Ameritech - PCS Brochure Tech Writing [Seneca Design portfolio]

Ameritech Information Industry Services: PCS Brochure
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In the mid-90's, the "wholesale" division (Information Industry Services) of Ameritech needed an elegant, information-rich marketing packet to announce their new Personal Communication Services technology to the marketplace. Their target customers were the successful bidders of PCS bandwidth, which the FCC had just auctioned off. In other words, the big phone company was selling high-tech phone services to start-up cellular phone companies.

Anne-Marie was brought on by AIIS's outside design firm, Sitelis Design, to write the six brochures that would make up the bulk of the piece.

Handed a box of binders full of AIIS engineering reports as source material, she spent the next two weeks in a self-administered telecommunications crash course. The challenge was not just learning how PCS worked so she could write accurate copy, but also figuring out how much the reader (who assumably would already be familiar with the technology) still needed to learn about. Finally, like every good sales writer, she needed to learn which features would matter the most to the customer and put those across as solid benefits they'd understand and respond to.

Shown here is the cover for one of the brochures (top screen shot), and an inside spread from two of the six brochures she wrote (second and third screen shots). At the bottom of this page is a sample of the final copy from one of her brochures, "Overview."

The Ameritech PCS marketing packet won a Business Communications Award in 1997.

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Writing sample from the Ameritech PCS "Overview" brochure (one of the six brochures)

WE KNOW THE TERRITORY

Our confident approach to working in the new PCS environment springs from nearly a century of Ameritech’s experience as a telephone services provider and more than ten years as a cellular network provider in major metropolitan areas. Ameritech’s service area encompasses the heartland of the US: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We know PCS technology from experience, having managed one of the nation’s largest marketing and technical PCS trials. And you’ll be able to offer your subscribers the PCS services they want, when they want them, by employing our state-of-the-art Advanced Intelligent Network.

IN OTHER WORDS: If you need to jump-start your entrance into the competitive PCS market, leverage the power of Ameritech. By using our service platforms, you can bypass the costly and time-consuming process of installing your own. Our commitment to outstanding service, provided by expert telecom professionals 24 hours a day, provides you peace of mind and helps to ensure uninterrupted service. Our ASSIST PCSSM service package gives you what you need to succeed. Choose a company that not only knows the territory but has the realworld experience to prove it. Choose Ameritech.

TRANSPORT SERVICES

ASSIST PCSSM offers a full range of wireless transport services that provide you with flexible, cost-efficient, and above all, reliable high-speed connections:

• SONET: Synchronous Optical Network, for the fastest transmission speed and largest bandwidth available on the market

• DS3: Single multiplexed signal consolidation of 28 DS1 circuits, over fiber or microwave, for voice/data/video and switched services

• DS1: Dedicated end-to-end digital transport service, over fiber, copper, or microwave, for transmission or voice/data consolidation

To ensure protection in case of a failure of a primary facility, Ameritech can provide both local channel and inter-wire center diversity, as well as serving wire center avoidance. Our Automatic Protection Switch monitors your DS1 circuit(s), automatically switching to an alternate route when communication errors exceed a predetermined threshold.

ACCESS SERVICES

When you want an efficient access system to the Public Switched Telephone Network that combines the broadest calling scope with the most flexible services, choose ASSIST PCSSM.

• TYPE 2 SERVICE uses a dedicated trunkside connection between your switching center and an Ameritech access tandem (Type 2A) or an Ameritech end office (Type 2B). Type 2 provides broad, efficient access to a wide range of local and longdistance services, permits value-added service options, and gives you maximum control over your PCS network.

• TYPE 1 SERVICE is a dedicated line-side connection between your switching center and an Ameritech end office. Type 1 allows access to special service numbers, Intra- and InterLATA service, and 800 number databases.

To support these services, ASSIST PCSSM offers two leading edge technologies to help you get the most out of your network:

• SS7 (Signaling System 7), with its out-of-band signaling, will maximize your current trunk capacity and let you handle more calls.

• FIBER OPTIC MICROCELL INTERCONNECTIONS can be used to extend coverage from an existing cell site or establish a direct connection between a switch and a microcell. Offering your subscribers the greatest range of value-added capabilities for their PCS phone can give you a competitive edge in a demanding market. Your company’s bottom line will benefit from the increased usage revenue that goes hand-in-hand with Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) services.

VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

Services like Ameritech’s Voice-Activated Dialing, Voice Messaging, Calling Party Pays, and Personal Access Service (Personal Telephone Number with Call Screening) give your subscribers more options and enable them to optimize their calling flexibility and efficiency. Ameritech’s first generation wireless/wireline integration service, Track and Find, fulfills the promise of “Anytime, Anywhere.”

One of the most exciting new technologies is called Short Message Services. This product provides the ability to send and display alphanumeric messages on a digital cellular phone—with applications that can include e-mail, beeper notification, text to speech, call message delivery, and faxing services.

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