something like ‘Escargot’. I was curious so I ordered them. When the waiter brought them, I must have had a strange look on my face because he said “They’re snails, ma’am”. I tried them and they weren’t bad, especially dripping in butter!! But I don’t think I’ll order them again.Green 1971 Pinto - it was a hand-me-down from my dad to my sister and then to me. It had grey body molding on it to cover up the rust. Then one night the cars on my street were vandilized, and someone splashed yellow paint all over the side of it. So it was three different colors by the time I traded it in on a Toyota Corolla.He’s so organized and likes to keep things in their perfect little place.

I’m not so organized, so that probably drives him crazy.

May. I love May because it’s my birthday month and everything is turning green and coming to life after a long, cold winter.

Looking back at the fads over the years, I’d like to bring back the Pet Rock. Remember those? My youngest daughter is obsessed with getting a pet (hampster, gerble, guinea pig, turtle, lizard - she’s asked for them all). If we could bring back Pet Rocks, I would buy her a Pet Rock. They’re a lot easier to take care of, they don’t make a mess, and they’re not smelly!