NGN & TPS

(NGN) Non Geographic Numbers or Number Translation Services What are Non-Geographic Numbers? Numbers that commence with 0800, 0808, 0870, 0871, 0845, 0844 and 090 represent most of the non geographic numbers you may come across as a BT client. With a non geographic number your company will: Promote a professional company image Build national recognition amongst your customer base. Have a transferable number that can be moved to any other destination on request. Benefit from management reporting - to monitor advertising impact. 0800 numbers or 0808 numbers (Known as FREEPHONE numbers) are primarily used by a business to attract new business, offering customers the opportunity of contacting them without incurring a charge for doing so. The business receiving the call pays for the call not the caller. This cost is built into the advertising cost of the business. 0870 numbers are sometimes used to generate an income for customer service or technical help departments. Currently a business can receive an income from 0870 numbers, this is made up of a revenue share from the difference between what the carrier charges and pays BT wholesale for the call, it can be 2p or 3p per minute and can add valuable income opportunity for a business. However this is changing in February 2008, Ofcom the Communication watchdog has caused changes to be made. if you want to find out the implications of this change you can download a FREE report HERE 0871 numbers These numbers just fell under the premium rate horizon and were not therefore subject to ICTIS rules. It costs the caller about 10p per minute to call but the owner of the number receives a rebate for every minute of the call. Along with 0870 numbers they will fall under premium rate legislation from February 2008 and will be subject to authorisation just like the 090 numbers. 0845 numbers The attraction of these numbers for a business is that although they give a National presence to the business the caller pays what amounts to a local charge no matter where they are in relation to the business. Up until fairly recently the owbner of the 0845 number paid the carrier so much a minute to receive these calls, however in today's competitive market they should cost the caller a local charge and the receiver(owner of the number) nothing to receive the call. This makes the numbera very attractive alternative to a free phone number. 0844 numbers will grow in popularity because of the change to the 0870 numbers in February 2008. The caller pays a rate just above the local rate normally paid and the owner of the number can receive a rebate when the calls are made. 090 numbers These are very familiar numbers used by service, competition and technical help lines, where the caller pays a higher charge to call and the owner of the number shares part of the revenue created. Subject to ICTIS the purpose of each number has to be registered and adhere to strict guidelines. Already have a non geographic number with another provider - No problem we can port it to one of our tier one carriers for you, just as you would port your mobile number when changing providers. How Does It Work? You designate one of your standard business phone service numbers to handle the calls; when someone calls you on your selected non geographic number that number is translated into the number you designated at the local BT exchange. This is why the service is sometimes called Number Translation Service. You can transfer your non geographic number to any phone that is on a BT line. Setting up is very easy to do, there is no need for a site visit or any work to be carried out on your premises. you can usually have a non geographic number set up within 24hrs unless you are porting a number from a previous supplier. The connection is absolutely FREE and unlike BT and a number of other providers of non geographic numbers ours have NO RENTAL CHARGE! Non Geographic Number Services Network Based Call Recording Facility Automated Call Answering; Queuing and Messaging Service Complex Call Routing Plans On-Line call statistic reporting. Major Advantage If you have a non-geographic number as the main number for your business, in addition to the wide range of phone services that can be attached to it, should you have a need to work away from you business for a period or indeed have to move premises you DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR NUMBER Non geograpic numbers such as those above can be ported to any fixed line or even in some cases mobile phone number. To discover how a Non Geographic Number can help your Business PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK

TPS

(TPS) - Telephone Preference Service This service was originally put in place to prevent cold calling organisations from contacting domestic numbers. It was extended to cover sole traders and partnerships but few businesses have taken up the service and of those who did many reverted back when they saw how restrictive it was in the normal course of business. No one really want unsolicited phone calls and Ofcom UK are trying to find ways of restricting unsolicited phone calls. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) are trying to strike a happy balance with a code of ethics for its members Companies can still contact their own customers regardless of TPS to offer new products and services so long as the customer has not opted out from this with the individual company. Complaints may be made to the TPS on-line. However, the TPS have no enforcement power, so all complaints are passed on to the Information Commissioner's Office (UK). The maximum penalty is currently £5,000, but in a news release on October 31, 2005, Ofcom requested that this be increased to £50,000. So how can you protect your business if you call residential numbers, sole traders or partnership, in your marketing programme from falling foul of this legislation. There is a solution all you need do is For A FREE REPORT PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK

Inbound Call Management

Can you honestly say that you have never missed a business call? Just think about calls you have made:- How many times do you hear an engaged tone? How many times have you heard the phone just ring without reply? How many times have you got one of these darned answering services that interrupt you every few seconds telling you important you are? If you are so important - Why don't they just answer the phone! Have you ever thought that the same could be happening to your business! Let me give you a couple of scenarios:- You run an advertising campaign, what happens if it is really successful, you have only one telephone number advertised - how many callers hear an engaged tone and call a competitor? You get to your business one morning and find it - Burned to the ground - Flooded - vandalised - staff unable to get to work How do you keep your business going? How do clients contact you? How do suppliers contact you? CommsIQ have an answer! We can provide you with a non-geographic number that sits in cyberspace and because of this number you can:- Eliminate missed calls and engaged tones Receive virtually unlimited simultaneous calls using a single non-geographic number Receive calls wherever your staff are: your office, another office, your mobiles, to home-workers or even abroad Present a highly professional business image Service your customers even if the office is closed Use with or without a switchboard Reduce capital and operating expenditure Put an end to lost opportunities due to callers hanging up because they can’t get through Your callers will never hear an engaged tone - even if you do not have the resources to handle every call Every call will be answered, meaning your customers can always contact you whenever and wherever you choose Redirect calls to mobiles, another office, to staff working at home or even abroad - your customers can’t tell You can automatically change greetings and how calls are managed outside working hours Fully scaleable from just 1 department up to 81 departments and able to support your business growth seamlessly Integrated voicemail ensures that if you really are busy, there is no limit on the number of simultaneous callers who can leave messages All controlled by you on any computer in the world all this amounts to true unified messaging that is normally the preserve of multi national businesses. You can even have a virtual ofice - while sitting at home your caller gets the impression of a major office, you do need to employ a receptionist freeing their time if you already have one for more important roles within your business. If you are considering buying a new switchboard - STOP! How much does a new switchboard cost? CommsIQ can provide you with a virtual pbx that can either replace or run alongside your existing switchboard and offer you a greater range of services at the same time. You will have full cotrol of your system via a password controlled web site. WOW! To find out how your business can benefit for this service JUST FOLLOW THIS LINK