Comparing 1300 Number Plans

After deciding to get a 1300 number for your business, the next step is to decide which carrier and plan is right for you.

The problem is that there are so many different plans out there for 1300 numbers, it can be really confusing to compare them.

There are three major components you need to consider:

• Monthly plan charge
• Number of free minutes (for local calls, landline-to-landline)
• Call rates

The plan that is right for you will depend a lot on where most of your calls come from and on how long they last.
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Having the Right Business Introduction

We’ve all heard the saying that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

This is equally true when someone’s first impression of your business is over the telephone. That’s why it’s important that your business phone is answered professionally and consistently at all times.

This can be especially important for business names that are unusual or difficult to pronounce. If you have multiple people answering your phone (perhaps including a live answering service), it’s important that your business name is pronounced correctly every time the phone is answered.

That’s what Alltel’s Business Intro service is for.

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1800, 13 & 1300 Numbers: Time-based Routing

One of the main benefits of using 13/1300 numbers and 1800 numbers is the powerful routing and configuration options available. These allow you to customise your number so that it routes to the answerpoint(s) of your choice under different conditions.

A popular option is time-based routing, which can benefit businesses of all sizes, and does NOT attract any additional monthly account fee.*

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1800 & 1300 Numbers: Lease or Buy

After deciding to get a 1800 or 1300 number for your business, the next question you need to ask yourself is whether you should buy or lease the number.

Different telcos are likely to give you different answers (usually depending on the business model they’ve chosen). The truth is that it depends on the type of business you’re running and how you want to use your number.

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Choosing a Business Name

This is usually one of the fun parts of starting a business, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously.

A great company name differentiates you from your competitors, generates interest from customers, and invites further investigation. That’s why it’s so important to get it right.

You have probably already thought of a few good contenders. But before you settle on your business name, there are some important things you need to consider.

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1300 Number and 1800 Number Routing Options

1300 numbers and 1800 numbers are “virtual” numbers, in that they are not tied to specific phones in the same way that landline and mobile numbers are.

Instead, you route these numbers to the “answer points” at which you want them to ring, including landlines, mobile phones, VoIP lines, fax machines, and call answering services.

Many businesses route their 1300 numbers or 1800 numbers to a single answer point. But with the highly-configurable routing options available, there is so much more that you can do.

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When Will your New Business Start Making a Profit?

You often hear of businesses having cash-flow problems. Put simply, when the cash going out exceeds the cash coming in, the money runs out!

When you’re starting a new business, it’s unlikely you’ll have an income or positive cash flow for a while until the business starts to get established.

During this time, however, you are still going to have expenses: normal living expenses plus expenses to run the business, the car, service loans, pay for advertising, etc.

This is when you need to have enough funds put aside to carry you through until your income exceeds expenses. Obviously, you need to keep expenses to a minimum during this period; otherwise you could run out of money very quickly.

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QLD FLOODS: Urgent Update about Alltel Services

Updated at 10:30 on January 17: Live Answering is back! We’re pleased to announce that we’ve been able to move our Live Answering team back into the Brisbane call centre over the weekend after power was restored to the Brisbane CBD. All essential services appear to be fully operational, so we should be back up and running at full strength today. Please contact our customer care team at changes@alltel.com.au to reverse any temporary redirects you made to your Alltel services during this flood crisis. Due to the high volume of requests we expect to receive, we ask that you send all requests via email instead of phoning the Alltel office. If you do experience any problems with the restored service, please contact us immediately so we can quickly identify and resolve any outstanding issues. We thank you again for your patience and understanding during this difficult time, and our Brisbane staff in particular send their thanks for the support you have offered. It’s especially nice for a telco to receive positive comments from customers!

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Updated at 9:30 on January 14: Our live answering team are back online this morning, with limited staff who will action urgent messages as a priority. They are currently being based out of a temporary call centre on the Gold Coast. Service outages in Brisbane, including interruptions to power supply and phone services, have delayed the move back to our Brisbane call centre. The team in Brisbane will continue to monitor the situation over coming days, with the aim of reopening the main call centre as soon as possible and getting services back to normal. We thank you again for your understanding at this difficult time.

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Updated at 9:15 on January 13: If flood waters continue to recede, our Brisbane Live Answering call centre will attempt to reopen with limited staff on Friday January 14. They will action urgent messages as a priority. The Brisbane staff have been very moved by the support and understanding that customers have shown through this very difficult time, and would like to extend heartfelt thanks. Everyone’s focus is now on getting the call centre back up and running and we appreciate your patience in coming days.

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Updated at 16:30 on January 12: Brisbane Live Answering call centre staff have been evacuated. Everyone is safe. As soon as we find out when the call centre will re-open, we will let you know. Please read this message for important information about your Live Answering Service.

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We are all saddened to see the unfolding disaster in Queensland with widespread flooding. Our hearts and prayers are with the many people who are affected by this disaster. We are particularly aware that some of our customers are directly affected by this disaster.

As the flooding has now reached the Brisbane CBD, we are writing to notify you that some of Alltel’s telecommunications services may be disrupted:

• Fax2Email / Voice2Email
• All Live Answering Services (all customers, Australia-wide)

Alltel’s Live Answering Call Centre is based in Brisbane. It is currently operating on skeleton staff and there is a chance that the call centre will need to be evacuated.

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Using your IVR for Good Instead of Evil

An IVR (Interactive Voice Response), also called an Automated Attendant or Call Forwarding Menu, provides businesses with a convenient way to direct incoming calls to the correct person or department. Unfortunately for many callers, an IVR can all-too-often be a source of stress and frustration. We’ve probably all suffered through IVRs that have menu choices that seem to go on forever. Worse still is when you choose the wrong option and the IVR hangs up on you! To get around this, callers often select the option for sales (regardless of the reason for their call) in the belief it will move them to the top of the queue and get their call answered faster.

The truth is that a well-designed IVR can help callers get to the person they want to speak to more quickly (with a minimum of stress).

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The Basics of Starting Your Own Business

It’s the start of a new year, and you’ve decided that you’re tired of working for someone else. You want to start your own business. You have a good idea about what you want to do, and now that you’ve finally made the decision, you can’t wait to get started.

Your idea is brilliant! It’s a wonder that no-one else has thought of it (well, that’s what you think anyway). You’re going to make a fortune, and you want to get started immediately … otherwise someone else might beat you to it.

It all sounds great. But ease up a little, and don’t rush into anything just yet.

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