Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Exploring Web Communications- Toll Free Report The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, March 8, 2002 Table of Contents 01. Exploring Web Communications 02. Toll Free Report Welcome to The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. Before getting started on web communications, I want to post a warning on a new virus that has started to infect some of our newsletter readers. There is a new virus circulating, which is sending e-mails that look like an “Internet Security Update” from Microsoft. This virus is called W32.Gibe@mm. When it infects your computer it opens a backdoor, allowing remote access to your machine and then sends it’s self to all e-mail addresses in your address book. The subject line on the e-mail is “Internet Security Update” and it has the file “q216309.exe” attached to it. If you receive this e-mail, DO NOT run the attachment. If this warning came too late and you are already infected, visit the web address below. http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.gibe@mm.html *01 Exploring Web Communications Last week, we traced e-mail from one computer to another and how to read e-mail headers that record the route. This week we are going to explore web communications. Web browsers (Explorer & Netscape) are programs that can communicate with a variety of servers using different protocols (a computer’s version of language). Web browsers and the links within them can reference servers using the following basic protocols: HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) - This is the basic protocol used to transfer web pages over the Internet. FTP (File Transfer Protocol)- This protocol is designed for transferring binary or text file between computers. NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol)- This is the protocol for Usenet news distribution. Most of us know Usenet as newsgroups. Every computer and server connected to the Internet is assigned a specific IP (Internet Protocol) address. These numbers are used to identify the computer and its location on the Internet. Because using and remembering these numbers would make using the Internet very difficult, a system was created to allow us to use common names (domain names). This is called the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) and it converts these names into IP addresses. When you type in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into a browser, you are giving the browser the location and protocol for the resource you are retrieving. Example: http://inter800.com http:// ----This tell the browser the protocol inter800.com----This is the domain which has to be recognized by your DNS server. The DNS server finds out the IP address is 208.254.80.205 and sends you there. If you use http://208.254.80.205 you will go to the same location. If you have any thought or ideas you would like to share with me, please send them to Chuck Arning at chuck@inter800.com We’re Talkin’ Serious” Bone Suckin’ Sauce ! Winner: “Battle Of The Sauces.” Created in true western North Carolina style. Tomato based all-natural, sweetened with honey and molasses. Order your Box of six today for $39.99 +s/h. Toll-Free 1-800-446-0947 or online http://www.BoneSuckin.com *02 Toll Free Report This week, I received a Market Overview of toll free numbers published by Frost and Sullivan (frost.com). I will now relay some of the more interesting points from the overview. Frost & Sullivan estimates that 90% of Americans use toll-free numbers. The U.S. toll-free services market generated $17.28 billion in revenues in 2000. The growth rate from 1999 to 2000 was 11.6 percent, which shows strong customer demand for that period. The number of toll-free numbers in mid 2001 equated between 23-24 million lines. Growth in Internet usage and e-commerce sales, including web site marketing, is slowing customer usage of toll-free numbers for receiving product information The business toll-free services segment generated 95 percent, leaving the residential segment with 5 percent of the total toll-free services market in 2000. These numbers will be changing due to the increased demand for toll-free services by residential customers, but will not be a great change. The residential market segment is increasing in size at a rate of about 11.6 percent in 1999 to 2000. Declining toll-free prices and increased awareness of toll-free use are key factors that contribute to the growth in the residential segment. Also the increase in SOHO (Small Office/Home Office), and telecommuting contributes to the increase in demand for residential toll-free services. Virtual offices including features such as voicemail, fax-on-demand, pager/email notification, and other virtual features can be offered on a toll-free number that benefits home-based businesses. The majority of toll-free services are sold to the business segment. The business segment generates an estimated 95 percent of the revenues within the toll-free service market. Business sales have increased by $1.7 billion as compared to 1999. Any size business can benefit from toll-free services, some of which include: -Improve customer service by having an entry system to perform trouble reporting, telephone payment, bill verification, agent communication, ordering, and much more. -Analyze sales markets or re-route calls by viewing traffic reports on incoming calls based on area code or NPA NXX. -Extend your customer base and grow your market areas with no extra equipment costs. -Improve company recognition and number recall that improves repeat business and reduces churn. -Use advanced routing and enhanced features to improve call center management The high demand for toll-free numbers and the limited availability is a major restraint in the toll-free services industry. Currently 800, 888, 877 and 866 are all toll-free numbers in use. They can be acquired on a first come first serve basis via a Responsible Organization (Resp Org), which queries the SMS/800 (Service Management System) database. Smaller companies have a disadvantage because the larger revenue generating companies have greater access to toll-free numbers. Resp Orgs trend to reserve toll-free numbers for the larger companies in an effort to increase their own revenues. Vanity numbers and the 800 prefix numbers are getting increasingly harder to reserve or assign. Customers will need to be educated on the new prefixes to increase toll-free demand for the alternative prefixes. The current toll-free pricing can range anywhere from 4.5 cents to 35 cents per minute or price per minute (PPM). The average rate per minute is around 13 cents for both residential and business toll-free services. The average PPM rates for residential and business toll-free service for 2000 were 18 cents and 8.5 cents respectively. The business PPM for the large IXCs is usually much lower than the 8.5 cents price. Many providers are charging comparable toll-free rates to their regular inter-LATA long distance rates. Other factors are included to determine revenues for toll-free providers such as install charges, monthly recurring charges, feature charges, routing charges, routing software, payphone surcharges and other fees that can add to the cost of having a toll-free number. Other carriers charge initial charges, have minimum use requirements, and apply time increment charges to toll-free rated calls. Customers are becoming more price-conscientious and are aware of the various hidden charges, and for that reason providers should extend pricing strategies to attract the "smart" customer. Competition within the toll-free industry will foster new product innovations and also increase development of integrated solutions. Exciting new technologies that are attractive to large businesses and call management centers will create growth. With the expansion of global businesses and international communications, improving international toll-free technology and opening distribution in the various countries is a viable approach to expand toll-free business. Email any questions you may have to me at george@gotollfree.com. You may also visit Frost and Sullivan's web site at frost.com for more detailed information, including how to pay for access to the entire report. George Paul (http://gotollfree.com) The Internet 800 Directory 800-299-1879 george@gotollfree.com Vegas Vacation has the best rates on Las Vegas Hotel Rooms. Don't make a reservation without calling us first! Call 800-637-6442 or visit our ad in the Internet 800 Directory: http://inter800.com/02281174.htm Banners? Pay-per-click? Why not target your market with links or information placed in relevant content? The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter offers direct access to business people who are interested buyers. Advertising: Information on how to sponsor this publication: Call 800-299-1879 Thanks for taking to time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. All Contents Copyright ©1995-2002 The Internet 800 Directory Subscribe To The Newsletter: |