I have been experiencing several odd issues with my telephone of late, including a mysterious new icon that appeared today and the complaint of callers that my voice mail service is acting wonky. I decided I would call my provider and enter that living hell of phone trees and people that regularly offer no assistance.

As soon as the connection to the customer service number was complete, I was greeted by the standard welcome message with one minor modification. It identified the line as the "Business Support Center." Interesting, I thought, considering this account is in my name alone, unlike others that use my d/b/a. Now, after completing my call, I am extremely happy I was directed as such and hope future calls will be similarly connected.

While I was not able to resolve the technical aspects of two questions from above—due to the fact I was using the telephone in question and have no access to a land line at home—my experience with the customer service representative was incredible. He was courteous, knowledgeable, friendly and explanatory, expertly providing other answers to policy questions. I have never received more than sub-par support from this provider, so that this experience even occurred amazes me.

I suppose my surprise is somewhat illogical given I have always maintained you should connect to the "small business" or "business" call center of ISPs and computer manufacturers. Instead of dealing with typical level one questions, the business-only representatives generally allow you to detail your situation and provide direct help.

Quod erat demonstrandum. Thus, it is proved.