Ale Mercado: using Sure Signal to save time & money
Alé Mercado is a self-employed illustrator and graphic designer who moved with his family to the Kilkenny countryside in search of a better quality of life.
I can't emphasise enough the difference Sure Signal has made to my working life
Alé Mercado, illustrator & graphic designer
How did Vodafone partner with Alé?
Award winning illustrator Alé Mercado thought country life would allow his creativity to flow and benefit his design practice. However, his business began to suffer when he found out he couldn't get a mobile phone signal in his studio.
"As an illustrator I rely heavily on technology. I need my computer so that I can create graphics and illustrations, I need my phone to talk to clients and I need broadband so that I can send artwork quickly and cost-effectively to clients and printers.
"Suddenly I had a problem. The thick stone walls meant that I didn't have a mobile phone signal in my studio. In fact, we didn't have one at all inside unless you stood very still in one corner on a dry and calm day or went outside!
"This meant that I was no longer able to talk to a client on the mobile phone and look at my computer screen at the same time. I like to operate a 'paperless' office but because of this I was having to print out everything so that I didn't need to look at the screen, or rely on memory. Also, I'm sure that I was missing calls too. My clients were understanding, but I felt it made me look unprofessional."
Vodafone Sure Signal to the rescue
Sure Signal uses a broadband line to provide strong mobile phone coverage throughout a building where the phone signal is weak. When Alé first heard about it, he assumed it wouldn't work for him, but happily was proved wrong.
"The first thing is that the Sure Signal box was really easy to install. It worked straight away and I now have a signal throughout my house even in bad weather. I can't emphasise enough the difference Sure Signal has made to my working life."
Ale is now able to deal with clients from the comfort of his own studio and no longer has to worry about missed calls.
"Until we got Sure Signal I felt that I was making so many compromises to live in the country. Now, I simply look out of the window and remember why we wanted to live here in the first place. The fact I've almost forgotten how bad things were before Sure Signal is a sign of how good it is."
More information
Read the full story about Alé Mercado and Vodafone (925 KB / PDF)
To see what we can do for your business, talk to your Vodafone Account Manager, or email businesscare@vodafone.ie