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Aparna Khurjekar shares everything we need to know about Small Business Days. Plus, details on tomorrow's Breast Cancer Awareness event.
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On today’s edition of Up To Speed live, Raquel and Jen provided an update on Verizon’s response to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Israel and Gaza. Plus, we recapped our last few episodes, learned about Small Business Days, and heard from George about the Meta Quest 3 Headset.
$1 million will go to the American Friends of Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, a branch of the International Red Cross. And $1 million will go to the Save The Children’s Emergency Fund to provide humanitarian assistance to children in Gaza and the Middle East.
Many V Teamers have asked how they can help those in need. If you donate to these organizations, the Verizon Foundation will match up to $1,000, above and beyond your regular annual match incentive, doubling your contribution. Employees also have the ability to have Verizon match donations to any eligible nonprofit up to $1,000.
We’re also helping customers in the United States stay connected with their loved ones overseas in the Middle East as well as the devastating earthquakes in Afghanistan. Effective retroactively from October 7 through October 20,
- Postpaid consumer, business wireless and residential landline customers: Verizon will waive international long-distance charges for calls and texts to Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. In addition, Verizon will waive international roaming and data charges for customers traveling in these regions.
- For prepaid customers, Verizon will waive international long-distance charges on calls to Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
As the VLC shared, our solidarity is and will always be with all victims and anyone affected by these devastating events. And it’s important to remember how this crisis impacts us all, especially V Teamers who are part of these communities and have personal ties to Israel and Gaza.
Please know you are not alone. We are here for you.
If you need any additional support, our Employee Assistance Program is available to all employees 24/7.
World Mental Health Day
Raquel and Jen provided a recap from last week’s happenings. Last Tuesday, the Up To Speed team shared some examples of how they take care of their mental health for World Mental Health day. From singing to breathing exercises, there are plenty of ways to prioritize our mental health.
Atlantic South Consumer Market
Last week, Up To Speed was live in Alpharetta, Georgia, as part of our UTS on the Road Again Tour. Chief Human Resources Officer Sam Hammock and Retail VP and Work Forward Engagement Lead Shawn Alexander shared more on the vision for our Work Forward Engagement hubs and Sam shared a rundown of all the important HR Happenings in October.
Raquel caught up with Retail VP Shawn Alexander, who shared more about the Atlantic South consumer market. Shawn said that when it comes to what makes the Atlantic South Market unique, it’s because they’re “creative and scrappy” and are “out to focus on what we can control, how we can deliver that to our teams, and really putting the power of execution back down to the field level.” V Teamers in that region are “really elevating the way that we come to our customers.”
SMB Days
Small Business Days are back! Chief Revenue Officer for Verizon Business Markets and Saas Aparna Khurjekar joined Raquel and Jen to explain what these days mean for our business customers.
Aparna spoke fondly about just how much we at Verizon “love our small and medium businesses.” Last year, small businesses were established at a rate that is three times more than the population growth in the US. This growth means that SMBs need “to compete in a world with technology,” and are actively seeking connectivity, cybersecurity, collaboration tools and cloud solutions – the “four Cs.”
Aparna explained that SMB days are meant to celebrate these individuals and companies and “drum up the excitement through a lot of above-the-line discussions that we have with the small and medium businesses,” from prizes, NFL hookups and more. We even offer promos for connectivity, fixed wireless access, phones, and more.
The fourth annual State of Small Business Survey launched last week, ahead of SMB days. Aparna said that among the findings, “there is still a lot of tightening of the belt” among small and medium businesses. The good news: “they’re investing in the right place,” including with connectivity, which Verizon provides. They’re also adopting AI to connect with customers, along with for their operations and security.
Aparna reiterated that all of our SMB offerings are so that we can be there for these loyal customers and support them as they grow.
Meta Quest 3 Headset
George from George Talks Tech popped in to Up To Speed to show off the brand new Meta Quest 3 VR headset available right now for Verizon customers and employees – and by his own account, he’s “blown away by the improvements.”
There’s a lot to love about the new Meta Quest, from its graphic bump for gameplay, a slimmer design, and a legit pass through for mixed reality gaming to see the room around you in high definition color and interact with it in certain games. With a 360-degree environment, Meta Quest offers real augmented reality that offers the freedom to move around while playing, without worrying about hitting something.
The Meta Quest 3, according to George, is “absolutely worth the upgrade if you want a hardcore virtual gaming system right now. And it's a great compliment to Verizon Fios and Verizon home internet.” Visit verizon.com now for more information, or pick one up in select Verizon stores.
Coconut Grove Miami Store Opening
Our Verizon team, alongside the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Miami Dolphins alumni Nat Moore, Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders and local community leaders, recently attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at our newest retail location in Miami.
The store is over 2,200 square feet and is now open at 2720 S. Dixie Highway in Coconut Grove.
This store opening comes on the heels of Verizon’s recent $1 billion dollar Florida network investment, bringing additional coverage, capacity and new technologies to the state.
Records Compliance
Now is a great time to refresh your memory on our policies and procedures for record management given that it’s Records Compliance Week. Without regular review and tidying up, managing massive amounts of documents can become overwhelming and expose Verizon to unnecessary risk, so we encourage you to set aside some time to review your electronic and hard copy files.
To learn more about records compliance guidelines and best practices, go to the Learning Portal pathway, “2023 Records Compliance Week.” All V Teamers who complete the pathway by December 31 will earn an Inside Verizon “Records Practitioner” badge.
Breast Cancer Promo
Join us tomorrow at 11 AM ET for a very special Breast Cancer Awareness event, featuring a distinguished Panel of Speakers from BreastCancer.org, Susan G Komen as well as fellow V Teamers who will share their personal stories.
