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How to Start Your Own 900 or
800 Pay Per Call Business
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Written
by
Michael Szerencsy
VP PayPerCall.com
888-227-6135 Ext. 600 |
You hear about it all the time. "Call
this number right now to receive…" And the amazing thing
is that people are doing it. Lots of them! What are they doing?
They're calling 800 and
900 numbers to purchase
products, services, or to get information. What is the business
that runs these 800 and
900 numbers getting? In
a word, PROFITS!
For the business savvy person, there is a lot of money to be made
in setting up an 800 or 900 number business. If you have ever wanted
to make money using a telephone number but didn't know how to get
started, read on. You'll learn exactly how to make money with 800
and 900 numbers and how you can jump on the money bandwagon to make
a fortune doing it.
Pay Per Call 800 and 900
numbers first came on the scene during the 1980 presidential
debate between former presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
During that debate, nearly a half million people called in to participate.
Two years later, NASA used a similar Pay Per Call service for its
shuttle launch. It became clear to businesses that this type of
interaction and communication was a goldmine.
800 and 900 number services are so popular because they give the
"subscriber" instant access to information they want.
Information sells and because of that, telephone commerce is thriving
and businesses that would normally give away information or services
for free are finding that using an 800
and 900 number Pay Per Call
service generates a lucrative income.
How it Works
When you set up a Pay Per Call service, you will get a dedicated
line with a unique telephone number to give your customers. This
telephone number can be advertised everywhere from online to in
print magazines and newspapers. You can further your efforts by
including your 800 or 900 Pay Per Call numbers in your mailings
to your current customers or in your direct marketing campaign.
When a caller uses 800 or 900 Pay Per Call numbers, their call is
brought to an automatic system that prompts them to enter their
credit card or debit card information. Funds are authorized immediately,
so you won't have to worry about declined charges after the fact.
Once the funds have been verified, the call is then routed to the
appropriate place for the call to continue. As soon as the caller
is speaking to a live operator or pre-recorded message, the clock
starts and keeps track of the amount of time the caller was on the
call. At the completion of the call, the minutes are tabulated and
billed to the appropriate card.
However, you don't have to just bill per minute. You have a choice
of whether or not you want to get paid per minute or per call. You
set the amount that you want to charge for the call. Service bureaus
that you work with will help you come up with a reasonable amount
to charge to stay competitive with other 800 and 900 numbers.
How is the Content Delivered?
No one wants to sit by the phone and wait for it to ring. And let's
face it, you don't want to lose customers by having them wait until
you're available. That is why you have a choice in how you want
to deliver your information.
Live recordings give real time access to customers. They can speak
either to you at a designated time or they can speak to an operator.
The benefit of this type of service is that they have one on one
interaction with you or your operator. They can ask questions and
get real time answers. You can also set a maximum time allowed for
each call, so you are not hung up on the phone with any one caller.
The other way information can be delivered is through pre-recorded
messages. You don't need any special recording devices to create
a file and you can record your messages at your leisure, making
them available to your callers when they have time to listen.
Industries that Use This Service
An 800 or 900 Pay Per Call service is lucrative for any business,
but here are just a few types of industries that use the service.
• Advice lines
• Technical Support lines
• Psychic lines
• Adult lines
• Law Information lines
• Business Consulting
• Medical Information lines
• Government Program lines
• Financial Advice lines
• Sports lines
• Music lines
• Stock/Investment Advice lines
• Joke of the Day
• Recipe lines
• Weight Loss Program Advice lines
• Movie Hotline
There are so many more industries that use 800 and 900 lines for
their businesses. Sales Representatives with high sell records can
use Pay Per Call lines to help give specialized tips to novice sales
representatives and capitalize on their experience to make more
profits. Motivational speakers can enhance their presence by adding
phone workshops or consultations to workshop attendees. There really
is no limit to how you can use a Pay Per Call service!
What Does it Take to Set Up the Service
Setting up an 800 and 900 Pay Per Call service is simple. You need
to first decide the type of service you want, whether pay per minute
or flat fee per call. You then set the amount you want to charge.
To set up the service with PayPerCall.com,
you'll pay a nominal $799 one time set up fee that includes the
service plus the set up of a toll-free dedicated 800 number with
1 forwarding number. A monthly maintenance fee is part of the service
and includes line maintenance, programming, hosting, billing, software,
real-time tracking and customer support.
You will also be given the tools you need to set up a welcome message
to callers. This preamble will introduce your service, advise the
cost of the call, list the average length of each call, advise the
caller that they must be over 18 to participate and let the caller
know that within 3 seconds of the welcome message being complete,
charges will begin.
How You Get Paid
When you sign up for the service, you can choose an amount that
is considered industry standard or you can choose any price point
you want for the service. The choice is yours. Whether you decide
on a per minute or per call plan, a portion of the money received
from each call will go to the call service provider, the rest is
your profit, which you will receive on a monthly basis.
There will be the occasional charge back from a credit card or an
amount that is in dispute. Therefore, the call service will hold
back as much as 20% for a period of 180 days. After that time, the
money in reserve, minus any money that was in dispute, will be released.
Keep in mind though, that each month you have the service, a certain
percentage will stay in reserve in case of charge backs.
The Difference Between 800 and 900 Pay Per Call Numbers
Whether you choose an 800 number
or a 900 number should be
based on your needs and what service you want available to your
customers. With both 800 and 900 numbers, your line can handle up
to 99 calls simultaneously. You can choose whether you want per
call or per minute billing and the hours of operation the line is
in service.
The biggest difference between 800
and 900 numbers is that
the charge for an 800 number is billed directly to a credit card
or debit card. The charge for a 900 number call is billed directly
to the caller's phone bill. With an 800 number, a web based software
program automates and tracks the process and you can have your revenues
deposited directly into your account monthly. Web visitors can initiate
calls from the Internet as well as check whether or not you are
available to take a call from your website.
As you can see, there is a lot of potential to profit from information
using an 800 or 900 number pay per call service. After the initial
set up, not only will your customers have an added benefit in doing
business with you, but you'll watch your business profits grow to
unlimited amounts.
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