Monday, August 25, 2008

3 Issues to Consider When Acquiring A Least Cost Routing Solution

Choosing a least cost routing (LCR) solution is a complicated process that requires the company to know how the phone is used, by whom, calling where and what the cost is. LCR is a process whereby a phone call is diverted from a major carrier to go on the pipes of another provider, be in a cellular provider or Voice over Internet Protocol provider, to cut costs. This process is mostly used in the international telecommunications space. The company that wishes to use LCR needs to learn which call destinations are the most popular within the company and why. Is it because the company has operations there? And where there is telephone abuse by an employee, the company needs to deal with the situation, as an LCR solution does not necessarily address that problem. That said, here some of the key issues to take into consideration when shopping for an LCR solution: 1. Service level agreement The first and foremost considerations in any LCR solution should be the service levels and guarantees offered by the provider. Service level agreements should include how effectively the LCR provider will capture the company’s outgoing calls and reroute them more cheaply. As the savings depends on captured calls, this leg of the service level agreement is very critical. It is also important to find out the guarantees time it will take for the LCR provider to respond f and when the settings are off. The service level agreement also should ensure that regular LCR audits take place, to ensure that ported numbers are identified, provider rates are verified and promised discounts / guaranteed savings are in effect. The audits should not take place just before the contract ends. The company may choose to have one internal audit and one external audit annually. 2. Savings strategies Keep the carrier destination in mind. Your company can extract maximum value from using VoIP by keeping the destination where the carrier lands calls in mind. For example, if your selected carrier lands calls in Germany, VoIP calls to that region would be very cheap. That’s very useful if you make a large number of calls to Germany, but useless if your international calls land in the UK and Japan. The cost conscious client will want assurance that data management comes at a cost to the LCR provider The way you are billed is also important. The LCR provider must be transparent about how he bills your calls, to how calls are billed, whether it’s per minute or per second. This is especially important because rates may be cheaper initially, but a per minute basis may remove the advantage, making the option more expensive over the length of the call. 3. The quality of speech The actual equipment and methodologies used to reroute the calls are secondary considerations to quality of speech, call completion rates, overflow guarantees and cost guarantees. If, for example, the calls are rerouted to a Voice over Internet Protocol network, what is the quality of the call? What proportion of phone calls are completed and what percentage of calls are dropped, so the caller has to initiate the call again?
Posted by phonecards at 14:36:36 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, August 14, 2008

A Look Into Mobile Phone Promotional Codes

Some of the major providers like Verizon, Tracphone, Nextel and T-Mobile offer mobile phone promotional codes but require that you sign up for a two-year agreement to take advantage of their mobile phone deals. Even if these mobile phone deals look good, many of these mobile phones do not provide reasonable international rates like a quality Mobile phone calling card will. Along with the binding agreements and the lack of international rates some of these promotional codes are very confusing and are not user friendly.

While we are on the subject of mobile phone promotional codes and calling cards, let’s talk about the benefits of switching from a normal mobile phone contract to a mobile phone calling card with good phone card rates. Below are only a few of many reasons why it may be a good idea to make the switch. Good international rates – With many mobile phone contracts you have to pay quite a lot more just so you can make an international call without emptying your bank account. With mobile phone calling cards this is no longer a problem. They provide very cheap international calls as well as domestic long distance rates.

No contracts – mobile phone contracts can be a real nuisance especially when you find another contract with better rates or service. Switching to a mobile phone calling card eliminates this nuisance. There are no contracts and there is nothing restricting you from switching to another provider if you find better rates or features.

No long distance roaming – When you go on vacation you never think too much about your phone bill. When you return from vacation you may be very reluctant to take a look at the long distance roaming charges for your Mobile phone. Mobile phone calling cards have no roaming charges. In some instances you may actually pay less while on vacation for your long distance International calls.

You may also want to think about the telecom savings you can find online. Many of the great long distance promotions and rates for mobile phone calling cards can be found online rather than at your local retail store. Now that you have learned some of the pros and cons to mobile phone promotional codes and Mobile phone calling cards you can now make an informed decision. Whether you choose the next Mobile phone promotional code you see or not, be sure to keep this valuable information in your head for future reference.

Posted by phonecards at 16:08:28 | Permalink | No Comments »

Monday, August 11, 2008

Save Your Hard Earned Money with VoIP Services

Gone are the days when VoIP call termination service was a term used and understood only by the so called geeks or IT guys. With change in the telephony requirements there is a greater knowledge about this exciting new technology which aims at providing a one step solution to all your communication needs. There is no need to scratch your head while trying to decipher the meaning of this technology. It simply is a contemporary way of calling which uses Internet to transmit the calls.

VoIP services provide the ability to make local, long distance and international long distance calls at a much reduced rate. You can thus bid farewell to your traditional fixed line telephone service forever. The best part about using this improved and upgraded technology is that it offers complete ease of calling and is flexible enough to adjust to your individual requirements. For instance, if you are someone who calls his/her laptop a second spouse, then you can get your computer integrated with voice over IP service thereby allowing you to make cheap calls from any part of the world. If you are a housewife or work from your home and are habitual of using a fixed line telephone then your traditional fixed line telephone can be attached to an ATA or analogue adapter which will allow you to make VoIP calls.

VoIP phone services stand not just for cheaper calls at cost effective prices but give you the much needed mobility which is a pre-requisite in a world where we are always on the move. You will remain connected to the rest of the world through the same number provided to you by your VoIP service provider no matter which part of the globe you are connected to the Internet from. Forget about expensive roaming charges for calling through mobiles and exorbitant rates charged for international calls by hotels or phone booths when traveling.

All these features stand together to make a fabulous package which will make it hassle free and cheap to remain in touch with your family friends or even business clients. Voice over IP service offers great tailor made service packages especially for wholesalers and VoIP resellers which make it a very profitable business venture to take up.

Posted by phonecards at 10:20:36 | Permalink | No Comments »

Monday, August 4, 2008

Features of Overseas Roaming SIM Cards

When people travel internationally whether for business or pleasure, they usually purchase overseas roaming SIM cards. These SIM cards offer convenience (the owner can make outgoing calls anytime or anywhere) and dependability (the owner is contactable in whatever part of the world he/she may be).

In choosing a global roaming SIM card, remember that not all cards are created equal. Some cards are more superior to others, but at the very least there are features that you must check to see if the SIM card that you have includes the minimum requirements such as:

1. A free starter credit- always verify the amount of credit before you use the card. It is also wise to send an initial SMS message or make an initial call to ensure that your SIM card is working perfectly well.

2. Double check the rates that the SIM card service provider offers- the reason why you are buying a global roaming SIM card in the first place is so that you can save on your international roaming calls right? Before you buy, make sure that they offer a good deal compared to the local provider in the country where you are right now.

3. Extensive coverage- you don’t want to buy a SIM card that works only in two or three countries where you are traveling. As much as possible, check if the SIM card service provider can cover hundreds of countries so that you can maximize your investment.

4. Incoming calls or SMS messages are free- this is music to the ears of an international traveler. Why suffer to pay for all those incoming calls when you can practically get it for free? Nevertheless, if you cannot find a service provider that can offer this feature as a free service, there are those that will offer these at rock bottom prices.

5. Voicemail- make sure that this feature is always included in all your overseas roaming SIM cards to prevent missing important phone calls.

Posted by phonecards at 11:49:39 | Permalink | No Comments »