Hometown Heroes: Q&A with Rock Paper Scissors in Charlottesville, VA
Read our Q&A with Rock Paper Scissors to find out what their experience has been like since switching to Ting Business Fiber.
While residential Ting Internet provides homes with an incredibly powerful internet connection, we know that entrepreneurs committed to growing their businesses need certain tools and extra support. That’s why we offer Business Fiber Internet with features like static IPs, 24/7 customer support and uptime/bandwidth availability guarantees.1
Small businesses are the backbone of towns and cities throughout the nation. It’s been amazing to hear some of the unique stories behind the incredible businesses we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know in each Ting town. That’s why we’re excited to share some of those stories and find out what their experience has been like since switching to Ting Business Fiber!
Customer since: 2014
Co-owner: Heather Haynie
Tell us a bit about the history of your business.
Rock Paper Scissors was started in 2002 by the one and only Amy Gardner of Scarpa. My business partner Dani Antol and I purchased Rock Paper Scissors back in 2010. I spent my childhood writing letters to grandparents and friends overseas, and so I've always had a love of letter writing which is what initially drew me to the business. I was also a fan of Rock Paper Scissors, so when the opportunity became available to purchase the business, Dani and I jumped at it.
What makes Charlottesville a great place for this sort of business?
Charlottesville is an amazing place to start a business for a million reasons. But first and foremost is the community. They are so incredible. They really get behind small and locally owned business. We also feel the support for women-owned businesses. It's just a really great place to be, and I can't imagine being anywhere else.
“Ting came right away and fixed the only issue we’ve had very easily. It was a very simple and pleasant customer service experience!”
How has your business changed since you switched to Ting and fiber internet?
As a self-professed Luddite, I cannot speak to speeds of fiber internet. What I can speak to is running two point-of-sale systems on our upfront computers. They do a fair amount of checkout work constantly, we stream our music for the store—whatever internet needs we have, there’s never a problem. We also have our design computers in the back. We need to send and receive large design files—wedding invitations, stationery designs, holiday cards and more. These are very large design files that can really, in theory, clog up a system. So again, while I can't speak to specific numbers, I know that we run a pretty hefty load on the internet, and Ting does a great job for us.
Have you ever had to call customer support?
I believe there was only one time when we had to call customer service, and Ting came right away and fixed the issue very easily. It was a very simple and pleasant customer service experience!
Has Ting been a good community partner, and if so, how?
I love how Ting gives back to the community. The first thing that comes to mind is their sponsorship of the Ting Pavilion sponsoring concerts. I think that we're lucky to live in a town with so much culture and music and so many events. Having this space gives the community a place to come together and support each other and get to know one another. I think it’s really invaluable.
Can you tell us a bit about your products and their environmentally friendly nature?
Sure. One of the things I love about the cards that we carry is that many of them are Forest Stewardship Council certified, meaning the paper comes from responsibly managed forests that protect both trees and workers. Many others are 100% cotton, meaning no trees were used in their manufacture at all. In both cases, there is positive environmental impact.
And what about the artists designing your cards?
It's it's important to shop local as well as support small businesses. The brands that we buy from may or may not be based in Charlottesville, but most of them are “mom and pop shops”—two people working in a basement in Ohio or California or Washington state. By giving these small businesses a place to sell their products, we can have a big impact on their lives.
This is just one of many stories we hear from our customers about how Ting Internet has made their business more competitive, efficient and easy to manage.
Ready to supercharge your business? Get started today!
1. Uptime and bandwidth availability guarantees available with Enterprise Fiber package only.
