AT&T recevies F&S business continuity award

Two decades ago Lilly Tomlin made a name for herself playing the character of Ernestine, the rude AT&T customer service rep who verbally abused customers who called to complain about their phone service. She ended each call by saying: “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company.”

That was then. This is now. Frost & Sullivan has just presented AT&T (NYSE: T) with an award with a very long name: The 2007 North American Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Services Product Line Strategy Award. The award is presented each year to the company that demonstrates insight into customer needs and product demands in the area of business continuity and disaster recovery. Frost & Sullivan cited AT&T for having aligned its business continuity products with customer demands, and it highlighted AT&T’s successes with the introduction of new products, the ability to accommodate different market segments, and enhancements to its packaging, service, delivery, and financing of its product line. The company also took into consideration AT&T’s value-added services, strategic technology, and marketing acquisitions, as well as alliances that would benefit customers.

“AT&T offers one of the most robust business continuity and disaster recovery portfolios to enterprise customers,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Imran Khan. “The company’s geographic presence is expected to bring the benefits of its strong business continuity and disaster recovery product portfolio to enterprises of all sizes across the national and international markets.”

Ernestine, the telephone operator

In the early 1970s Lilly Tomlin played Ernestine, the AT&T phone operator, on Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In” on NBC. Seated behind an antique switchboard and looking like a fourth Andrew Sister, Ernestine mercilessly abused the phone company customers, then turned to the audience and chimed sweetly:

Here at the Phone Company we handle eighty-four billion calls a year. Serving everyone from presidents and kings to scum of the earth. We realize that every so often you can’t get an operator, for no apparent reason your phone goes out of order, or perhaps you get charged for a call you didn’t make. We don’t care. You see, this phone system consists of a multibillion-dollar matrix of space-age technology that is so sophisticated, even we can’t handle it. But that’s your problem, isn’t it? Next time you complain about your phone service, why don’t you try using two Dixie cups with a string. We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the Phone Company!