November 25, 2010

Wireless Zone widens
Al Pellecchia and his team at the Wireless Zone in Raymond provide an extra dose of customer service that the big retailers can’t, he says.

“These products are so sophisticated,” Pellecchia said. “They really need more than just a quick introduction.”

Pellecchia opened his newest Wireless Zone franchise in Raymond in July. Wireless Zone (www.wirelesszone.com), a division of Automotive Technologies, Inc, was founded in 1988 as the “The Car Phone Store,” and has grown to include more than 400 shops. The company carries cell phones and accessories.

“We want to be the local wireless professional for the community,” said Sean Fitzgerald, Wireless Zone’s vice president of franchise development. “The beauty of Wireless Zone being a franchise organization is that it’s all locally owned and operated businesses. We want the franchises to be ingrained in the community. Towns have trusted sources, a butcher, a deli. We want to be that for the wireless industry.”

“Things are going wonderful,” Pellecchia said. “People are seeing the benefits of shopping with the local guy.” Pellecchia is originally from Somerville, Mass., and has resided in Milford for the last six years.

“What we do differently, the reason why we’re successful, is that our number-one focus is customer service,” Pellecchia said, adding the Verizon network consists of about 92 million people. “It’s so large it can’t support the customer service levels, so the local guys, the franchisees, focus in on customer service.”

“There’s so many phones and ... people are going to have questions,” Fitzgerald added. “It’s a complex sales process, getting the right phone and the right plan and the right accessories — that’s complex for a lot of people.”

Pellecchia’s team is considering a few locations for future expansion and it’s hoping to open a new franchise in March. —J.M.