Voice Recognition

My first paying magazine job was answering phones at a truck magazine. It's been eight years, but I still remember the very first call:

"Hey, y'all did this issue, maybe two years ago, with a bright blue truck on the cover? Well, I got that same Corporate 10-bolt, and--can I talk to the editor?"

Talk to the editor? This person had received his monthly magazine, got to thinking he needed some advice and then--and this was the part that left me momentarily speechless--instead of calling his buddy, he'd flipped to the masthead, looked up the office number and called it--called me! Who did he think he was to suppose that the editor--a guy who hadn't said five words to me--could be his direct personal resource?

He must have taken my silence as a bad sign because he added, "And hey--I'm calling long distance, so please don't put me on hold."

What on that first day I considered audacity (I, who as a girl was so shy it embarrassed me to raise my hand in class) I can these days appreciate as some pretty proactive savvy. After a dozen more similar calls, it was clear to me what a boon it was to those editors to have such a direct link to their readers. When they liked something, we heard about it; when they wanted to know something, we heard about it; and when they were appalled that someone would swap a Chevy LT-1 into a Toyota Extra-Cab, well, the letters poured in.

As the new editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise, I hope you're already well aware of what I had been too green that day to understand: I am here for you. There's nothing I want more for this magazine than to have you consider it a true resource for all of your mobile solution needs, whether you're considering an implementation, deep into a rollout or just want to keep up to date. The more thoughts, requests and criticisms I hear from you, the better I can meet your needs. So please, drop me a line or give me a call. I'll even accept the charges.

Michelle Maisto
michellem@mobileenterprisemag.com