VoIP Monitor - VoIP Providers|ViaTalk

ViaTalk Connects Kids With Santa This Holiday Season

VoIP Monitor — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:58:57 GMT

ViaTalk is allowing children across the country to connect to Santa free of charge this holiday season via telephone, and directly deliver their Christmas wish list to the big guy and his helpers at the north pole (that's you mom and dad!). Additionally, one lucky child will be selected at random to have their wish list granted for free courtesy of ViaTalk, a $300 in value!

To connect your child to the north pole, simply enter on the site the number you will be calling from and your e-mail address. After your child calls, a recording of their wish list will be delivered to your e-mail in-box for you to listen to at your convenience.

The parents of one lucky child will be contacted on Dec. 20th, 2009, and will receive a $300 Amazon.com gift card to help make their child's holiday wishes come true this holiday season.

This free service is available nationwide to customers and non-customers alike, simply by signing up at http://santa.viatalk.com, so be sure to tell your friends and family!

Current ViaTalk customers can access the north pole directly by clicking on Santa himself in their account control panel. Happy Holidays from the entire ViaTalk team!

VoIP Provider ViaTalk Gets Booted from BBB, Contributes $20,000 to Robotics Team

VoIP Monitor — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 23:12:33 GMT

VoIP Provider ViaTalk has been removed from the Better Business Bureau for a high volume of complaints. Brendan Brader CEO of ViaTalk claims, "The expulsion was due to the influx of customers after SunRocket went belly up." From a post on dslreports forums Brader states, "We've been working with the Better Business bureau since the beginning of ViaTalk, but our membership was revoked recently due to the number of complaints placed against us during the fallout after the demise of Sunrocket. All of the complaints were easily resolved, and we kept in close contact with our contact at the BBB to track and respond to the complaints as they came in. Unfortunately, we're told that the BBB Membership standards include a limitation of the actual volume of complaints over a given time regardless of our proof of resolution. It's a tough penalty, considering the situation and the efforts we made to keep things on the up and up.

Brader insists that the company stayed in close contact with the BBB and tried to resolve customer complaints, but complaint volume, regardless of resolution, resulted in expulsion. The BBB says the expulsion was a result of "unanswered or unresolved complaints, and/or excessive and high volume complaints."

ViaTalk Founders Contribute $20,000 more to the US FIRST Robotics Team at Shenendehowa High School

HostRocket and ViaTalk are pleased to announce their sponsorship of the US FIRST Robotics team at Shenendehowa High School with a $20,000 cash donation and commitment to donate hundreds of hours as mentors and volunteers. Since 2004, the Tech Valley companies have contributed $100,000 in cash to the student organization known as ‘Team 20: The Rocketeers’.

Many HostRocket and ViaTalk employees have devoted a significant amount of time serving as mentors for the program throughout all four seasons. Company founders Brendan Brader and John Reyes are especially involved in the program. The two participated in the program as students at Shenendehowa High School and remain involved as mentors.

“We are very fortunate to have succeeded with our companies, so giving back to our community is important, if not first and foremost,” said Brendan Brader, CEO. “The US FIRST Robotics team provides students with hands on technology opportunities that they wouldn’t normally be exposed to in the classroom.”

Team 20, The Rocketeers, was created in 1992 as a part of the initial launch of the US FIRST program (www.usfirst.org). FIRST, the acronym for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology" was a robotics engineering competition founded by Dean Kaman in order to encourage teenagers in the U.S. to become more actively interested in the fields of science and technology.

“The Rocketeers is a great way for students to channel creative talent in a productive manner,” added John Reyes, CTO. “We are enthused to play a role in giving kids exposure to this national competition.”

The 2007 FIRST Robotic competition begins on January 5. The Rocketeers team will assemble for a live webcast where FIRST announces this year’s challenge. The team will meet nightly and on weekends in preparation for the contest developing strategy and robot design. The contest will take place in the end of February.

ViaTalk Increases Staff by 100% in Past 2 Months

VoIP Monitor — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:42:08 GMT

ViaTalk resists the trends in the telephony industry when it comes to customer service. While many companies have opted for the convenience and lower costs of outsourcing their customer service departments to foreign countries, ViaTalk maintains its customer call center entirely in the United States.

The customer call center is located in ViaTalk’s headquarters in the upstate New York suburb of Clifton Park. Just about 15 miles north of Albany, ViaTalk is located in the heart of New York’s Tech Valley. CEO Brendan Brader has been recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in the region’s technological endeavors and he credits ViaTalk’s continued commitment to customer service as the foundation for his company’s success.

“In my mind, our high quality product coupled with our commitment to 24/7/365 customer service based in the United States is the ViaTalk difference,” stated Brader. “A customer makes a commitment by purchasing our product, and that customer should know that the management team is directly involved in customer service. Our customer service team is an integral part of the company.”

Recently ViaTalk was thrust into the limelight for their role in aiding internet phone service customers who were left without phone service by the collapse of SunRocket, another internet phone service provider.

“I was very concerned how the sudden closing of SunRocket would negatively affect the reputation of our industry as a whole. Tens of thousands of their subscribers who suddenly found themselves without phone service came to ViaTalk all at once,” said Brader. “While this event challenged us for several weeks because of the enormous volume, I was confident that we could get our wait times and service times back to levels that previously existed.”

Brader said that in addition to senior managers working around the clock, ViaTalk increased customer service staff by 100% and worked fast to train them. “We are very grateful for the patience of our customers during the past few weeks.”

ViaTalk CEO Discusses SunRocket Customer Influx

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 18:53:26 GMT

ViaTalk CEO Brendan Brader has been answering user questions in the dslreports.com forums on how his company is dealing with the influx of SunRocket customers.

"We've more than doubled our staff size to date, however getting these new people to the point where then actually serve a purpose above and beyond being a warm body to talk to takes a bit of time. The results of these new hires should start showing soon. -- We have had people on the phones literally all day working on securing more equipment. We have shipments arriving daily, and many thousands of units en route currently. Due to the shortage we've actually had to start periodically ordering equipment a step up from the PAP2's to keep the flow going."

It's nice to see a CEO stepping up and helping shed light on problems or questions customers could be having. So check it out your questions might have already been answered.

ViaTalk Successfully Porting Thousands of SunRocket Subscribers

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:57:18 GMT

ViaTalk announces that they are successfully porting thousands of former SunRocket subscribers in the wake of that company's abrupt decision to close its doors.

"In the past 48 hours our U.S.-based customer service team has signed up thousands of SunRocket subscribers and has answered thousands of inquiries on the phone and via our online Live Sales Chat," said Brendan Brader, ViaTalk CEO. "In order to meet the needs of these stranded customers, we have substantially increased our network capacity and have increased our call center staffing. Also, to assist former SunRocket customers, we are currently offering a contract buyout in the form of six months of service credit as well as free ground shipping of equipment."

In order to handle the flood of calls that have come into ViaTalk's call center, Brader said he immediately shifted employees from ViaTalk's sister company, HostRocket.com, which has offices in the same corporate park. ViaTalk has plans to add more staff to meet the increased demand and their goals to continue to shorten customer service wait times.

Brader said that he has been in regular contact with executives throughout the VoIP industry to ensure that these customers are treated fairly and that as much is done to smooth the transition to new providers. He said that he has also been in touch with representatives of SunRocket's service providers to urge the expedition of porting of customer phone numbers.

Brader said that he has also spent a significant amount of time in VoIP forums over the past 2 days discussing the issues of affected customers and answering questions. "We have talked to thousands of confused customers from around the United States and we want to ensure that they understand that options exist with companies with staying power."

ViaTalk has customers in 2,200 markets in all 50 states. ViaTalk service includes many features that consumers would expect to pay hundreds of dollars a year for, like Caller ID, 411 Service, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Enhanced Voicemail. In addition, ViaTalk is committed to offering a product that is enhanced by additional safety features, thereby exceeding all statutory requirements for e-911 service.

"Our commitment to our customers sets us apart from other internet phone service providers," said Brader. "Our goal is to provide the most reliable and affordable product, while making all the latest safety and convenience features available to our customers."

ViaTalk has a variety of offers, including 1 year of service for $199, and 3 months of free service for new subscribers.

ViaTalk Provides Free Local & Long Distance Phone Calls

VoIP Monitor — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:27:33 GMT

ViaTalk is pleased to announce the launch of ViaTalk Free Connect, an easy to use, innovative phone system that allows anyone with access to a traditional phone to make a free 10 minute phone call anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

"It's no longer accurate to say nothing in life is free. These calls, including long distance, are literally free," said ViaTalk CEO Brendan Brader. "In fact, we are inviting people to make as many phone calls as they would like, on us."

There is no sign-up required, users simply go to www.viatalkfree.com and enter their phone number, then the phone number they wish to call. Once they have done that, they wait just a few seconds for a call to their phone line. As they answer that call, the service then dials the number they are trying to reach. Since the call is through ViaTalk Free Connect, no charges apply to the user's phone line.

Users are encouraged to leave feedback or suggestions once they've utilized the ViaTalk Free Connect. Brader said that he hopes ViaTalk Free Connect will introduce customers to the world of VoIP. "With ViaTalk Free Connect customers will experience the benefit of free long distance and know firsthand that their call has great sound quality and clarity," added Brader.

ViaTalk Offers VoIP Reseller through VT White

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:32:49 GMT

ViaTalk an industry leader in internet phone service announced the official unveiling of the VT White Private Label Reseller at ISPCON, an internet industry trade show and conference known for launching new internet products and innovations. VT White is aimed at internet service providers, web hosting companies, and other technology service providers that want to enter the rapidly growing VoIP market.

Existing companies and ambitious entrepreneurs alike can benefit from VT White, which will provide state-of-the-art internet phone service, a 24-hour support team based solely in the United States, and a wide variety of advanced features as well as Enhanced 911 service. ViaTalk will provide VT White companies with a branded webpage that is customizable, and seamless customer support through Live Chat and a toll free support line.

ViaTalk offers VoIP internet phone service to business and residential customers and is based in the heart of New York’s Tech Valley. The company was launched in 2005 by Brendan Brader, CEO of HostRocket.com, a debt free multi million dollar corporation that has hosted over 100,000 websites. Brader was named one of Tech Valley’s Top 10 most influential technology leaders because of his extensive experience and success in internet services. ViaTalk has quickly become a top national private VoIP provider with customers in 2,200 markets in all 50 States.

“The private label internet phone service we are offering could greatly enhance the offerings of existing internet service providers, web hosts or other technology companies,” said Brendan Brader CEO of ViaTalk. “VT White allows companies to enter the rapidly growing VoIP market without the expensive start-up costs. There are minimal costs and a huge upside that will lead to additional recurring revenue streams.”

The internet phone service industry experienced astronomical growth in 2006 and most industry experts predict millions of new business and residential consumers to switch to VoIP from traditional phone service. VT White allows existing companies to capitalize on the VoIP explosion without undertaking the burdensome costs of infrastructure and staffing.

With VT White Label, partner companies can align themselves with one of the most reputable names in VoIP telephony and avoid the risks and pitfalls of independently developing their own product line. ViaTalk will provide all the support functions from satisfying governmental regulations, to staffing 24/7/365 live customer service, and even the nuisances associated with shipping and receiving.

“Partnering with ViaTalk, an established leader in the internet phone service industry, companies know that they’re putting their brand name on a product known for it’s reliability and quality,” added Brader. “We pride ourselves on being a company that puts customers first.”

For more information about the VT White Private Label Reseller product, please visit www.vtwhite.com.

ViaTalk CEO Named to the ''40 Under Forty'' List

VoIP Monitor — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:13:48 GMT

Brendan Brader, CEO of two leading technology companies located in the heart of New York State’s Tech Valley, has been named to the “40 Under Forty” list of emerging business leaders by The Business Review.

In 1999, Brader and his longtime friend John Reyes, founded HostRocket.com, at the age of 19. HostRocket.com has grown into a debt-free multi-million dollar company offering RocketFreedom shared web hosting for as low as $4.95 per month, RocketOrbit reseller hosting, and dedicated hosting for as low as $99.95 per month. HostRocket.com is known throughout the web hosting industry for its around-the-clock customer service and incredible technical support. In 2007 the company reached an important milestone of hosting over 100,000 websites. HostRocket.com’s servers are located on-site at their corporate offices.

“I am proud that HostRocket.com has become the industry standard when it comes to providing high level customer service and tech support, and a wide variety of features at a low cost,” said Brader.

In 2005, the HostRocket.com team launched sister company ViaTalk an internet phone service provider. Customers have flocked to the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market over the past 5 years from traditional phone companies. Because of Brader’s success with HostRocket.com and his extensive knowledge of the internet, ViaTalk has quickly become a top national internet phone service provider with customers in 2,200 markets in all 50 states. The company is frequently quoted as having the lowest price while still offering the most advanced features. The company, which has a totally U.S.-based customer support staff, even runs a ‘buy-one year at $199 and receive a year of service for free’ special.

“ViaTalk is a rapidly growing internet phone service company known for our customer support, low prices, and inclusion of many features that would easily cost hundreds of dollars per year,” added Brader.

The two companies are headquartered in different buildings at the same corporate office park. Brader splits his days and nights between the two companies, spending the morning at ViaTalk and the afternoon and late evenings at HostRocket.com.

Brader and Reyes are actively involved with their former high school robotics team, and serve as mentors to the students. In addition to providing hands-on mentoring, they have donated $80,000 over the last 4 years to underwrite the team, allowing them to compete in regional and national competitions.

It should be noted that ViaTalk is a sponsor on VoIPMonitor.net. However, this is a noteworthy achievement and I wanted to help spread the word and my congratulations to Brendan Brader.