If there is anything that makes us laugh hysterically in the office, it's how the marketing folks describe their businesses. We have no idea who comes up with this stuff and takes it seriously, but we're either living on another planet, or they are. Here is an example of the business jargon that we find quite entertaining.
When we're asked what business we're in, we say, "We're in the phone conference call business."
But some folks in the industry would answer the same question by saying, "We specialize in automated mission critical collaboration processes that enhance enterprise productivity, help integrate project applications, and enable superior efficiencies, while providing communication platforms that service priority constituent groups in the new global economy."
Huh? We don't know if you buy into that kind of "spin," but we're sorry... conference calls are conference calls. Our business qualifications are as good, if not better, than the folks who run the other companies and we're not intimidated. However, we do get a big kick and enjoy seeing how business writers create and use the new buzz words.
Another phrase that's making the rounds these days is "in the cloud" technology. When we first heard it, we didn't know quite what to make of it. Suffice it to say, it's software that you can access on the Internet. In other words, it's "out there" or "in the cloud" somewhere, and not located on your computer's hard drive. We've offered "in the cloud" services for years such as our electronic invoicing and voice broadcasting -- we just didn't know it!
Around here, we enjoy keeping things simple. We enjoy speaking in English. And we enjoy telling people "we're in the conference call business." So far, no matter how big or small, our customers prefer that approach -- and we do too.
