Q) Would I lose my existing freephone/national/local rate number(s)?
Answer: No, by porting your number to us you will not lose any of your numbers. You will still retain them and use them as normal and at the same time reduce your costs. That is the whole objective of porting your number.
Q) How can you save us money on calls and line rental, what's the catch?
Answer: Since the de-regulation of the telecom industry, companies like us are allowed to do that in order to reduce BT's monopoly in the market. As a result of this we would pass on those saving to you the customer. Even after reducing your rental and charges there is a small profit margin for our company. In case you are wondering this is how we make our money.
Q) Why do you need my bill?
Answer: We need the top sheet of your BT bill, which relates to the Freephone number. BT requires us to send this to them with the rest of your forms in order to validate this port for the process of implementing these savings.
Q) How much can you save me?
Answer: That would depend on your current call spend with BT and the exact deal that you are on. On average we can guarantee you savings of about 40% against both line rental and call charges. Before we can port you over we will highlight the savings to you in writing so you are fully aware of your savings.
Q) But I've only been with BT for a few months or I've signed a 2/3 years contract with BT?
Answer: If your usage is reasonably high we can definitely still save you money. In that instance we will not be able to save you money on your line rental. Even 40% off your call charges can seem very attractive if you are generating high volumes.
Q) What is your minimum contract?
Answer: We do not have a minimum contract. You are free to cancel the service at any time by giving us a one month written notice. This also applies in cases if you are not satisfied with the service and you wish to go back to BT we will port you back to BT and restore you to your original position free of charge.
Q) What level of service can I expect?
Answer: Daft as it may sound, but we pride ourselves in providing quality of service like that of BT and to go one step ahead. We will provide call data analysis FREE of charge for which BT would charge you £100 a quarter in addition to you line rental. You will also have one telephone number for all queries rather than listen to all those silly options and be held in a queue for ages.
Q) Are you BT?
Answer: No, We are not BT. we are an independent service provider of telephony solutions.
Q) I'm happy with BT!
Answer: Fine. You will still run on the same network and your number will remain the same. All we will be doing is taking over your billing. Giving you a smooth service and rapid response to any queries with our FREE help line number unlike BT where you have to ring a few numbers to get to the right department and wait for a response!
Q) What if you decide to increase you charges?
Answer: If you read any contract including BT, you will find a clause where they can increase their charges by giving you normally 14 to 28 days notice. You will also find that in our contract as well because prices fluctuate with inflation. But one thing we can assure you is that our charges very rarely increase. If any increases are not to your satisfaction, you can then move back to BT free of charge and will restore you back to your original position.
Q) Would my service be disrupted in any way?
Answer: No, the whole process is a seamless transition and there will be absolutely no disruption to your existing service.
Q) Why should I port to you?
Answer: To save money and to receive a better quality of service. Above all that there are no costs to take advantage of this service and you have nothing to lose.
Q) Are there any costs involved or any upfront fees or advance charges to pay?
Answer: No. There are no upfront charges to pay to benefit from these services. You will be billed every month in arrears. Unlike BT we will actually provide you with a fully itemised bill for this service so you will know exactly what you are paying.
Q) How long have you been trading for?
Answer: We have been established since 1996, as the leading provider of 07000 personal number systems which was introduced in the UK. Having successfully marketed these numbers we have fully expanded into other telecommunication services such as 0800, 0845 0870 and all other non-geographic numbers.
Q) What happens if you go out of Business? What will happen to my service?
Answer: In the unfortunate event that we go out of business your service and number will remain unaffected because another carrier will overtake the handling of your service.
Q) Who is Alphatalk Limited?
Answer: We are an independent telecommunication company first started since 1996, following the deregulation of the telecommunication industry.
Our commitment to providing a quality service at substantially reduced rates has attracted thousands of customers within the SME market.
Q) How are you able to make these savings and show a profit?
Answer: Since the deregulation of the telecommunications markets, we as independent service providers are able to bulk buy minutes at preferential rates, and are then able to pass on substantial savings to the end users.
Q) How much will I save?
Answer: We will be able to give you a definite reply to this question once we have seen your current bill. On average we can normally reduce BT bills by at least 40%.
Q) How long is the contract for?
Answer: We do not have minimum contracts.
Q) When will my savings commence?
Answer: Your number will be ported to our system within 10 days of receipt of the signed forms and the savings will commence from this period onwards.
Q) What happens if I change my mind or I am not satisfied?
Answer: You are able to port your number back to BT at no cost and at 28 days notice at anytime, if you are unhappy with the service provided.
Q) How much will it cost me to port to you?
Answer: Nothing, there is no charge to take advantage of these savings.
Q) Will my number change?
Answer: No, your number will remain exactly the same.
Q) What other benefits will I get?
Answer:
A) A dedicated Account manager. (So no more hanging on the phone to get an answer to your queries)
B) Free Advanced Caller Data, for which BT charge £400.00 per annum.
C) FREE WEB DIVERSION FACILITY: You can divert your number to any landline or mobile instantly at will.
Q) Don’t I own the number myself outright?
Answer: The number is yours to use for as long as you require the service and continue to pay for it. Essentially the ownership of the number remains with Alphatalk Ltd.
Q) Is there a minimum contract?
Answer: There is no minimum contract, just a quarterly rollover. You can cancel the service at any time by giving one month’s notice in writing.
Q) What happens to my number should Alphatalk Ltd stop trading?
Answer: We are in our ninth year of trading so you can be sure you are dealing with an established company. In the unlikely event of this happening you can port your number over to BT.
Q) What if I relocate and/or need to change the underlying telephone number to which my 08... Number is connected?
Answer: We do not charge for changing your ‘target’ number. You can change your target number yourself either online or via our Automated Telephone Diversion System.
Q) I have a number of offices in different locations. Can I have my 08... number revert to a second or third office if the call is not answered at the first one?
Answer: We can provide this service (Divert on Busy) on up to 10 different locations.
Q) Do I receive itemised billing?
Answer: You can view your itemised billing 24 hours a day from our website.
Q) What sort of online statistics do you provide and is there a charge?
Answer: Our online statistics are totally free to you. They will usually show all of the calls received on your 0800 number up until the previous day. The time of day and duration of each call is shown. These can be particularly useful in pinpointing which advertisements are working better for you than others.
Q) Do you provide any answering services?
Answer: We can provide an automated voice answering system for your calls. What this service does is that it offers voicemail without you using one of your own lines.
Q) Does having a Freephone number affect my landline or are there any other implications for my regular telephone provider?
Answer: You could literally connect hundreds of these numbers to one landline number. They will not affect your regular landline nor will your provider be aware of it, neither will they care.
Q) How many 08… numbers can be connected to my landline?
Answer: There is no restriction on how many numbers can be connected to the same target number. You can either have a minimum of one or literally thousands without affecting the underlying landline number.
Q) Can 08… numbers be diverted to international landlines or mobiles?
Answer: Yes, the facility is now available for 08… numbers to be connected to any landline or mobile in the world.
Q) Would any new equipment or lines be needed in order to setup any of these numbers?
Answer: Calls to your 08… numbers will be patched onto your existing lines. Therefore, you will not need to install any new lines or equipment.
Q) Would the old landline numbers still work?
Answer: One of the major benefits of these 08… numbers is that they will work in harmony with your existing telephone numbers.
Q) Do these numbers interfere with any outbound calls that I make?
Answer: These numbers are designed purely for inbound calls and have nothing to do with any calls that you make when you dial out from your phone. You will be billed as normal from your service provider for all your normal outbound calls.
Q) Can 08… numbers be used for fax machines?
Answer: Yes, we can connect these numbers to your fax lines as well, so customers can send you faxes by dialling any one of these numbers.
Q) Benefits of a non-geographical number.
Answer:
· Attract more customers; especially with 0800 Freephone numbers as you are providing free access to your company.
· Hide your locality; you can give the impression of being a local firm when you are not even in the same locality as your customers.
· Portability; Transfer these numbers to anywhere in the country and ensure a smooth transition for your business if you are relocating
· Monitor your advertising; most companies know that half of their advertising does not work but they do not which half. With the aid of telemarketing numbers you can monitor all incoming calls in conjunction with any adverts that you may have placed. This may help you save you hundreds of pounds by helping to eliminate adverts that do not work.
Q) Advantages You Can Expect
Answer:
· No minimum contract.
· Per second billing.
· Free diversions.
· Free billing and itemization.
· Dedicated Account Management.
Q) Can these numbers be taken to a new office if relocated?
Answer: As these numbers are portable and not restricted to any geographic location you can take them with you to any destination.
Q) Can people dial 08… numbers from abroad?
Answer: There is no definite answer to this. Normally, the person calling from abroad would have to drop the 0 (zero) at the beginning of the number as you would for a standard number and replace it with the international prefix. However, due to the now ever increasing bandwagon of carriers around the world there may be certain carriers who do not recognise these numbers and the caller may not be able to get through. That is why we recommend that for international business you also display your standard telephone numbers. On a positive note more and more international carriers are now recognising these numbers.
Q) What number shows up when someone rings my 08... number?
Answer: The underlying landline number of the caller will always show on the display whether your 0800 number is connected to a landline or a mobile.
Q) Can I connect a 0800 Freephone number to another 0800 number?
Answer: Unfortunately this is not possible.
Q) 07000 Personal Numbers
Answer: 07000 personal numbers: Connection is a one off fee of £99 plus VAT for a standard number. A one off fee of £150.00 plus VAT for a more chosen number. Line rental is £36.00 per quarter plus VAT in both cases. There are no call charges for the number holder (the caller is charged at 14p@peak times and 8p@off-peak and weekends).
Q) 07007 Personal Numbers
Answer: 07007numbers are specially designed to be used with mobiles, but it can be arranged to be put on a landline if necessary, 07007 is a mobile number for life. Connection: a one off fee of £99 plus VAT. There are no call charges to the number holder (Caller pays 33p@peak, 25p@off-peak and weekends).
Q) 07074 Personal Numbers
Answer: 07074numbers are specially designed to be used with mobiles, but it can be arranged to be put on a landline if necessary. 07074 is a mobile number for life. Connection: a one off fee of £99 plus VAT. There are no call charges to the number holder (Caller pays 33p@peak, 25p@off-peak and weekends).
Q) The difference between 07007 & 07074
Answer: The difference with 07007 and 07074 is that the digits after 07007 can’t represent any letters whereas the digits after the 07074 can. The caller will charged at the standard rate for calls to these numbers as free time minutes on any network will not apply, because it is a personal number and outside the contract arrangements.
Q) What happens if I want to connect a 08… number to my mobile phone?
Answer: We can now connect these numbers directly to your mobile. It is the same line rental of £29.99 + VAT per quarter but your call charges are 25p per minute. Also if we connect directly to a mobile we also ask for a deposit of £100.00 which is refunded after 6 months.
Q) Restrictions on 07007/07074
Answer:
- A caller will be charged at the standard rates as free time on any network does not apply to this, because it is a personal number and outside the contract arrangements.
- No text message can be sent to this number, if necessary it must be sent to the under lying number.
Q) Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Services
Answer:
Divert When Busy: Calls will be diverted to the next destination if the first one is busy.
Voicemail: A voicemail can be set up directly on the network where you can record your own message for all your callers to hear and leave a message in return.
Parallel Dialling: When caller calls, it can ring on a few numbers simultaneously until someone answers, which stops the ringing. It doesn’t even have to be in the same location.
Area Link: If you have multiple branches you can advertise the same number and connect callers to their nearest branch.
Auto Attendant: This is where the customer hears various options such as press 1 for sales, press 2 for accounts and so on.
Prices do vary on all the above as you do need to be specific about your requirements, especially with the Auto Attendant service. All the above options are just the basic services we provide, but it should give you a fairly good idea to identify what you really need.
PC Monitoring: We have developed spysure pc and internet monitoring software. Spysure is suitable for parental control.
