Mix & Match and the Match-elor. By Inside Verizon

>>PREVIOUSLY ON THE MATCH-ELOR. >> I'VE GOT IT ALL. MOVIES, TV, JUST GRAB SOME POPCORN AND LET'S WATCH TOGETHER. >> YEAH... WELL I'VE GOT ALL THAT AND MUSIC TOO. >> SHOW OFF.

>> YEAH... WELL I'M NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS. >> WHY WOULD YOU WANT ALL THAT? GET SOMETHING BASIC, LIKE ME. >> LOOK... I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY OF THIS, BUT I'LL MAKE TIME FOR YOU.

>> GUYS, I THOUGHT WE WERE HERE TO TALK ABOUT MIX AND MATCH? THIS IS LOOKING A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR. >> IT SHOULD, TYLER. YOU'RE LOOKING FOR LOVE AND NOW YOU'RE ON THE MATCH-ELOR. GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO UP TO SPEED. WE'RE JOINED BY TYLER CAMERON, ONE OF OUR FAVORITE CONTESTANTS ON ONE OF OUR FAVORITE DATING SHOWS.

TYLER'S JOINED US BECAUSE A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME HE'S LOOKING FOR A NEW PLAN AND WE HAVE A NEW QUIZ AT VERIZON. COM THAT HELPS YOU PICK THE PERFECT PLAN FOR YOU. TYLER, ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE QUIZ? >> I'M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH MY CURRENT COMPANY. I HEAR VERIZON HAS SOME COOL NEW PLANS WITH THIS MIX AND MATCH, SO... I KNOW HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH, SO... I'M READY TO SEE WHAT PLAN'S RIGHT FOR ME.

>> THAT'S GREAT TYLER. FIRST QUESTION... WHAT'S YOUR DREAM DATE? TALK UNTIL THE SUNRISE? PAINT AND CHAT? PLAY VIDEO GAMES? DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY? OR EXPLORE A NEW PLACE? >> WELL... IF YOU KNOW ME, YOU KNOW I LIKE TO DANCE, SO... MY DREAM DATE IS GOING TO BE US DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY.

>> WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST DEAL BREAKER? COUCH POTATOES? SLOW TEXT RESPONDERS? OVERSPENDERS? SECRET BINGE WATCHERS? OR CURFEWS? >> BEING AS ACTIVE AS I AM, I CAN'T HAVE ANY COUCH POTATOES, CHRIS. >> I CAN RELATE. NOW... AS WE MOVE ON, THE NEXT QUESTION, PRETEND IT'S DINNER TIME, WHAT SHOULD WE ORDER? A NICE SALAD? WINGS FOR THE GAME? POPCORN FOR TV? PIZZA? OR FEED ME CARBS? >> I'M A BIG CHICKEN WING GUY. I JUST WON A CHICKEN WING COMPETITION ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BEAT SNOOP DOGG, BEAT THE SHAQ, SO... TO SHOW OFF FOR THIS LADY, I'LL HAVE TO SHOW HER MY CHICKEN WINGS. >> OOH... SAUCY. NEXT QUESTION... HOW DO YOU SHOW YOU CARE? DO YOU MAKE A PLAYLIST? OR DO YOU JUST SAY IT? DO YOU SEND A GIFT? DO YOU SHARE CANDY? OR DO YOU CREATE A VIDEO? >> SO... THE WAY I SHOW HOW I CARE IS BY RUNNING AWAY.

NO... BUT FOR REAL -- I LET IT COME FROM THE HEART AND THEN I JUST SAY IT, YOU KNOW? I JUST TELL YOU HOW I FEEL. LET YOU KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING BEAUTIFUL. >> NEXT ONE, WHICH MOVIE CATEGORY DESCRIBES YOUR FIRST LOVE? ROMANTIC COMEDY? THRILLER? DRAMA? EW, NO THANKS OR FAIRYTALE? >> MOVIE THAT DESCRIBES MY FIRST LOVE IS DEFINITELY A ROMCOM. IT WAS A LITTLE LOVEY-DOVEY, LITTLE BIT OF A HEARTBREAK, BUT VERY CHEESY.

THAT'S HOW I ROLL. >> TYLER, IT'S TIME TO MEET YOUR MATCH. YOU SHOULD GET PLAY MORE UNLIMITED. IT'S ALL HERE. MOVIE MAGIC, AWARD-WINNING TV AND GRIPPING SPORTS CONTENT.

AT YOUR FINGERTIPS WITH A DISNEY BUNDLE, DISNEY PLUS, HULU AND ESPN PLUS, ALL INCLUDED. YOU CAN STREAM THE BEST ENTERTAINMENT WITH PREMIUM NETWORK ACCESS AND SHARE YOUR CONNECTION WITH UNLIMITED HOT SPOT DATA AND GET SIX MONTHS OF APPLE MUSIC ON US. >> YOU KNOW, CHRIS, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLAN. I THINK THE PLAY MORE UNLIMITED WILL REALLY HELP MY LOVE LIFE, YOU KNOW? I CAN WATCH THIS IS US ON HULU AND GET ALL SAPPY ROMANTIC AND THEN I CAN WATCH YOU KNOW... HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL ON DISNEY PLUS, ONE THROUGH THREE, KNOCK IT ALL OUT WITH HER.

THEN WE GOT ESPN PLUS, SO ON SATURDAYS, WE CAN WATCH FOOTBALL TOGETHER AND THEN, IF THINGS ARE GOING REALLY WELL, I CAN SEND HER A NICE LITTLE ROMANTIC PLAYLIST THROUGH MY APPLE MUSIC APP I'VE GOT NOW. SO... I THINK MY LOVE LIFE WILL FINALLY FIGURE ITSELF OUT, THAT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU, CHRIS. SO I APPRECIATE YOU BIG TIME. >> IT'S BEEN OUR PLEASURE, TYLER.

AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO KATIE FOR AN ENLIGHTENING CONVERSATION WITH RONAN ON MIX AND MATCH AND A NUMBER OF OTHER TOPICS. TAKE IT AWAY, KATIE. >>THAT WAS TYLER CAMERON FINDING HIS PERFECT MATCH, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE UP TO SPEED TEAM. IT'S AN EXCITING WEEK IN THE VERIZON CONSUMER GROUP - SO I'VE GOT RONAN DUNNE, WHO LEADS THAT ORGANIZATION HERE WITH US TODAY. RONAN, GOOD TO HAVE YOU, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE.

>> IT HAS, KATIE, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. ALWAYS GREAT TO BE ON UP TO SPEED. >> SO... RONAN, TODAY, A BIG DAY WITH A LAUNCH OF MIX AND MAX 3.0. WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL FOR CUSTOMERS AND WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM THE MIX AND MAX OFFERINGS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST? >> RONAN: THE GREAT THING IS THAT MIX AND MAX AS A CONCEPT HAS REALLY ATTRACTED OUR CUSTOMERS.

IT'S REALLY LIT THEIR INTEREST AND ATTENTION AND OUR PROSPECTS TOO. SO... BASICALLY, THE IDEA OF MIX AND MATCH IS THAT WE CREATE REAL VALUE WHERE THE VALUES STAND OUT IN THE SEGMENT. WHY? BECAUSE WE BRING YOU MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT AND LESS OF WHAT YOU DON'T. AND THE WAY WE REALLY LAUNCHED THAT INITIALLY, WE INTRODUCED APPLE MUSIC.

WE THEN, BUILT ON TOP OF THAT WITH OUR FIRST DEAL WITH DISNEY. SO... WE'RE NOW IN THE THIRD GENERATION OF MIX AND MATCH AN THE GOOD NEWS IS, IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER. SO... TODAY, WE'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DISNEY.

NOT JUST DISNEY PLUS, BUT NOW YOU CAN ENJOY HULU AND ESPN PLUS ON US. WHAT A BETTER WAY TO ENJOY THOSE EXTRA TIME THAT YOU'RE SPENDING, MAYBE AT HOME, WHEN YOU'RE WORKING FROM HOME. SO... A LITTLE EXTRA ARE DISTRACTION FOR YOU, WITH A LITTLE MORE TO WATCH AT HOME. BUT ALSO, THE PRODUCT ITSELF IS BEING ENHANCED.

THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU -- THERE'S BETTER DEALS ON CONNECTED DEVICES. THERE'S MORE DATA BENEFITS. SO... EVERYTHING GETS BETTER AND ALL PART OF THE OPPORTUNITY OF GIVING CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY TRULY VALUE AND DON'T FORGET, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VALUE, WE TALK ABOUT QUALITY, EXPERIENCE, AND CHOICE, SO A GREAT WAY OF ENHANCING ALL THOSE BENEFITS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. >> KATIE: ABSOLUTELY.

AS THE MOM OF TWO YOUNG ONES, I'M EXCITING THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO PARTNER WITH DISNEY AND DISNEY PLUS IS A BIG HIT IN THE HOUSE OVER HERE. WITH THIS WEEK'S ANNOUNCEMENT, WE'RE DOING NEW THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO LAUNCHING AN OFFERING LIKE THIS IN THE MARKETPLACE. TELL US ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS WE'VE DONE THIS TIME AROUND? >> ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE'VE BUILT DURING THE RECENT MONTHS, CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC, WE CREATED A NEW ROLE FOR UP TO SPEED. WE STARTED TAKING UP TO SPEED OUTSIDE THE FIREWALL, WHAT WE REALIZED, IT WASN'T JUST OUR EMPLOYEES WHO WERE LISTENING AND WATCHING, OUR CUSTOMERS WERE, OUR SHAREHOLDERS WERE, INVESTORS WERE, ANALYSTS WERE, SO... NOW WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE UP TO SPEED AS A TOOL IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS, SO OUR EMPLOYEES HEAR IT FIRST AND EXACTLY THE SAME TIME WE GIVE IT TO INTERESTED THIRD PARTIES, THE MEDIA, ET CETERA.

THAT WAS A GREAT NEW INITIATIVE WE WERE ABLE TO LAUNCH IN UP TO SPEED. THE OTHER THING WE DID WAS A BILINGUAL LAUNCH. THAT OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE WITHIN OUR BASE AND WITHIN OUR AMBITION, TO DELIVER THE SAME SORT OF EXPERIENCE AND QUALITY TO OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE CUSTOMERS, WHO ARE HUGELY WELL-REPRESENTED BY FABULOUS BILINGUAL CAPABILITIES THAT WE HAVE IN RETAIL, BUT... WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE ALSO ENHANCING OUR BROADER COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, SO... YOU WILL HAVE SEEN MUCH OF OUR ADVERTISING IN SPANISH AS WELL AS OUR SUPPORTED RETAIL BUT... NOW, MAKING THIS A BILINGUAL LAUNCH, ANOTHER FIRST FOR US.

AND SO... WE'VE ALSO BEEN EXPANDING OUT ON THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT WILL SUPPORT THIS GREAT NEW MIX AND MATCH SERIES AS WELL. SO... IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO BROADEN OUT THE CONVERSATION. >> BEYOND IT BEING A BIG WEEK ON OUR UPDATED UNLIMITED PLANS, IT'S A BIG WEEK ON THE DEVICE FRONT TOO.

WHAT'S GOING ON? >> EVERY WEEK IS A BIG WEEK FOR VERIZON CUSTOMERS. DON'T FORGET THAT ALREADY, IN RECENT WEEKS, WE REFRESHED OUR PLANS FOR PREPAID CUSTOMERS AND METERED PLANS AND NOW, TOPPING THAT OUT WITH MIX AND MATCH 3.0. BUT... WHAT BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE THAT, BY ALSO EXPANDING OUT THE RANGE OF AMAZING 5G DEVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN THAT SOME, SOME HAS BEEN IN THE VANGUARD, SINCE WE BROUGHT THE FIRST 5G DEVICES LAST YEAR AND SO... IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE AMAZING S20 ADDED TO THE PORTFOLIO.

BUT... NOT TO BE OUT DONE, WE BROUGHT THIS AMAZING GREAT VALUE OFFERING FROM LG, WHICH IS CALLED THE LG VELVET, ALSO AVAILABLE IN A SPECIAL UNIQUE EXCLUSIVE TO VERIZON, AURORA RED. IF YOU FANCY THAT. BUT... THIS IS A CAMERA THAT BRINGS ALL OF THE BEST SPEC, BUT BRINGS IT AT A FABULOUSLY ATTRACTIVE PRICE, AS WELL.

SO... THOSE ARE TWO GREAT ADDITIONS TO OUR EXPANDING, AND INCREASING 5G FAMILY. >> KATIE: ABSOLUTELY. SO... YESTERDAY ON UP TO SPEED, WE HIGHLIGHTED, AGAIN, THE VERIZON VISA CARD AND SOME OF THE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH THAT.

WE'RE A COUPLE WEEKS POST-LAUNCH AT THIS POINT. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW IT'S GOING? HOW IT'S DOING? AND ANY FAVORITE PERKS YOU'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOURSELF? >> GREAT QUESTION -- I'LL LET YOU ALL INTO A LITTLE SECRET. BRADY CONNOR, WHO RUNS INVESTOR RELATIONS, AND I HAVE A CODE. WHEN HE ASKS ME TO COMMENT ON SOMETHING WHERE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DISCLOSE THE SPECIFICS, I CAN SAY YES I'M PLEASED OR I CAN SAY I'M MORE THAN PLEASED. SO... ALL I CAN SAY IS I'M MORE THAN PLEASED WITH HOW SUCCESSFUL THE LAUNCH OF THE CREDIT CARD HAS BEEN.

IT HAS REALLY SPARKED THE INTEREST OF OUR CUSTOMERS. WE GAVE VERY CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO THE APPROPRIATENESS AND THE TIMING OF LAUNCHING A CREDIT CARD IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT AND THE REASON WE WERE SO CONFIDENT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS BECAUSE IT ADDRESSES REAL VALUE FOR MONEY. IN OTHER WORDS... THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE ON THINGS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND MONEY ON ANYWAY. LIKE THE FABULOUS VERIZON SERVICES THAT YOU'RE TAKING FROM US, AS WELL AS THINGS LIKE FOOD, DINING OUT, OR TAKEAWAY.

SO... THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT IS, IT GIVES YOU GREAT EVERY DAY VALUE, BUT IT ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE AND BUILD A CURRENCY OF VERIZON DOLLARS THAT MEANS YOU CAN GET EVEN MORE VALUE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH VERIZON OR THE WIDEST RANGE OF OTHER THINGS, WHEN YOU REDEEM YOUR VERIZON DOLLARS SO... WE'RE ABSOLUTELY THRILLED AND EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO BRING ENHANCED VALUE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. MIX AND MATCH, CREDIT CARD, REALLY, REALLY ATTRACTIVE DEVICES ARE ALL PART OF THE PRODUCTSET WHERE WE BRING THE BEST OF VERIZON'S PURCHASING CAPABILITY AND BRAND CAPABILITY TO ATTRACT THE VERY BEST PARTNERS WHO BRING THE BEST TO VERIZON'S CUSTOMERS. >> SPEAKING OF ADDING THAT ADDITIONAL VALUE, WE RECENTLY LAUNCHED A FRIENDS AND FAMILY PROGRAM WITHIN THE GROUP, SO... TELL US, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS THE, BEHIND THAT? HOW ARE WE FEELING ABOUT THAT SO FAR? >> YOU KNOW THE WAY HANS ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT THE FACT THAT IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, AT THAT DINNER PARTY OR BARBECUE, THERE'S A FEW THINGS TO SAY -- WE WANT TO BE THE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE AND IF WE REALLY HAVE THAT AS AN AMBITION... THEN IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT OUR EMPLOYEES WOULD WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF BEING A VERIZON CUSTOMER.

WHAT ABOUT GOING ONE STEP FURTHER AND SAYING, NOT ONLY LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE BENEFITS, BUT... LET ME GIVE YOU ADDED BENEFITS THROUGH OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY PROGRAM. SO... WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A PERFECT ADJUNCT -- A PERFECT EXTENSION TO THE RELATIONSHIP THAT EMPLOYEES HAVE WITH THE COMPANY, ITSELF AND GIVES THEM ONE MORE THING THAT BRINGS VALUE TO THEM AND TO THEIR LOVED ONES, IN A WORLD WHERE WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT CONNECTIVITY AND THE RELIABILITY OF CONNECTIVITY IS TO EVERYONE THESE DAYS. WHETHER IT'S WORK, PLAY, STUDY AT HOME OR OUT AND ABOUT.

IT WAS A PERFECT TIME TO EXTENDS THE BENEFITS THAT EMPLOYEES COULD OFFER TO THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. >> KATIE: I WANTED TO TURN OUR ATTENTION FOR A MOMENT TO OUR RETAIL STORE. SO... EARLIER ON, AS WE WERE YOU KNOW, BEGINNING TO DEAL WITH THE COVID PANDEMIC, WE PUT IN PLACE SOME PRACTICES AROUND WHAT WE CALL TOUCHLESS RETAIL. THAT ALLOWED US TO BE THERE FOR CUSTOMERS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, KEEP THE SAFETY OF OUR EMPLOYEES AT THE FOREFRONT.

NOW THAT WE'RE SEVERAL MONTHS IN, HOW DOES TOUCHLESS RETAIL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE? AS IT'S LIKELY SOMETHING THAT'S HERE TO STAY, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS BIG WINS FOR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES THAT WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY FORWARD? >> RONAN: THE GREAT THING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE IN OUR RESPONSE IN RETAIL STORES TO THE PANDEMIC WAS THAT WE WERE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF RETAIL LOOKS LIKE. SO... KRISTA AND HER RETAIL TEAM WERE ABLE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH VIVEK AND THE TEAM WITH GTS AND SAY, YOU KNOW ALL THOSE PLANS THAT WE MADE FOR NEXT YEAR? WHAT ABOUT BRINGING SOME OF THOSE FORWARD? SO... THE GREAT NEWS IS, THAT NOW THE IDEA OF HAVING DIGITAL AT THE CORE, BEING ABLE TO ENHANCE AND ENRICH THE EXPERIENCE IN THE RETAIL STORES, WAS ALREADY PART OF OUR STRATEGY. SO... THINK OF TOUCHLESS AS NEXT GENERATION RETAIL.

AND WHAT WE'VE DONE, WE'VE GONE FURTHER NOW, WE'VE INTRODUCED ELEMENTS LIKE CURBSIDE, WHICH WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT, IN OUR INITIAL PLANNING, BUT... ALSO, THE IDEA OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE'D ALREADY BUILT, MANY YEARS AGO, FOR APPOINTMENTS. WE WERE ABLE TO USE THAT TO BRING PLANNING SO THAT WE COULD PLAN FOR FALL AND THEREFORE, MANAGE FROM A HEALTH AND SAFETY POINT OF VIEW. AND WE'RE ABLE TO USE EXACTLY THAT TO DO INSTANT APPOINTMENTS SO THAT CASUAL FOOTFALL THAT COMES TO THE STORES, WE CAN CHECK PEOPLE IN IN THAT WAY AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO EITHER JOIN THE QUEUE OR COME IN, IF THERE'S SPACE IN THE RETAIL STORE. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO USE THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE AND THE TOOLS THAT ARE IN DEVELOPMENT TO ENRICH THE TOOLS AND CAPABILITIES THAT OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE TO DELIVER GREAT EXPERIENCES TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

AND IT'S NOT JUST IN THE RETAIL STORE, IT'S ALSO THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT OUR TECHNICIANS WHO ARE SUPPORTING FIOS AND WE HAVE THIS TECH SHARE PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO ALLOW THE CUSTOMER AND THE TECH TO CO-BROWSE IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN HELP A CUSTOMER INSIDE THEIR HOME, EVEN IF THE TECHNICIAN ISN'T ABLE TO ENTER THE HOME BUT... WE'RE ALSO SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR RETAIL COLLEAGUES WHO ARE RETRAINED AND ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT CUSTOMER SERVICE DURING THE TIME WHEN MANY OF OUR RETAIL STORES WERE CLOSED. SO... KATIE, WHAT I'D SAY TO YOU IS, WE COME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC AND GO INTO THE NEW NORMAL. WE HAVE AN ENHANCED SET OF SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES WITHIN AND AROUND EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF THE TRAINING AND CROSS TRAINING AND WE'VE ENHANCED THE CAPABILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY THAT'S DEPLOYED IN THE SERVICE OF THE EMPLOYEES AS THEY SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS.

SO... I REALLY THINK WE HAVEN'T JUST SURVIVED IN COVID, WE'VE ACTUALLY THRIVED AND OUR CUSTOMERS WILL BE THE BENEFICIARIES AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL IN A SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT. >> KATIE: THANKS, RONAN. SO... SPEAKING OF SAFE AND SECURE, ONE OF THE TOPICS THAT TENDS TO PIQUE INTEREST ACROSS THE BOARD IS OF COURSE, ROBO CALLS.

YOU KNOW... I KNOW WE'VE HELPED CUSTOMERS AVOID, YOU KNOW, 6 BILLION ROBO CALLS FOR PROTECTING 75 MILLION CONSUMER BUSINESS AND PREPAID WIRELESS CALL LINES WITH CALL FILTER. WE'VE SEEN COMPETITORS MAKE SOME, SOME NEWS AND SOME NOISE, RECENTLY, AROUND THEIR PROGRESS WITH ROBO CALLING. WHERE DO WE STAND ON THIS? AND HOW DO OUR ACHIEVEMENTS STACK UP? HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO RAISE THE BAR? >> RONAN: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE, AS AN INDUSTRY, HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ROBO CALLING. IT'S ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE THAT ELEMENTS OF OUR RESPONSE ARE INDUSTRY-BASED.

SO... THAT MEANS, WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CTIA, WHO REPRESENT THE WIRELESS CARRIERS, WORKING WITH THE FCC, IN ORDER TO GET ADDITIONAL POWERS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO BE ABLE TO BLOCK CALLS AT NETWORK LEVEL. SO... I'M VERY COMFORTABLE TO SAY THAT THE COLLABORATION AND INSIDE THE INDUSTRY, IT'S FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL CUSTOMERS. WE'RE ALWAYS GOING ONE STEP FURTHER AND WHETHER IT BE THE APPROACH THAT WE'VE TAKEN UNIQUELY, I THINK, TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH APPLE, SO THAT INSIDE THE IOS ECOSYSTEM, THE CAPABILITIES OF OUR NETWORK CAN SUPPORT THE CAPABILITIES THAT APPLE HAVE INSIDE IOS TO GIVE AN EVEN BETTER EXPERIENCE TO APPLE CUSTOMERS, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN BUILDING OUR CALL FILTER CAPABILITIES INSIDE THE ANDROID ECOSYSTEM.

WE'RE LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED. WHAT I'D SAY IS WHILE I'M VERY PROUD OF EVERY CALL WE'VE STOPPED, SO FAR, AND THE NUMBERS GET BIGGER AND BIGGER, THIS IS A RELENTLESS, RELENTLESS FIGHT AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO, NOT JUST INVEST -- BUT LISTEN TO CUSTOMERS. BECAUSE... AS THE NATURE OF THE CHALLENGE CHANGES, WE NEED TO BE AGILE IN OUR RESPONSE ON BEHALF OF CUSTOMERS AND... REMEMBER, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE VERIZON BRAND -- WE THINK ABOUT TRUST AND INNOVATION AS CORE ELEMENTS AND QUALITIES OF THE BRAND.

AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS CAN TRUST US EVERY SINGLE DAY AND PROVING THAT WE WILL KILL THE SCOURGE OF SCAM AND ROBO CALLS, WE'LL BE ONE OF THE REASONS THEY TRUST US MORE THAN OTHERS. >> KATIE: WE COVERED A HOST OF TOPICS IN OUR VCG UPDATE TODAY. ANY FINAL THOUGHTS AS WE START TO WRAP UP TODAY? >> RONAN: CAN I JUST SAY A COUPLE THINGS? IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT'S QUITE RIGHT THAT WE HAVE HAD TO FOCUS ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGING IN OUR LANDSCAPE, LIKE THE PUBLIC HEALTH ENVIRONMENT, LIKE THE SOCIAL JUSTICE ENVIRONMENT, WHAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF IS THAT WE'VE KEPT CLOSE CONTACT WITH ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES, WE'VE KEPT THEM WITH SUPPORT, KATIE, OF YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES WITH UP TO SPEED, EVERY SINGLE DAY. BUT... WE'VE DELIVERED ON BEHALF OF OUR CUSTOMERS.

WE'VE DONE MORE TO REFRESH OUR ENTIRE SUITE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. THAN WE WOULD HAVE DONE IN A NORMAL YEAR, NEVERMIND THE FACT THAT WE WERE DOING IT IN THE FACE OF A PANDEMIC AND SOME OF THE MOST DREADFUL WEATHER WE'VE SEEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE SECOND THING I WANT TO DO IS GIVE A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO KYLE AND THE NETWORK TEAM FOR THE AMAZING WORK THEY'VE BEEN DOING TO KEEP PEOPLE CONNECTED DURING BOTH COVID, BUT... SPECIFICALLY IN THE RECENT WEEK OR TWO, DURING THE REALLY, REALLY TOUGH WEATHER THAT WE'VE HAD, BOTH IN THE SOUTH AND UP THE EAST COAST. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERY SINGLE PERSON INSIDE THE CONSUMER GROUP FOR BEING THERE, ON BEHALF OF EACH OTHER AND OUR CUSTOMERS, THIS YEAR.

YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE KILL TAKING OUT THERE ON THEIR BEHALF. I'M REALLY, REALLY PROUD FOR WHAT EVERYONE HAS DONE. I'M EVEN MORE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING DO IN H2. SO... THANK YOU.

>> KATIE: RONAN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY AND GIVING US AN UPDATE ON EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN VCG. I'M SURE WE'LL BE TALKING TO YOU AGAIN SOON. BEFORE WE WRAP IT UP TODAY, WE WANTED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF LAST WEEK'S UP TO SPEED CHALLENGE. WE ASKED YOU, HOW ARE WE PAYING IT FORWARD IN KANSAS CITY? AS PART OF ANDY'S STAYCATION ROAD TRIP? WE ARE USING OUR VZ CREDIT CARD AND DONATING $1,000 OF COFFEE AND PASTRIES FROM MESSENGER COFFEE TO NURSES AND DOCTORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CITY MEDICAL CENTER. SYLVIA HERNANDEZ FROM GLOBAL NETWORK AND TECHNOLOGY IS THE WINNER OF SOME UP TO SPEED SWAG AND HERE'S A NEW CHALLENGE FOR TODAY.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, ANDY CAUGHT UP WITH FRANK BOULBEN TO TALK ABOUT THESE NEW MIX AND MATCH PLANS, SO... FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THIS WEEK, TELL US, WHAT IS FRANK PLANNING TO WATCH ON DISNEY PLUS, HULU AND ESPN PLUS? SEND US AN E-MAIL AT LIVE@VERIZON. COM AND LET US KNOW. THAT'LL WRAP IT UP FOR US TODAY, HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY, EVERYONE, UNTIL NEXT TIME, YOU'RE UP TO SPEED.

Source : Inside Verizon