Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Cell Number Portability - Tracking Your Internet Advertising The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, April 12, 2002 Table of Contents 01. Virus Using My Address 02. Cell Number Portability 03. Tracking Your Internet Advertising *01 Virus Using My Address Welcome to The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. Before you get to this weeks articles, there is an issue with my e-mail address that I felt the readers of this newsgroup should be made aware of. On April 1st, an e-mail notice came to my inbox from an auto responder. The notice stated that it had received and blocked a virus that was sent from my e-mail address (chuck@inter800.com). Upon receiving the notice, I went right to work checking all of my computers for viruses. After a couple of hours of updating my virus software and checking all of my machines, I found no virus. At this point, I come to the determination that the e-mail was a well-constructed April Fool’s joke. Thinking the virus notice was a joke, I kept the incident to myself, hoping to smoke out the joker. Then on Wednesday of this week I get a call from a business associate. He had just been sent a virus attached to an e-mail identifying me as the sender. I had him check the email header and it did not actually come from me. The e-mail originated from an IP address out of Virginia. I have, of course, sent notice to the ISP of the misuse of their network. If you receive an e-mail from my address (chuck@inter800.com) with an attachment, please do the following: -- DO NOT OPEN IT! -- Forward it to me with the e-mail header information. To be honest, I find the reality that someone is using my e-mail address in this fashion very disturbing. We can’t let people that do these types of things spoil our enjoyment of the Internet. If we do, they win. It’s my desire to find the person or persons responsible and make them reimburse those they have injured. If you receive e-mail with a virus attachment from my address (chuck@inter800.com), please take a second and forward it to me before you delete it. 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 Cell Number Portability Before I discuss the issue of cell number portability, I need to provide a brief history of toll free service. Toll free service was created in the late sixties as a means of allowing businesses to pay for their customers' incoming long distance calls. Over time, businesses found more creative uses for the service, such as mail order and TV ads. When the Bell System was dismantled in the mid-80's, there were more than 3 million toll free numbers in use. AT&T's new rivals were clamoring for a piece of this action. Each carrier was assigned a "block" of toll free numbers that they could issue and carry on their networks. Whichever long distance carrier you chose for your toll free service would assign you a number from their block. If you wanted to switch carriers, you would need to get a new toll free number. Obviously, this situation no longer exists. In 1993, toll free numbers became portable. "Toll free number portability" means businesses have the right to use whatever carrier they choose, while keeping the same toll free number. Prior to toll free portability, AT&T had tremendous leverage over their customer base. If you wanted to switch to a less expensive service like MCI, you would have to abandon your toll free number and start all over with a new one. As most of you are toll free number owners, imagine dropping it and starting all over. Consider the advertising material, Internet & directory listings, business cards and other items that would need to be changed. Not a very pretty picture is it? Toll free number portability greatly expanded competition in the toll free industry, which in turn provided lower rates, better service and more features. Being able to take your toll free number elsewhere empowered the business owner. Long distance carriers' accountability increased dramatically. Carriers had to start thinking in terms of, "what can I do to keep my customer happy?" and for the most part, American businesses have reaped the rewards. While toll free numbers have been liberated, cell phone numbers have not. Currently, each individual carrier assigns cell numbers and if you switch carriers, you have to change your cell phone number. I'm not going to lambaste the cell phone industry for the spotty coverage nor the indifferent attitude of the customer service reps who may or may not even take my call, but I am going to pose the question, "How much better would things be if cell numbers were portable?" Cell number portability was supposed to be in place in 1999. Carriers have been fighting the requirement for years and have won a series of delays from the FCC. Verizon and others are now trying to squash the mandate altogether. Cell phone companies argue that the idea of portability should be scrapped because customers aren't demanding it. They complain that implementing portability would be expensive and technically complicated. These are some of the same arguments AT&T made when toll free number portability was thrust upon them. Local phone companies reiterated these same arguments when local number portability was thrust upon them. Further, the smaller carriers completely disagree with AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, & Cingular. Some have been openly critical of the industry's technical and cost arguments. Many feel that the only people who think it can't and shouldn't be done are the people who will find it to their economic disadvantage to do so. If you support cell number portability, the carriers have pointed you towards the path of action. "Customers aren't demanding it". Let your congressmen and the FCC know how you feel on this issue. Create the demand. George Paul (http://gotollfree.com) The Internet 800 Directory 800-299-1879, george@gotollfree.com *03 Tracking Your Internet Advertising Tracking Your Internet Advertising and Web Results - Through the Phone Any consistent reader of this newsletter or any successful advertiser within the Internet 800 Directory is probably aware of claims and stats that we and others have published about the amount of "e-business" that is actually concluded by phone. Examples: Experts say that, "84% of current Internet users search for product or service information in order to make a toll free call to complete transactions." (Source: InternetTrak) or; "Telephone customers are more satisfied and loyal than those who click and buy, and the average phone sale is much higher." (ECommerce article) Nearly all of our customers will agree that they would rather have a phone call than a just a click-through. Some of our customers tell us that they see an increase in calls or even sales after advertising their web sites on the Internet, but, outside of diligently asking every caller, how do they know that those calls are coming from their Internet efforts? There is a simple, easy and inexpensive way to track your results. Get an additional toll free number from your carrier that you use only on your web-site and Internet-related web advertising. The cost of the calls will be no more than you are currently paying, and in many cases the cost of adding the additional service is either free or nominal. Even with the very basic service, you will receive billing detail showing how many calls each toll free number received, and all of the major carriers provide the number from which the call originated, along with the time, the duration and the date. This information can also allow you to track your sales. This can be accomplished even if you only have one or just a few lines. As most small businesses have at least two or three lines, they can ask the carrier to route both toll free numbers to the same destination POTs (local telephone number) and the calls will roll down your hunt group, just like they probably do now. Or you can route them specifically to any line you wish. If you are big enough to have a PBX or more sophisticated phone system, then you can take advantage of DNIS and the ANI feature described above. DNIS stands for Dialed Number Identification Service and it allows for real time identification of which toll free number is being dialed, so that you can even personalize your greetings as to the type of call. ANI stands for Automatic Number Identification (which allows for the billing detail), and with Real Time ANI, you can even identify the caller or the location. There are many more advanced services that carriers offer, such as Uniform Call Distribution (UCD), which allows you to route traffic over several lines to decrease back-up, etc. Without specifically endorsing any carrier, a very good online description of some of these advanced functions can be found at http://www.sprintbiz.com/business/tollfree/basic.html . Regardless of your situation, take the time and small effort it takes to do this and it should enlighten and assist you as to how your web efforts are doing and as to how they correlate between toll free and online orders and service. Steve Jackson saj@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: |