Finarea (18185, 1899, 18866) are missing a trick by not offering a 07744 access number. They currently offer the 18185, 1899, 18866 Carrier Selection numbers for BT lines, and 0800 and 0208 numbers for access from non BT landlines and from mobiles. 07744 access numbers can be used out of inclusive mobile minutes for Orange, T-Mobile and Virgin customers (while o2 customers have inclusive 0870, so a 0870 access number would also be useful). 07744 numbers provide revenue, which can then be used to provide calls to overseas (or to UK 0870 and 0845 numbers), allowing customers to make international calls or 0870 and 0845 calls out of their inclusive mobile minutes. However, for many international destinations (particularly mobile phones and less developed countries) 07744 numbers either provide insufficient revenue to provide the service, or only allow it at peak times – when the numbers are able to charge the highest termination charges (07744 numbers follow mobile numbers in their peak, evening and weekend charging structure).
With Finarea already having the telecom infrastructure, online customer management, and billing facilities they are in an ideal position to save their customers money, gain market share, and make more profit by offering 07744 access numbers. With their billing facilities they can offer all destinations 24/7 by allowing revenue from the 07744 number to be topped up by invoiced charges (taken from debit/credit card or direct debit – as Finarea currently do). A tariff message would come up before they are connected to their destination number saying how much, if any, was to be charged to their invoice.
If Finarea want to make it even better, and more complex, they could allow customers to accumulate credit (deducted from their invoice) when using the 07744 access number to make calls to cheap numbers (e.g. UK landlines or the USA) – since revenue from 07744 more than surpasses the cost of placing the call. More controversially they could also allow customers to call the 07744 access number, not call any destination, but just accumulate credit on to their account. Maybe if a customer was more than say £10 in credit, they could have the option of having it credited to their debit/credit card, or put into their bank account.
Because the 07744 charging structure changes with peak rate, off peak, and weekend, it might necessary to briefly include a tariff message mid phone call (audible only to the caller, with the receiver hearing something like “We will reconnect the call shortly”). Alternatively, it might be better to abandon tariff messages altogether.
Links:
07744 access number providers:
http://www.yourcallworld.com/
http://www.planetcalling.com/
Finarea:
http://www.1899.com/
http://www.18185.co.uk/
http://www.call18866.co.uk/
With Finarea already having the telecom infrastructure, online customer management, and billing facilities they are in an ideal position to save their customers money, gain market share, and make more profit by offering 07744 access numbers. With their billing facilities they can offer all destinations 24/7 by allowing revenue from the 07744 number to be topped up by invoiced charges (taken from debit/credit card or direct debit – as Finarea currently do). A tariff message would come up before they are connected to their destination number saying how much, if any, was to be charged to their invoice.
If Finarea want to make it even better, and more complex, they could allow customers to accumulate credit (deducted from their invoice) when using the 07744 access number to make calls to cheap numbers (e.g. UK landlines or the USA) – since revenue from 07744 more than surpasses the cost of placing the call. More controversially they could also allow customers to call the 07744 access number, not call any destination, but just accumulate credit on to their account. Maybe if a customer was more than say £10 in credit, they could have the option of having it credited to their debit/credit card, or put into their bank account.
Because the 07744 charging structure changes with peak rate, off peak, and weekend, it might necessary to briefly include a tariff message mid phone call (audible only to the caller, with the receiver hearing something like “We will reconnect the call shortly”). Alternatively, it might be better to abandon tariff messages altogether.
Links:
07744 access number providers:
http://www.yourcallworld.com/
http://www.planetcalling.com/
Finarea:
http://www.1899.com/
http://www.18185.co.uk/
http://www.call18866.co.uk/
