Please give your thoughts & feedback

[Chris Martin]

Hi All

I wanted to get your thoughts on our new product that we have launched. Its is designed with small to medium sized businesses and home workers in mind.

Its called switchboardfree and is completely free to use it can be found at www.switchboardfree.co.uk The service enables businesses to have their own virtual switchboard with free non-geographic numbers that can route to multiple locations i.e. your home, office, garden shed etc!

You configure your switchboard to include things like intro message, on hold music and where your numbers route to etc.

It has voicemail to email functionality and we even email you the customers number if you miss their call, so you can call them back. Great customer services tool. Have a lok and tell me your thoughts. If you want one, feel free to set one up and no rental!, if you want to resell it and make some money via revenue share let me know.

WWW.SWITCHBOARDFREE.CO.UK

[uksbc]

hi chris,

following our pm earlier i have set up an account with the switchboard and have to say that i am impressed

the last company who wanted me to add this type of thing to our portfolio was charging £300 set up fee!!

i will email you later to discuss in more detail but as for others on the forum who are tempted to try it i would highly recommend it so far

:D

[Cornish Steve]

Hi All

I wanted to get your thoughts on our new product that we have launched. Its is designed with small to medium sized businesses and home workers in mind.

Its called switchboardfree and is completely free to use it can be found at www.switchboardfree.co.uk The service enables businesses to have their own virtual switchboard with free non-geographic numbers that can route to multiple locations i.e. your home, office, garden shed etc!

You configure your switchboard to include things like intro message, on hold music and where your numbers route to etc.

It has voicemail to email functionality and we even email you the customers number if you miss their call, so you can call them back. Great customer services tool. Have a lok and tell me your thoughts. If you want one, feel free to set one up and no rental!, if you want to resell it and make some money via revenue share let me know.

WWW.SWITCHBOARDFREE.CO.UK

As a matter of interest, how do you make your money if the service is free?

[KM-Tiger]

As a matter of interest, how do you make your money if the service is free?
By ripping off people who dial the 0870 and 0871 numbers. Anyone dialing them will be paying much more than the rate for a geographic call.

OFCOM has consultation in place to end this practice, and in particular to re-classify 0871 under the same rules as 09 numbers. See:-

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2005/09/nr_20050928

and other docs referred to here:-

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1127944230

[TWD-Tony]

Ooh - That's interesting...

How much will people calling these numbers be paying per minute :?:

[KM-Tiger]

How much will people calling these numbers be paying per minute :?:

It's not very easy to find out. BT's standard residential rates are here:-

http://www.bt.com/Pricing/pis_info.jsp?PRICE_OPTION=Residential/PIS_UK_Calls/PIS_UK_Call_Prices&showsub=PIS_Residential&showsub2=PIS_UK_Calls&showsub3=PIS_UK_Call_Prices&showsub=PIS_Residential&showsub2=PIS_UK_Calls&showsub3=PIS_UK_Call_Prices&obsType=LINK&obsOID=30195&vStore=1314&obsPage=/Pricing/call_pricer.jsp&obsNoSee=Y

and the Business rates here:-

http://www.bt.com/Pricing/pis_info.jsp?PRICE_OPTION=Business/PISB_Specialised_Numbers/innertext/&showsub=PIS_Business&showsub2=PISB_Specialised_Numbers&c_index=08

The problem is that these numbers are often excluded from any discount plan, or inclusive minutes. I usually actually pay about 1p/min for landline calls, so to dial an 0870 number will cost me nearly 600% more!

A real cure for insomnia is to use this part of the BT Price list:-

http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/current/docs/Call_Charges.boo/16321.htm

to try to work out what an 0871 number will really cost!

[annethedonn]

but I object to dialling 0870 nos out of principle myself so I wouldn't expect my customers to. I also don't like waiting in a queue, or having to press nos for this, nos for that. I like the old fashioned person on the end of the phone.

I have to say that BT have the worst answering service which sends you around the houses until you finally get through to the wrong dept. and have to start all over again lol.

[DuaneJackson]

A tip for when calling BT. Just press the button for complaints.

They wont let you make a complaint, but they will deal with your issue very quickly and efficiently.

It seems that if you work at a BT call centre and you are capable at your job then you get moved to the complaints centre.

[Chris Martin]

0870 numbers will cost 6p day time, 2p evenings and 1p at weekends.

It's not a huge amount more than a geographic number and lets not forget that its all about image here. Who are you going to trust more when you are looking at setting up a business relationship, the company with the non-geographic number and professional front end or the site with the mobile number that suggests its a one man band working from a shed? I know who i would go for! Maybe that is why Kent Manufacturer doesn't like it :o)

We get paid a percentage for the numbers we connect to our switchboard so we can afford to make it free.

As for the issues with 0870, networks are looking into the idea of ending revenue share schemes on 0870 not giving them the same classification as 0906! We don't don't promote the use of 0871 much on here either as it is more to call than an 0870.