Is it time to join the 800 network? - toll-free telephone numbers

Nation's Business, Dec, 1994 by Peter Weaver

"We've used an 800 number to capture demographic information to make a sophisticated marketing data base for our clients," says Bar Biszick, president of Music Access, a Brooklyn, N.Y., company that gives callers on-line phone excerpts from hit records.

In a promotion to launch Vibe magazine, aimed at pop music fans, Music Access got callers to use their phones' push buttons to communicate age, sex, and ZIP code before they could hear the recorded music. "Vibe had pinpoint statistics for advertisers as to who was buying, reading, and using the magazine," Biszick says.

Telephone companies are devising other ways to make 800 numbers more accessible for processing orders or handling customer-service queries. AT&T, for example, has a "speech-recognition technique" that lets callers speak rather than punch in numbers as prompted by the menu, says spokesman Hoyt.

If you're not certain whether the cost of an 800 number is worth the investment, you might consider a test. "Try out an 800 number for a while and see how it works," says Miller, of Information Technology Consultants. "You don't have to sign up for a lengthy period."

Basic Charges For 800-Number Service

         Per Month     Per Minute
AT&T       $ 5       26 to 27 cents
MCI        $ 5(*)    16 to 26 cents
SPRINT     $ 5             25 cents

Rates are for weekday business hours. Per-minute charges vary depending on time of day, distance, and volume.

(*)$5 for the first three months, then $10.

SOURCES: AT&T, MCI, SPRINT