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Maximizing Your Telephone Dollar

By Jim Lowenberg

There is no doubt that telephone service is and will be changing. A new federal law has opened the telephone industry to increased competition. More and more companies will be offering your business local and long distance telephone service, plus other options such as internet access, cable, paging services, etc.

For the decade plus that we have been able to choose our long distance carriers, varying types of discount plans have been offered. Today business and residential customers can save money by using the long distance plan that is right for them.

Similar competition will undoubtedly develop for the local phone service currently offered only by GTE and SWBT in Dallas/Fort Worth. Local competition promises lower rates and greater choice for businesses in DFW. Intense marketing campaigns also promise confusion about your available choices.

GTE and SWBT are already offering you a broader range of services. Other companies will be soliciting your business also.

With many companies offering local service, long distance, possibly internet access and presence servers, cable, paging services, etc., how will you know when you are getting the best deal for your company?

Long Distance

Normally the best way to save money on long distance service is to enroll in a calling plan that closely fits the habits of your business. Of course, in order to match these habits, you must first know what they are. When gathering the following information, remember to include information about faxes.

Prepare a report for your company containing:

• How many calls/faxes your company makes per month.
• How long you talk.
• The times of day that these calls are usually made.
• Where the calls are placed, i.e., local, toll calls in metroplex, intrastate, interstate, international calls.
• The rate per minute and/or the rate per month for your present plan.
• Any monthly fee or minimum spending limit on your present plan.

Once you have completed your report, request written material from companies. Then you can compare their rates and the full details of their plan to your calling patterns at your leisure before deciding on a carrier.

Once Is Not Enough

You need to review your long distance habits and compare services on a regular basis. Your calling habits change. Competition brings "deals" and special prices. For the best use of your telephone dollar, review your habits and the various plans available at least once a year.

Local Service

The full story of local service has yet to be written. However, you can be sure the marketing gurus are hatching up some good plans. Expect the plans to sound great and require some investigation on your part to separate the "sizzle from the steak."

For the first time in years, one company can offer local and long distance service to businesses and individual consumers. This ability may offer convenience, but that convenience might cost you more money than shopping for separate "deals" on local and long distance service.

Also, as the local market changes, be wary of offers that commit you for a set period of time to any service. While the discounts or rates may sound like a good deal at the time, long-term commitments usually lock out competitors and limit your choices.

Next issue I will examine a few tactics (based on my past experience in the telephone market) that you might well avoid in the present long distance and the upcoming local service market.

Tip for Maximizing Your Present Phone Service

If you have a metro telephone line in DFW, and you want incoming calls to roll over to another line, the phone company requires that the other line be a metro line also. However, you can order call forwarding, busy, instead of a rollover. Your calls can then go to a non-metro line. This will save you about half the cost of that second line.

Jim

Jim Lowenberg is owner and founder of Voice Connections, a call processing system that allows you to use Voice Connections' telephone lines to call any phone in the metroplex and surrounding counties from any other phone for just 10¢ per call. This 10¢ rate applies regardless of the length of the call, making Voice Connections perfect for the business person, salesperson, tech, etc. who is on the go in DFW. For further info click: www.dfwnetmall.com/voiceconnections.htm.

Phone metro 972-647-1074.