MetaSwitch eNews - January 2008

If you dial into the MetaSwitch to make phone calls, then you are familiar with the voice on the end of the line when you retrieve your voicemail, dial a number that is out of service or change your phone settings. You may have even run into that same voice on the MetaSwitch conference server or if you use Auto Attendant or Privacy Defender. Have you ever stopped and wondered about who it is on the line, always there to assist you in your time of need? The voice of MetaSwitch is our own Marie Mayer, a true pioneer who has been with the company since we set up shop in the Alameda office. In this edition of eNews, Editor Cory Boller sat down with Marie to discuss the magic of the voice, company growth and what it takes to be successful in telecommunications today.

Question: What is your experience in the telecom industry and what was your path to MetaSwitch?

I started in the telecom industry as a long distance operator for Illinois Bell. When divestiture happened, I became an AT&T employee. I stayed with AT&T until 1998 when the company was offering managers a nice package to leave. I decided it was time for new ventures.

I began doing regional recordings for AT&T on a whim. I had no experience with voice recordings at that point but was hand picked simply because they liked my voice!

I love karaoke! But I'm not sure we can incorporate that into the MetaSwitch. Wait, what about Music on Hold?

Question: How then, were you picked to be the voice of MetaSwitch? How long have you been doing the recordings?

One day John Lazar approached me and asked if I wouldn't mind making a few recordings and before long it turned into one of my regular responsibilities! I never thought that his simple request would turn into something that would eventually be used for all of our US deployments.

Right, I can't believe it. When we first started out I never thought we would be where we are in such a short period of time.

Question: You've seen MetaSwitch grow significantly over the years. How have things changed since you've started working for MetaSwitch?

I was one of the first employees hired in the Alameda office when it opened in 2000. At that time, there were only four of us in the office. I would often come to work and be the only one there for the day or a week because everyone else would be on the road at tradeshows or trying to make inroads with our first customers. It was very different for me having come from such a large company like AT&T. MetaSwitch was essentially a start-up at that point and I enjoyed seeing the rapid growth firsthand. Today we have 25 people in the Alameda office, 20 people in Reston and many salesmen and customer support engineers across the country. With our colleagues in the UK our numbers have swelled to 400 strong.

It's a tremendous change - where do I start? Everyone has a cell phone - I don't know many people who have a regular landline in their home anymore. You can surf the net, download music, check email on your cell phone. I just heard AT&T has gotten out of the public phone business. Who uses a pay phone anymore - I can't even remember the last time I saw one.

Question: We are hooked up to a MetaSwitch in the Alameda office. How does it feel to hear your voice on the other end of the line?

I really didn't like it at first, it was very strange. Although I've become used to it, I can be critical about the recordings and at times I wish I would have recorded certain ones a bit differently.

Question: Do you ever get mad or frustrated with yourself when you hear your voice on the other end of the line?

Question: Have you ever thought about changing your voice just to throw everybody off? Perhaps pretending to be Mrs. Claus during the Christmas season or throwing in a thick New York accent?

No, I'm pretty serious when I record. I have to concentrate otherwise I can't get through the scripts.

Not until lately. I'd love to pursue a voiceover career, but I think I'll keep my day job.

METASWITCH eNEWS - JANUARY 2008

Marie Mayer, The Voice of MetaSwitch