This morning during breakfast, I was reminiscing about all of my years in this business and thinking, “boy… have some things changed.” Not only have I witnessed the complete makeover of the industry, like when the Bell System divestiture happened, the rise and fall of many upstarts, and arguably the re-consolidation of AT&T, I have also watched the transformation of the way services are used and what they cost.
Now, as someone who’s been involved in the contact center business since the mid ‘80s, Toll Free Service is something that I have worked with nearly every day. I worked with major airlines, hotel chains, major retailers, you name it. They all used Toll Free as the lifeblood for customers to reach them, and still do today. Sure the Internet has taken a bite, but the nation’s businesses still spend billions of dollars on this important service. Why?
Well…I will tell you why. Let’s start with a history lesson. Way back in 1967, AT&T began to offer Toll Free as an alternative to collect calling (huh, collect calling?) and to avoid the use of operators (remember them?). In 1984 the service was refined into something very much like what we know today, and its use grew like wildfire. Then, in 1993, something called Portability came along, which allowed companies to change carriers and take their numbers with them. Novel concept, hey?
So why did this service expand to the huge levels it has? Why has it become such an important business tool? The answer is built on two simple reasons: the fact that consumers can call companies for free (business picks up the tab, but also does business); and because companies could have a great deal of control over how those calls are handled. I suggest that one of these reasons is as important as ever, perhaps more so, and the other is a dinosaur. Can you guess which is which?
I am thinking that you got it right. Does anyone really care if their call is Toll Free anymore? Does anyone really pay for long distance anymore? No. When you use your cell phone, minutes are minutes. When you use your home phone, for those who still have one, you likely have an unlimited calling plan. And if you call from work, well…
If no one really cares about calls being Toll Free anymore, why do companies still spend billions on the service? Simple, they get the features they need to manage their business. They control the routing of where calls go and when they are routed, they get all kinds of reporting for business intelligence, and they can access cloud-based services that help them provide high quality customer service.
So…what if I told you that it is now possible for companies to publish regular phone numbers with a regular area code (not 800, or 888, or 877) and still retain all the benefits I’ve mentioned, which business still depend on. You would probably say, “So what?” Well, the answer is that when companies take advantage of this type of service, like the one that Level 3 offers, they can save a bunch of money. This alternative to Toll Free is far less expensive, and companies give up nothing. When you think about all of those billions it makes you wonder why this has not taken off sooner…don’t worry, it will!
About Art Goldberg
